How mobile health affects primary healthcare? Questionnaire design and attitude assessment

Abstract

Objectives The current research aimed to develop a questionnaire for the evaluation of the staff viewpoints in mobile phone use in the delivery of their services and then to assess the primary health center staff attitudes toward this area. Methods This was a two-stage cross-sectional study. In the initial stage, a questionnaire was constructed that tested their reliability and validity through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, multitrait/multi-item correlation matrix and multivariate method of factor analysis. In the second phase, we computed the raw score of each construct which was calculated by taking the mean of the responses of all the items in a particular construct. The normality of the scores for each construct was tested via Kolmogorov-Smirnov and various parametric/non-parametric statistical tests were applied to compare the responses of the subjects. After statistical tests, the final questionnaire was confirmed, including 28 items. Results The final questionnaires’ five main axes consisted of health services efficiency, education, notices, consultation, as well as follow-up. Personnel perspective assessment indicates that there is no difference of view among individuals coming from various demographic features, including gender, age, work experience, as well as education level, to mobile phone use in their services. Conclusion The attitude of public health center staff to mobile phone use in providing health services was positive in general, which would be an influential context for the effective application of mobile phones in public health; such a context would result in users' intentions to use and accept m-Health.

Development, usability and quality evaluation of the resilient mobile application for women with breast cancer

“…M‐health apps affect health services and care in a variety of ways. 7 M‐Health services include patient participation in self‐care, 8 clinical decisions support, 9 empowering patients with education, 10 , 11 improving patients' access to treatment and counseling, 12 improving treatment process management, 13 diagnosing and monitoring disease, 14 promoting mental health, and public health services. 15…”

“…17 , 18 Due to the simplicity of access to mobile devices and mobile apps, cancer patients can communicate effectively with healthcare providers. 7 , 19 So m‐Health apps had been evaluated to be useful in identifying and managing mental problems and stress after a cancer diagnosis. 20 , 21 , 22 …”

“…17,18 Due to the simplicity of access to mobile devices and mobile apps, cancer patients can communicate effectively with healthcare providers. 7,19 So m-Health apps had been evaluated to be useful in identifying and managing mental problems and stress after a cancer diagnosis. [20][21][22] Improving mental health is the most important factor of resilience in women with breast cancer and interventions related to improving mental health can improve resilience.…”

Evaluation of m‐Health‐rehabilitation for respiratory disorders: A systematic review

“… 12 , 14 m‐Health is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “the function of medical and public health supported by mobile devices such as cell phones, patient monitoring devices, personal digital assistants and other wireless devices.” 15 Today, the use of smartphones has increased, and m‐Health uses smartphones as a complement to medical health care because some of its benefits extend beyond specific barriers to clinical health care. 16 , 17 m‐Health apps offer new opportunities for access to health care, learning, self‐management, and communication. 18 , 19 Based m‐Health apps enhance self‐management outcomes by providing support (e.g., information, education, and reminders) to patients.…”

“…15 Today, the use of smartphones has increased, and m-Health uses smartphones as a complement to medical health care because some of its benefits extend beyond specific barriers to clinical health care. 16,17 m-Health apps offer new opportunities for access to health care, learning, selfmanagement, and communication. 18,19 Based m-Health apps enhance self-management outcomes by providing support (e.g., information, education, and reminders) to patients.…”