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Investigating the attitude of patients with chronic diseases about using mobile health

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2020

Reza Abbasi
Affiliation:
Health Information Management Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran Department of Health Information Sciences, Faculty of Management and Medical Information Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
Sahar Zare
Affiliation:
Health Information Management Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
Leila Ahmadian*
Affiliation:
Department of Health Information Sciences, Faculty of Management and Medical Information Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran Medical Informatics Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
*
Author for correspondence: Leila Ahmadian, E-mail: AhmadianLe@yahoo.com

Abstract

Background

Mobile health (mHealth) due to its popularity and accessibility can be widely applied in different health areas such as the management of chronic diseases. However, its success depends on the acceptance of their users. Therefore, the aim of this study was to survey the attitudes of patients with chronic disease toward mHealth technology and their willingness to use it.

Methods

This study was conducted within a 2-year period (2016–2018) to determine and compare the attitude and willingness of patients with asthma, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis (MS) toward using mHealth technology in a province in Iran.

Results

In total, 222 patients participated in this study. More than 93 percent of the patients with diabetes and MS, and 65 percent of the asthmatic patients preferred using mHealth services rather than consulting a physician (p < .0001). About 98, 94, and 49 percent of the MS, diabetic, and asthmatic patients, respectively felt comfortable if their health conditions checked by physicians through mHealth technology (p < .0001).

Conclusions

Our results showed that the majority of the patients felt comfortable and preferred using mHealth technology rather than consulting the physicians. The attitudes of diabetic and MS patients toward mHealth technology were rather more positive compared to asthmatic patient attitude. These results may be helpful for the developers of mHealth technology, and researchers who design mHelath interventions for patients with chronic disease.

Type
Assessment
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2020

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