Structured Caregiver Feedback Enhances Engagement and Impact of Mobile Health Support: A Randomized Trial in a Lower-Middle-Income Country

Background: Patients' engagement in mobile health (m-health) interventions using interactive voice response (IVR) calls is less in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) than in industrialized ones. We conducted a study to determine whether automated telephone feedback to informal caregivers (?CarePartners?) increased engagement in m-health support among diabetes and hypertension patients in Bolivia. Materials and Methods: Patients with diabetes and/or hypertension were identified through ambulatory clinics affiliated with four hospitals. All patients enrolled with a CarePartner. Patients were randomized to weekly IVR calls including self-management questions and self-care education either alone (?standard m-health?) or with automated feedback about health and self-care needs sent to their CarePartner after each IVR call (?m-health+CP?). Results: The 72 participants included 39 with diabetes and 53 with hypertension, of whom 19 had ≤6 years of education. After 1,225 patient-weeks of attempted IVR assessments, the call completion rate was higher among patients randomized to m-health+CP compared with standard m-health (62.0% versus 44.9%; p?Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140289/1/tmj.2015.0099.pd

Ingen död för journalistiken – men kanske konstgjord andning? : En studie om frilansjournalisters syn på påståenden om journalistikens undergång

The future of journalism is threatened. This is what emerges in a considerable amount of literature provided for journalism students. Most of the research concerning the future of journalists applies only to those who have a permanent employment at a media company and not to freelance journalists. This study focuses on the freelance journalists’ views on their work today and their thoughts on the future challenges of journalism, based on the aspects described in literature.Through a questionnaire survey the freelance journalists have answered to what extent they agree with the statements contained in the literature. Subsequently, some of these statements got further explanations through personal interviews with the respondents.The results show that freelance journalists by and large agree with the statements in the literature. Technology and economy are the main factors affecting content, working conditions and production. Freelance journalists agree that journalism and the journalist role are changing and they are somewhat more likely to agree to the claims related to the future than to the present.Despite the negative aspects and the turbulent times that characterize journalism and the future, of which the freelancers are highly aware, they believe in the future of journalism in one form or another. They are skeptical about the assertion of journalism's downfall and they hope there will soon be a backlash effect to the development as of today.Validerat; 20140624 (global_studentproject_submitter