An Audit and Survey of Informal Use of Instant Messaging for Dermatology in District Hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Morris, Christopher; Scott, Richard E.; Mars, Maurice

doi:10.3390/ijerph19127462

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Of this sample of the studies considered, eleven were retrospective, three prospective, and eleven were unspecified (Tables 1 and 2). All articles included different clinical diseases and medical disciplines: dermatology [23][24][25][26], sexual health [27], psychiatry [28], neurology [29,30], geriatrics [31], ophthalmology [32][33][34][35], physiology [36], orthopaedics [37][38][39], respiratory failure [40], paediatric diabetic [41], injury/illness [42], mixed [43,44], radiology [45], and atrial fibrillation [46], N.S. [47].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Auditing the Audits: A Systematic Review on Different Procedures in Telemedicine

Cardile

Corallo

Cappadona

et al. 2023

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Telemedicine is a process of delivering health care using information and communication technologies. Audit and feedback (A&F) constitute a systematic intervention that is aimed at collecting data, which are subsequently compared with reference standards and then returned to health care operators through feedback meetings. The aim of this review is to analyse different audit procedures on and by mean of telemedicine services and to identify a practice that is more effective than the others. Systematic searches were performed in three databases evaluating studies focusing on clinical audits performed on and by means of telemedicine systems. Twenty-five studies were included in the review. Most of them focused on telecounselling services with an audit and a maximum duration of one year. Recipients of the audit were telemedicine systems and service users (general practitioners, referring doctors, and patients). Data resulting from the audit were inherent to the telemedicine service. The overall data collected concerned the number of teleconsultations, service activity, reasons for referral, response times, follow-up, reasons why treatment was not completed, technical issues, and other information specific to each telemedicine service. Only two of the considered studies dealt with organizational aspects, and of these, only one analysed communicative aspects. The complexity and heterogeneity of the treatments and services provided meant that no index of uniformity could be identified. Certainly, some audits were performed in an overlapping manner in the different studies, and these show that although attention is often paid to workers’ opinions, needs, and issues, little interest was shown in communicative/organizational and team dynamics. Given the importance and influence that communication has in teamwork and care settings, an audit protocol that takes into account intra- and extra-team communication processes could be essential to improving the well-being of operators and the quality of the service provided.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In five out of the twenty-five studies [23,24,41,42,44], the satisfaction of users taking part in services was assessed (Tables 3 and 4). They could be both patients and physicians.…”

Section: Satisfactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Auditing the Audits: A Systematic Review on Different Procedures in Telemedicine

Cardile

Corallo

Cappadona

et al. 2023

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Their results show that telemedicine has a high level of family compliance and acceptability, and that it is effective in increasing food variety in a child with ARFID. Telemedicine is perceived as a service that makes it easier to start treatment for the patient [ 85 , 86 ] especially for people who live in rural sites [ 87 ]. For families, it allows them to cut travelling and waiting time, saving money [ 85 ] and easily accessing specialist care [ 88 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder: A Narrative Review of Types and Characteristics of Therapeutic Interventions

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The diagnosis of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) was added to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) just 10 years ago. This disorder consists of the failure to meet one’s nutritional and/or energy needs, which may result in significant weight loss, significant nutritional deficit or functioning dependent on enteral nutrition or oral supplements. In children with this disorder, development is often problematic, and there is also marked interference with psychosocial functioning at all ages. The causes leading to food avoidance in these patients may be related to a lack of interest, to the sensory properties of the food or to the possible adverse consequences associated with it. Given the multitude of aspects involved in this disorder and the impact it has especially on younger patients, more and more studies are addressing treatments and related benefits and/or complications. A narrative review of currently published studies was performed for articles published before 5 March 2023 on therapeutic interventions in patients with ARFID. Because of the large number of results obtained, this review was conducted only via PubMed in order to analyze and discuss children and adolescent ARFID treatments reported in literature. The treatments most often referred to in the literature are cognitive behavioral therapy, family-based therapy and pharmacological treatment. All the data on these treatments are promising. However, due to the recent introduction of this disorder and the limited data still available, a multidisciplinary approach seems to be the best option.

show abstract

“…Clinicians often have an urgent need to communicate with colleagues. Due to a limited telemedicine infrastructure in the hospitals (e.g., video conferencing equipment or workplace access to a personal computer with internet or wireless internet), they have resorted to using instant messaging and chat groups for telemedicine, at their own expense [ 28 ]. All but one doctor in this study owned a smartphone, and most doctors used instant messaging and chat groups for a range of clinical services.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey of Telemedicine Use by Doctors in District Hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Morris

Scott

Mars

2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is anecdotal evidence of informal telemedicine activity in KwaZulu-Natal (KZ-N), South Africa. Aim: To determine the current extent of telemedicine in district hospitals in KZ-N; the range of clinical activities and technologies used; additional services needed; current knowledge and practice regarding legal, ethical, and regulatory issues; and the need to formalise telemedicine activities. Method: A cross-sectional survey of telemedicine use by 143 doctors working at 22 District hospitals in KZ-N. Results: Most doctors (96%) participated in some form of telemedicine across a spectrum of disciplines, but more than half did not consider their activities to constitute telemedicine. To meet their needs, doctors have started their own informal services with colleagues, using mostly instant messaging and chat groups (WhatsApp). Some doctors indicated the need to formalise these services and establish additional services. Few doctors were aware of the national telemedicine guidelines and the required written informed consent for telemedicine was seldom obtained. This could have serious legal, regulatory, and ethical implications. Conclusions: Practical clinical and technical guidelines and standard operating procedures need to be developed with the active participation of the clinical workforce. These should encourage innovation and greater use of telemedicine, including the use of instant messaging apps.

show abstract

An Audit and Survey of Informal Use of Instant Messaging for Dermatology in District Hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Cited by 6 publications

References 36 publications

Auditing the Audits: A Systematic Review on Different Procedures in Telemedicine

Auditing the Audits: A Systematic Review on Different Procedures in Telemedicine

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder: A Narrative Review of Types and Characteristics of Therapeutic Interventions

A Survey of Telemedicine Use by Doctors in District Hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About