Advising patients on selecting trustful apps for diabetes self-care

BACKGROUND: There has been a dramatic increase in mobile apps for diabetes self-care. However, their quality is not guaranteed and patients do not have the appropriate tools for careful evaluation. OBJECTIVE: This work aims to propose a tool to help patients with diabetes select an appropriate app for self-care. METHODS: After identifying the conceptual framework of diabetes self-care, we searched Apple US app store and reviewed diabetes self-care apps, considering both generic and diabetes-specific features. Based on an existing tool for representing the benefits and weaknesses of medical apps, we created the pictorial identification schema/Diabetes Self-care tool, which specifically identified medical apps in the diabetes domain. RESULTS: Of the 952 apps retrieved, 67 were for diabetes self-care, while 26 were excluded because they were not updated in the last 12 months. Of the remaining 41, none cost more than 15 USD, and 36 implemented manual data entry. Basic features (data logging, data representation, and data delivery) were implemented in almost all apps, whereas advanced features (e.g., insulin calculator) were implemented in a small percentage of apps. The pictorial identification schema for diabetes was completed by one patient and one software developer for 13 apps. Both users highlighted weaknesses related to the functionalities offered and to their interface, but the patient focused on usability, whereas the software developer focused on technical implementation. CONCLUSIONS: The Pictorial Identification Schema/Diabetes Self-care is a promising graphical tool for perceiving the weaknesses and benefits of a diabetes self-care app that includes multiple user profile perspectives

Aplikasi Irene Donut: Penerimaan dan Perubahan Sikap Orang Tua dalam Mencegah Karies Gigi Murid TK di Kota Serang

Irene donut is an application for assessing carries risk and changing the parent’s behavior. Irene donut application has rapidly grew from manul to android. The purpose of this study was to describe the user acceptance rate of Irene Donut application and to analyze the effect of “Irene Donut”  android version on parent’s attitude to prevent dental caries in children. The design of this study was pre-experimental  with repeated measure. Pre-post intervention study was conducted in Serang City, Banten-Indonesia and involved 62 parents from 4 preschools. A self-administered measurement was applied to asses user acceptance and oral health attitude before and after the program with conducted for 3 weeks. The data were analyzed using Wilcoxon test. Results showed that a statistically significance difference. That there was an effect in attitude (p=0,001). The positive attitude increased by 5,6%. Generally, User acceptance of  application  has been increased in 3 weeks (4,9%). Positive acceptance are usefulness; compatibility; triability; observability; and behavioral intention. Conclusion, Irene donut application was effective in improving oral health attitude for parents to prevent dental caries children and irene donut application has positive acceptance by the users

Patient Satisfaction Management in Office Visits and Telehealth in Health Care Technology

Telehealth and remote medical treatments have begun to be more commonly used in healthcare systems. Researchers have theorized that providers\u27 abilities to treat patients are not directly tied to the proximity of the patient to the doctor, but by the identification and treatment of the patient\u27s symptoms. Although the treatment and cure rates are being established within individual health systems and professional medical associations, empirical research is lacking regarding patient satisfaction with this remote treatment situation. The purpose of this quantitative study was to address this gap by examining satisfaction ratings of patients between virtual provider visits and face-to-face provider visits. The Clinician & Group Survey developed by the Consumer Assessment of Health Care Providers and Systems (CAHPS), through the United States government department, Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, measured patient satisfaction. Data from health care patients in the United States (N=8854) were randomly selected from the CAHPS data set containing 457,418 encounters. Of this number, 4,427 unique patient encounters were with face-to-face health care visits and 4,427 unique patient encounters were with telehealth providers. The ANOVA results showed no significant differences in patient satisfaction management between the availability of providers to meet face-to-face with patients who met with providers in a telehealth setting. Possible social change implications are a shift from face-to-face visits to virtual visits structured in the need to shift all patients from the standard office visit system to the on-demand network opportunity that virtual telehealth and mobile commerce health care offers to allow the benefit of technology to assist these patients