Awareness, perception and usage of mobile applications for health and wellness

• Autor(a) principal: Calçada, Diogo Jose de Azevedo
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.6/5184
• topic: App; Cidadão; Estudante de Medicina; Mhealth; Smartphones; Domínio/Área Científica::Ciências Médicas::Ciências da Saúde::Medicina

Introduction: Nowadays, health services face great challenge due to lack of staff and difficult accessibility. To fill this gap is necessary the patient involvement through the managing of his disease to not need more expensive treatments. With the development of smartphones and availability of wireless network, there is a possibility of mobile platforms to become a health care delivery vehicle. mHealth or mobile health was defined by Global Observatory for eHealth as a medical practice supported by mobile devices. These applications are seen as very useful tools in the prevention and management of the main mortality causes. As the empowerment of patients is a key element so that health services reach the majority of the population, mHealth applications (mHealth apps) should be positioned as one of the main health care delivery platforms. The purpose of this study is evaluate the awareness, perception and reported use of mHealth apps in the medical students in Portugal and in a convenience sample of portuguese citizens. Methodology: This study is a quantitative methodology. The focus of study was the population of medical students of portuguese medical schools and the portuguese population. Data collection was done through a questionnaire. Results: It was obtain 528 valid responses from medical students and 301 of the Portuguese citizens. In the sample of medical students, 65,6% (n=258) claimed that knew what was a mHealth app and 88,4% said they knew at least one mHealth app. In the sample of the portuguese population 62,9% (n=159) claimed that knew what was a mHealth app and 74,2% said they knew at least one mHealth app. The best known mHealth apps were about physical exercise – 86,0% in the medical students and 87,1% in the portuguese population. 79,4% (n=181) of the sample of medical students and 78,8% (n=93) of the sample of the portuguese population has used some mHealth app. The frequency of use of mHealth apps was high in both sample, with 64,9% of high frequent users (using at least three times per week) in the sample of medical students and 69,9% in the sample of the portuguese population. Dividing the mHealth apps on leading causes of death, it is found that, 39,2% (n=71) of the sample of medical students and 24,4% (n=20) of the sample of the portuguese population were using this subset of mHealth apps. Statistical significance was found between "being a medical student" and perception of mHealth apps (p=0,001) and the use of mHealth apps on the main causes of death (p=0,019). The association between age and mHealth apps perception was also statistically significant (p=0,030). A trend toward statistical significance between the level of education and the perception of mHealth apps (p=0.065) and between the age group and the use of mHealth apps (p=0.053) was also found. Discussion: The apps are a tool with great potential, little need for monetary investment or to teach how to use and the most important factor for its use is the mobile device. For now, the main engines of development of mHealth apps are private companies which may have led to the apps on exercise being the most popular mHealth apps (known and used). One can not exclude the possibility of using these apps in medical schools. As most of the work is done in the commercial field, the developers have focused on diseases typical of developed countries. Thus, the heart disease is one of the most studied and with more applications with HIV/AIDS. The perception may be influenced by other factors such as interaction with the environment, peers, purchasing power and predisposition for this type of technology. Almost all of those who know and have some perception of mHealth apps use them. Despite the high acceptance of new technologies among younger age groups, the monetary factor is only surpassed in age group [23; 28[. From the point that smartphone is acquired people tend to keep it all the time with them leading to a large number of high frequent users. Very few people use mHealth apps of the main causes of death. The large discrepancy between the use of mHealth apps and the use of this subset of mHealth apps raises the possibility that the questionnaire was not clear and/or the respondent was not familiar with the term. This possibility is also supported by the literature as there is a high acceptance and dissemination of health programs based on mHealth apps. Conclusion: There is a high level of awareness, perception, use and frequency of use of mHealth apps being the smartphone the key to use these tools. The mHealth apps seem to have applicability in the National Health System, but further studies are needed to assess if this option is cost-effective. Moreover, this technology can be a potential teaching platform in medical schools. It seems that the older age groups have some reluctance to use apps. Possibly the adaptation of existing apps to age group or use with support can dissolve this reluctance. A break between the use of mHealth apps and mHealth apps of the main causes of death was found. This information opens a window of intervention to the national health system in order to increase the use of this subset of mHealth apps. More studies are needed to uncover the true nature of this variable.