Category: Ehealth

Posted in #HCSM, Ehealth, Health Literacy, Public Health, Research Reports

Low-Income Patients Interested in Digital Health Communication

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Many lower-income patients say they would like to communicate electronically with their health care providers but are unable to do so because of insufficient technology at the clinics where they receive care, according to a new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, Medical News Today reports.

The study found that:

  • 78% of the study participants expressed interest in electronic communication with their health care providers (Martinez, “On Central,” KPCC, 2/27);
  • 60% said they use email;
  • 54% said they obtain information from the Internet; and
  • 17% said they already use email to communicate informally with their health care providers.

Adam Schickedanz — lead study author and medical resident at the UCSF Department of Pediatrics — said, “Our work makes it clear that lower-income patients from a wide variety of backgrounds want to be part of the health information technology revolution.” Schickedanz added, “The question is whether they will be afforded the opportunities to take part in the same way as their middle- and higher-income peers.”

Urmimala Sarkar — senior author and assistant professor of medicine with the UCSF Department of Medicine — said, “Electronic health-related communication is becoming the standard of care in well-resourced settings, and should be implemented and supported in resource-poor settings.”

The researchers recommended that future research examine preferences among diverse patient populations for electronically communicating with health care providers. They noted that such research might look at the benefits of tailoring existing communications systems to specific languages and literacy levels (Medical News Today, 2/27).

See on www.ihealthbeat.org

Posted in E-Patient, Ehealth

Patient engagement important, but loosely defined

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What exactly is patient engagement? According to the National eHealth Collaborative’s 2012 stakeholder survey released last month, there is little agreement among health leaders. They currently use a variety of definitions that range from patients having access to educational materials to patients using their own electronic health record to transmit data to outside organizations.

Survey respondents were asked to choose their two top definitions from among 10 choices. They also could write in their own definition. The top five responses include:

Patient uses educational material and online resources to learn about better health or their own health conditions (64.0 percent)Patient uses tools and resources to manage his or her medical record and other health data (58.7 percent)Patient feels comfortable challenging doctor when something doesn’t seem right or when explanations are not clear (41.3 percent)Patient feels comfortable discussing health issues and questions with doctor or nurse face-to-face (38.4 percent)Patient communicates with doctor about changes in health status in a timely way (38.4 percent)

Survey respondents may not define patient engagement the same way, but an overwhelming 95 percent said the issue is “very important” or “important” in transforming healthcare. Only 5 percent called it “somewhat important,” while no respondents characterized it as “not important.”

See on www.fiercehealthcare.com

Posted in #HCSM, #HIT, Ehealth, mHealth

Resource guide points cancer patients to digital coping tools

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The eHealth Initiative (eHI), a non-profit organization whose mission is to drive improvement in the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare through information and technology,  has unveiled its first-ever Health IT Cancer Resources Guide, a comprehensive overview of the digital tools and technologies available today that help patients and their families, caregivers and support networks understand, treat and cope with cancer.

The guide lists 76 tools ranging from mobile applications to web sites to social networks that aim to improve cancer care. It was developed by eHI’s National Council on Cancer and Technology, which included representatives from American Cancer Society and American Society of Clinical Oncologists, and is organized in five sections: decision making, education, treatment management, social support and lifestyle management.

eHI developed the guide based on the findings of the Issue Brief on eHealth Tools and Cancer Care, a review of 124 articles, which examined how telemedicine, mobile health, internet-based technologies and social media are being used in cancer care today. The issue brief highlighted the meaningful impact eHealth tools have on care including the removal of geographic barriers, enhanced decision-making capabilities and improved patient-provider communication.

To view the full Health IT Cancer Resource Guide click here.

Posted in Ehealth, Nursing

Social Media Use Within Nursing

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See on Scoop.it – Health Care Social Media Monitor

The last decade has seen tremendous growth in the use of communication technology within healthcare. Along with the rise of various eHealth technologies during the early 2000s, the recent increased prevalence of socially-driven Internet technology (social media) has begun to impact the nursing profession in a number of salient fashions.

Nursing education and practice are two areas which have been influenced by the evolving communication modalities that social media technologies can facilitate. Regardless, the nursing profession as a whole has been remarkably slow to recognize and study these new modalities of communication facilitated by the evolution of social media.

See on www.medicine20congress.com