Identifying factors that affect the use of health information technology in the treatment and management of hypertension

Abstract Background We conducted this study with the aim of identifying factors that affect the use of health information technology in the treatment and management of hypertension. Methods This paper is a descriptive-analytic study conducted in 2022. To obtain relevant articles, databases including Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE, and PubMed were searched and the time period was between 2013 and 2022. Based on the review of similar articles, a five-point Likert scale checklist was developed in the second phase. The statistical population of the present study was specialist physicians (N = 40) and patients (N = 384). In order to analyze the data, SPSS Statistics 24 was used. To analyze the data obtained from the checklist, we used summary statistics (mean and standard deviation). Results As a result of the review literature process, 50 papers were screened, that based we can distinguish motivational and inhibitory factors affecting the use of health information technology in hypertension management. Indeed, Motivational factors and inhibitory factors can be classified into five groups: organizational, economic, technical, personal, and legal/moral factors. Based on the results of the checklist, the factors that were identified as most influential on motivation and inhibitory patients and specialist physicians’ to use of health information technology to manage and treat hypertension. Conclusion Utilizing technologies for hypertension, its management can be improved by identifying motivating and inhibiting factors. Our approach can improve the acceptability of these technologies, save costs, reduce long-term complications of hypertension, and improve patient quality of life

Factors affecting acceptance of hospital information systems based on extended technology acceptance model: a case study in three paraclinical departments

Objective: Regardless of the acceptance of users, information and communication systems can be considered as a health intervention designed to improve the care delivered to patients. This study aimed to determine the adoption and use of the extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM2) by the users of hospital information system (HIS) in paraclinical departments including laboratory, radiology, and nutrition and to investigate the key factors of adoption and use of these systems. Materials and Methods: A standard questionnaire was used to collect the data from nearly 253 users of these systems in paraclinical departments of eight university hospitals in two different cities of Iran. A total of 202 questionnaires including valid responses were used in this study (105 in Urmia and 97 in Khorramabad). The data were processed using LISREL and SPSS software and statistical analysis technique was based on the structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: It was found that the original TAM constructs had a significant impact on the staffs' behavioral intention to adopt HIS in paraclinical departments. The results of this study indicated that cognitive instrumental processes (job relevance, output quality, result demonstrability, and perceived ease of use), except for result demonstrability, were significant predictors of intention to use, whereas the result revealed no significant relationship between social influence processes (subjective norm, voluntariness, and image) and the users' behavioral intention to use the system. Conclusion: The results confirmed that several factors in the TAM2 that were important in previous studies were not significant in paraclinical departments and in government-owned hospitals. The users' behavior factors are essential for successful usage of the system and should be considered. It provides valuable information for hospital system providers and policy makers in understanding the adoption challenges as well as practical guidance for the successful implementation of information systems in paraclinical departments

The effects of electronic nursing handover on patient safety in the general (non-COVID-19) and COVID-19 intensive care units: a quasi-experimental study

Abstract Background The unprecedented increase in the nurses’ workload is one of the issues affecting the quality and safety of patient care in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The electronic nursing handover can share sufficient, relevant, and necessary data about patients with greater efficiency and accuracy and prevent their information from being deleted. Therefore, this study aimed to determine and compare the effect of the Electronic Nursing Handover System (ENHS) on patient safety in General ICU and COVID-19 ICU. Method This is a quasi-experimental study conducted during an 8-month period from 22 to 2021 to 26 June 2022 using a test-retest design. A total of 29 nurses working in the General and COVID-19 ICUs participated in this study. Data were collected using a five-part questionnaire consisting of demographic information, handover quality, handover efficiency, error reduction, and handover time. Data analysis was conducted in IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y., USA) using the chi-squared test, paired t-test, and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). Results The results showed that the mean scores of handover quality and efficiency, reduction of clinical error, and handover time in the electronic handover were significantly higher than those obtained in the paper-based method. The results showed that the mean score of patient safety in the COVID-19 ICU was 177.40 ± 30.416 for the paper-based handover and 251.40 ± 29.049 for the electronic handover (p = .0001). Moreover, the mean score of patient safety in the general ICU was 209.21 ± 23.072 for the paper-based handover and 251.93 ± 23.381 for the electronic one (p = .0001). Conclusion The use of ENHS significantly improved the quality and efficiency of shift handover, reduced the possibility of clinical error, saved handover time, and finally increased patient safety compared to the paper-based method. The results also showed the positive perspectives of ICU nurses toward the positive effect of ENHS on the patient safety improvement

Mobile phone applications to overcome malnutrition among preschoolers: a systematic review

Abstract Background Malnutrition is one of the most important reasons for child mortality in developing countries, especially during the first 5 years of life. We set out to systematically review evaluations of interventions that use mobile phone applications to overcome malnutrition among preschoolers. Methods The review was conducted and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses: the PRISMA statement. To be eligible, the study had to have evaluated mobile phone interventions to increase nutrition knowledge or enhance behavior related to nutrition in order to cope with malnutrition (under nutrition or overweight) in preschoolers. Articles addressing other research topics, older children or adults, review papers, theoretical and conceptual articles, editorials, and letters were excluded. The PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases covering both medical and technical literature were searched for studies addressing preschoolers’ malnutrition using mobile technology. Results Seven articles were identified that fulfilled the review criteria. The studies reported in the main positive signals concerning the acceptance of mobile phone based nutritional interventions addressing preschoolers. Important infrastructural and technical limitations to implement mHealth in low and middle income countries (LMICs) were also communicated, ranging from low network capacity and low access to mobile phones to specific technical barriers. Only one study was identified evaluating primary anthropometric outcomes. Conclusions The review findings indicated a need for more controlled evaluations using anthropometric primary endpoints and put relevance to the suggestion that cooperation between government organizations, academia, and industry is necessary to provide sufficient infrastructure support for mHealth use against malnutrition in LMICs

Smartphone-Based Maternal Education for the Complementary Feeding of Undernourished Children Under 3 Years of Age in Food-Secure Communities : Randomised Controlled Trial in Urmia, Iran

The mothers nutritional literacy is an important determinant of child malnourishment. We assessed the effect of a smartphone-based maternal nutritional education programme for the complementary feeding of undernourished children under 3 years of age in a food-secure middle-income community. The study used a randomised controlled trial design with one intervention arm and one control arm (n = 110; 1:1 ratio) and was performed at one well-child clinic in Urmia, Iran. An educational smartphone application was delivered to the intervention group for a 6-month period while the control group received treatment-as-usual (TAU) with regular check-ups of the childs development at the well-child centre and the provision of standard nutritional information. The primary outcome measure was change in the indicator of acute undernourishment (i.e., wasting) which is the weight-for-height z-score (WHZ). Children in the smartphone group showed greater wasting status improvement (WHZ +0.65 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) +/- 0.16)) than children in the TAU group (WHZ +0.31 (95% CI +/- 0.21); p = 0.011) and greater reduction (89.6% vs. 51.5%; p = 0.016) of wasting caseness (i.e., WHZ < 2; yes/no). We conclude that smartphone-based maternal nutritional education in complementary feeding is more effective than TAU for reducing undernourishment among children under 3 years of age in food-secure communities