Investigation of physicians' awareness and use of mHealth apps: A mixed method study

Sezgın, Emre; Yıldırım, Sevgi Özkan; Yıldırım, Soner

doi:10.1016/j.hlpt.2017.07.007

Cited by 57 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Studies from several other countries reported that anywhere between 20% to 75% of health professionals use mHealth apps for their patients [8-11], which is comparable with the 50% use by Australian GPs. The main barriers we identified were also reflective of the barriers health professionals face around the world.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Health care professionals’ use of mHealth apps and mobile technologies have been explored in several recent reports from the United States [8], United Kingdom [9], France [10], and Turkey [11]. At least half of the surveyed GPs, specialists, dieticians, and pharmacists reported to recommend mHealth apps to patients, except for the French study of GPs, which reported half that rate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Current Knowledge and Adoption of Mobile Health Apps Among Australian General Practitioners: Survey Study

Byambasuren¹,

Beller²,

Glasziou³

2019

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

147

122

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Background Mobile health (mHealth) apps can be prescribed as an effective self-management tool for patients. However, it is challenging for doctors to navigate 350,000 mHealth apps to find the right ones to recommend. Although medical professionals from many countries are using mHealth apps to varying degrees, current mHealth app use by Australian general practitioners (GPs) and the barriers and facilitators they encounter when integrating mHealth apps in their clinical practice have not been reported comprehensively. Objective The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate current knowledge and use of mHealth apps by GPs in Australia, (2) determine the barriers and facilitators to their use of mHealth apps in consultations, and (3) explore potential solutions to the barriers. Methods We helped the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) to expand the mHealth section of their annual technology survey for 2017 based on the findings of our semistructured interviews with GPs to further explore barriers to using mHealth apps in clinical practice. The survey was distributed to the RACGP members nationwide between October 26 and December 3, 2017 using Qualtrics Web-based survey tool. Results A total of 1014 RACGP members responded (response rate 4.6% [1014/21,884], completion rate 61.2% [621/1014]). The median years practiced was 20.7 years. Two-thirds of the GPs used apps professionally in the forms of medical calculators and point-of-care references. A little over half of the GPs recommended apps for patients either daily (12.9%, 80/621), weekly (25.9%, 161/621), or monthly (13.4%, 83/621). Mindfulness and mental health apps were recommended most often (32.5%, 337/1036), followed by diet and nutrition (13.9%, 144/1036), exercise and fitness (12.7%, 132/1036), and women’s health (10%, 104/1036) related apps. Knowledge and usage of evidence-based apps from the Handbook of Non-Drug Interventions were low. The prevailing barriers to app prescription were the lack of knowledge of effective apps (59.9%, 372/621) and the lack of trustworthy source to access them (15.5%, 96/621). GPs expressed their need for a list of safe and effective apps from a trustworthy source, such as the RACGP, to overcome these barriers. They reported a preference for online video training material or webinar to learn more about mHealth apps. Conclusions Most GPs are using apps professionally but recommending apps to patients sparingly. The main barriers to app prescription were the lack of knowledge of effective apps and the lack of trustworthy source to access them. A curated compilation of effective mHealth apps or an app library specifically aimed at GPs and health professionals would help solve both barriers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current Knowledge and Adoption of Mobile Health Apps Among Australian General Practitioners: Survey Study

Byambasuren¹,

Beller²,

Glasziou³

2019

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

147

122

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…27 Our results agree with recent estimates, suggesting that both WhatsApp and Facebook are amongst the most popular ICTs used by healthcare professionals for communicating and interacting with peers and patients. 23,28,29 The widespread adoption of these ICTs makes them an attractive cost-effective platform for A B Figure 2 Overall frequencies of perceptions and barriers of ICTs among Ecuadorian physicians. (A) Frequencies of each perception are shown as percentages (I, "Promote private medical services"; II, "Search for new job opportunities and/or professional development"; III, "Participate in research projects"; IV, "Promote health"; V, "Work in group with colleagues"; VI, "Dislike to interact with colleagues through such channels"; VII, "Prefer traditional channels of communications").…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

<p>Frequency of Use, Perceptions and Barriers of Information and Communication Technologies Among Latin American Physicians: An Ecuadorian Cross-Sectional Study</p>

Chérrez-Ojeda¹,

Vanegas²,

Félix³

et al. 2020

JMDH

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In recent years, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has increased in various sectors, among which the healthcare service is no exception. However, studies have mostly focused on the use of ICTs among patients with chronic diseases, with few reports on the advantages and barriers of these technologies among physicians, particularly in Latin America. We designed this study to fill in the gap, as an objective assessment of the frequency of use, perceptions, and barriers of ICTs among physicians remains crucial for a successful implementation of these technologies into the mainstream medical practice. Methods: We conducted an anonymous cross-sectional survey-based study in 640 Ecuadorian physicians. The survey used consisted of 13 items and evaluated the frequency of use, perceptions, and barriers of ICTs among physicians. Chi-square tests for goodness of fit and independence were performed, whilst Phi coefficient was interpreted to assess the strength of associations. Fisher exact test was performed when required. Results: Over 90% of physicians reported the use of ICTs to message other colleagues and patients (p=0.000). While 89.5% of physicians used social media to interact with other colleagues, only 58.1% used them to interact with patients (p=0.000). Most participants reported the use of ICTs to search for academic information (p=0.000). Moreover, more than 80.0% agree that ICTs may be used to promote health and medical services, search new job opportunities, get involved in research projects and promote teamwork with colleagues. However, 83.6% of physicians expressed concerns about privacy and patient confidentiality, while 53.8% stated that they lacked the time to use ICTs. Conclusion: High usage of ICTs was found among Ecuadorian physicians. Younger physicians, with less postgraduate years, and non-specialists were more likely to have a positive perception toward ICTs. Privacy and patient confidentiality, followed by time management, were the most reported barriers in our study.

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“…Both a Swedish [ 14 ] and an Australian [ 15 ] study suggest that physicians tend to recommend health apps to their patients sparingly, even if they have a positive attitude and perceive an improvement in patients’ self-management ability as the main benefit of health apps [ 14 ]. The lack of knowledge of effective apps seems to be the main barrier [ 15 , 16 ]. Dutch GPs seem to have a supporting or mixed attitude toward the integration of mHealth in primary care [ 17 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes of General Practitioners Toward Prescription of Mobile Health Apps: Qualitative Study

Sarradon-Eck¹,

Bouchez²,

Auroy³

et al. 2021

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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Background Mobile health (mHealth) apps are a potential means of empowering patients, especially in the case of multimorbidity, which complicates patients’ care needs. Previous studies have shown that general practitioners (GPs) have both expectations and concerns regarding patients’ use of mHealth apps that could impact their willingness to recommend the apps to patients. Objective The aim of this qualitative study is to investigate French GPs’ attitudes toward the prescription of mHealth apps or devices aimed toward patients by analyzing GPs’ perceptions and expectations of mHealth technologies. Methods A total of 36 GPs were interviewed individually (n=20) or in a discussion group (n=16). All participants were in private practice. A qualitative analysis of each interview and focus group was conducted using grounded theory analysis. Results Considering the value assigned to mHealth apps by participants and their willingness or resistance to prescribe them, 3 groups were defined based on the attitudes or positions adopted by GPs: digital engagement (favorable attitude; mHealth apps are perceived as additional resources and complementary tools that facilitate the medical work, the follow-up care, and the monitoring of patients; and apps increase patients’ compliance and empowerment); patient protection (related to the management of patient care and fear of risks for patients, concerns about patient data privacy and security, doubt about the usefulness for empowering patients, standardization of the medical decision process, overmedicalization, risks for individual freedom, and increasing social inequalities in health); doctor protection (fear of additional tasks and burden, doubt about the actionability of patient-gathered health data, risk for medical liability, dehumanization of the patient-doctor relationship, fear of increased drug prescription, and commodification of patient data). Conclusions A deep understanding of both the expectations and fears of GPs is essential to motivate them to recommend mHealth apps to their patients. The results of this study show the need to provide appropriate education and training to enhance GPs’ digital skills. Certification of the apps by an independent authority should be encouraged to reassure physicians about ethical and data security issues. Our results highlight the need to overcome technical issues such as interoperability between data collection and medical records to limit the disruption of medical work because of data flow.

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Investigation of physicians' awareness and use of mHealth apps: A mixed method study

Cited by 57 publications

References 54 publications

Current Knowledge and Adoption of Mobile Health Apps Among Australian General Practitioners: Survey Study

Current Knowledge and Adoption of Mobile Health Apps Among Australian General Practitioners: Survey Study

<p>Frequency of Use, Perceptions and Barriers of Information and Communication Technologies Among Latin American Physicians: An Ecuadorian Cross-Sectional Study</p>

Attitudes of General Practitioners Toward Prescription of Mobile Health Apps: Qualitative Study

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