WhatsApp Messenger as an Adjunctive Tool for Telemedicine: An Overview

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Giordano, Vincenzo
Data de Publicação: 2017
Outros Autores: Koch, Hilton, Godoy-Santos, Alexandre [UNIFESP], Belangero, William Dias, Santos Pires, Robinson Esteves, Labronici, Pedro
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/ijmr.6214
https://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/53497
Resumo: Background: The advent of telemedicine has allowed physicians to deliver medical treatment to patients from a distance. Mobile apps such as WhatsApp Messenger, an instant messaging service, came as a novel concept in all fields of social life, including medicine. The use of instant messaging services has been shown to improve communication within medical teams by providing means for quick teleconsultation, information sharing, and starting treatment as soon as possible. Objective: The aim of this study was to perform a comprehensive systematic review of present literature on the use of the WhatsApp Messenger app as an adjunctive health care tool for medical doctors. Methods: Searches were performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library using the term "whatsapp*" in articles published before January 2016. A bibliography of all relevant original articles that used the WhatsApp Messenger app was created. The level of evidence of each study was determined according to the Oxford Levels of Evidence ranking system produced by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. The impact and the indications of WhatsApp Messenger are discussed in order to understand the extent to which this app currently functions as an adjunctive tool for telemedicine. Results: The database search identified a total of 30 studies in which the term "whatsapp*" was used. Each article's list of references was evaluated item-by-item. After literature reviews, letters to the editor, and low-quality studies were excluded, a total of 10 studies were found to be eligible for inclusion. Of these studies, 9 had been published in the English language and 1 had been published in Spanish. Five were published by medical doctors. Conclusions: The pooled data presents compelling evidence that the WhatsApp Messenger app is a promising system, whether used as a communication tool between health care professionals, as a means of communication between health care professionals and the general public, or as a learning tool for providing health care information to professionals or to the general population. However, high-quality and properly evaluated research is needed, as are improvements in descriptions of the methodology and the study processes. These improvements will allow WhatsApp Messenger to be categorically defined as an effective telemedicine tool in many different fields of health care.
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spelling WhatsApp Messenger as an Adjunctive Tool for Telemedicine: An Overviewwhatsapptelemedicinesmartphonemobile applicationBackground: The advent of telemedicine has allowed physicians to deliver medical treatment to patients from a distance. Mobile apps such as WhatsApp Messenger, an instant messaging service, came as a novel concept in all fields of social life, including medicine. The use of instant messaging services has been shown to improve communication within medical teams by providing means for quick teleconsultation, information sharing, and starting treatment as soon as possible. Objective: The aim of this study was to perform a comprehensive systematic review of present literature on the use of the WhatsApp Messenger app as an adjunctive health care tool for medical doctors. Methods: Searches were performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library using the term "whatsapp*" in articles published before January 2016. A bibliography of all relevant original articles that used the WhatsApp Messenger app was created. The level of evidence of each study was determined according to the Oxford Levels of Evidence ranking system produced by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. The impact and the indications of WhatsApp Messenger are discussed in order to understand the extent to which this app currently functions as an adjunctive tool for telemedicine. Results: The database search identified a total of 30 studies in which the term "whatsapp*" was used. Each article's list of references was evaluated item-by-item. After literature reviews, letters to the editor, and low-quality studies were excluded, a total of 10 studies were found to be eligible for inclusion. Of these studies, 9 had been published in the English language and 1 had been published in Spanish. Five were published by medical doctors. Conclusions: The pooled data presents compelling evidence that the WhatsApp Messenger app is a promising system, whether used as a communication tool between health care professionals, as a means of communication between health care professionals and the general public, or as a learning tool for providing health care information to professionals or to the general population. However, high-quality and properly evaluated research is needed, as are improvements in descriptions of the methodology and the study processes. These improvements will allow WhatsApp Messenger to be categorically defined as an effective telemedicine tool in many different fields of health care.Hosp Municipal Miguel Couto, Dept Orthoped, R Carlos Gois 375-203, BR-22440040 Rio De Janeiro, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Dept Radiol, Rio De Janeiro, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Orthoped, Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Estadual Campinas, Dept Orthoped, Campinas, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Orthoped, Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Fluminense, Dept Orthoped, Niterci, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Orthoped, Sao Paulo, BrazilWeb of ScienceJmir Publications, Inc2020-06-26T16:30:21Z2020-06-26T16:30:21Z2017info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion-application/pdfhttp://dx.doi.org/10.2196/ijmr.6214Interactive Journal Of Medical Research. Toronto, v. 6, n. 2, p. -, 2017.10.2196/ijmr.6214WOS000415945500004.pdf1929-073Xhttps://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/53497WOS:000415945500004engInteractive Journal Of Medical ResearchTorontoinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessGiordano, VincenzoKoch, HiltonGodoy-Santos, Alexandre [UNIFESP]Belangero, William DiasSantos Pires, Robinson EstevesLabronici, Pedroreponame:Repositório Institucional da UNIFESPinstname:Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)instacron:UNIFESP2024-08-03T03:41:05Zoai:repositorio.unifesp.br/:11600/53497Repositório InstitucionalPUBhttp://www.repositorio.unifesp.br/oai/requestbiblioteca.csp@unifesp.bropendoar:34652024-08-03T03:41:05Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP - Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)false
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv WhatsApp Messenger as an Adjunctive Tool for Telemedicine: An Overview
title WhatsApp Messenger as an Adjunctive Tool for Telemedicine: An Overview
spellingShingle WhatsApp Messenger as an Adjunctive Tool for Telemedicine: An Overview
Giordano, Vincenzo
whatsapp
telemedicine
smartphone
mobile application
title_short WhatsApp Messenger as an Adjunctive Tool for Telemedicine: An Overview
title_full WhatsApp Messenger as an Adjunctive Tool for Telemedicine: An Overview
title_fullStr WhatsApp Messenger as an Adjunctive Tool for Telemedicine: An Overview
title_full_unstemmed WhatsApp Messenger as an Adjunctive Tool for Telemedicine: An Overview
title_sort WhatsApp Messenger as an Adjunctive Tool for Telemedicine: An Overview
author Giordano, Vincenzo
author_facet Giordano, Vincenzo
Koch, Hilton
Godoy-Santos, Alexandre [UNIFESP]
Belangero, William Dias
Santos Pires, Robinson Esteves
Labronici, Pedro
author_role author
author2 Koch, Hilton
Godoy-Santos, Alexandre [UNIFESP]
Belangero, William Dias
Santos Pires, Robinson Esteves
Labronici, Pedro
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Giordano, Vincenzo
Koch, Hilton
Godoy-Santos, Alexandre [UNIFESP]
Belangero, William Dias
Santos Pires, Robinson Esteves
Labronici, Pedro
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv whatsapp
telemedicine
smartphone
mobile application
topic whatsapp
telemedicine
smartphone
mobile application
description Background: The advent of telemedicine has allowed physicians to deliver medical treatment to patients from a distance. Mobile apps such as WhatsApp Messenger, an instant messaging service, came as a novel concept in all fields of social life, including medicine. The use of instant messaging services has been shown to improve communication within medical teams by providing means for quick teleconsultation, information sharing, and starting treatment as soon as possible. Objective: The aim of this study was to perform a comprehensive systematic review of present literature on the use of the WhatsApp Messenger app as an adjunctive health care tool for medical doctors. Methods: Searches were performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library using the term "whatsapp*" in articles published before January 2016. A bibliography of all relevant original articles that used the WhatsApp Messenger app was created. The level of evidence of each study was determined according to the Oxford Levels of Evidence ranking system produced by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. The impact and the indications of WhatsApp Messenger are discussed in order to understand the extent to which this app currently functions as an adjunctive tool for telemedicine. Results: The database search identified a total of 30 studies in which the term "whatsapp*" was used. Each article's list of references was evaluated item-by-item. After literature reviews, letters to the editor, and low-quality studies were excluded, a total of 10 studies were found to be eligible for inclusion. Of these studies, 9 had been published in the English language and 1 had been published in Spanish. Five were published by medical doctors. Conclusions: The pooled data presents compelling evidence that the WhatsApp Messenger app is a promising system, whether used as a communication tool between health care professionals, as a means of communication between health care professionals and the general public, or as a learning tool for providing health care information to professionals or to the general population. However, high-quality and properly evaluated research is needed, as are improvements in descriptions of the methodology and the study processes. These improvements will allow WhatsApp Messenger to be categorically defined as an effective telemedicine tool in many different fields of health care.
publishDate 2017
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2017
2020-06-26T16:30:21Z
2020-06-26T16:30:21Z
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/ijmr.6214
Interactive Journal Of Medical Research. Toronto, v. 6, n. 2, p. -, 2017.
10.2196/ijmr.6214
WOS000415945500004.pdf
1929-073X
https://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/53497
WOS:000415945500004
url http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/ijmr.6214
https://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/53497
identifier_str_mv Interactive Journal Of Medical Research. Toronto, v. 6, n. 2, p. -, 2017.
10.2196/ijmr.6214
WOS000415945500004.pdf
1929-073X
WOS:000415945500004
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Interactive Journal Of Medical Research
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv -
application/pdf
dc.coverage.none.fl_str_mv Toronto
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Jmir Publications, Inc
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Jmir Publications, Inc
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
instname:Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)
instacron:UNIFESP
instname_str Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)
instacron_str UNIFESP
institution UNIFESP
reponame_str Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
collection Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
repository.name.fl_str_mv Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP - Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)
repository.mail.fl_str_mv biblioteca.csp@unifesp.br
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