Professional and patient attitudes to using mobile phone technology to monitor asthma: questionnaire survey

Abstract

SummaryAims: There is increasing international interest in using emerging technologies to enhance chronic disease management. We aimed to explore the attitudes of patients and primary care professionals to using mobile technology in order to monitor asthma. Methods: A piloted questionnaire containing closed and open-ended questions assessing attitudes to using electronic self-monitoring was posted to a random sample of general practitioners, asthma nurses, and people with asthma (12 years and over) in Lothian and Kent, UK, with 2 reminders. In addition to descriptive statistics, patient and clinician responses were compared using Chi-squared or independent sample t-tests. Free-text responses were analysed thematically. Results: Responses were obtained from 130/300 professionals (43%) and 202/389 patients (52%). Patients rated the technology positively and considered that it may help clinicians to provide care, especially during acute attacks. Although rated similarly, professionals were more sceptical about benefits. Both professionals and patients had concerns about the time and cost implications. Of the respondents, 28 professionals (10%) and 62 patients (16%) returned uncompleted questionnaires citing lack of perceived relevance. Conclusions: The low completion rate probably reflects the current status of mobile phone-facilitated care as a minority interest for 'early adopters' of technology. Even for the enthusiastic minority, using mobile phone technology raised questions of * Corresponding author.

Technology and its role in respiratory care

“…20,21 However, much of the technology-based asthma literature pertains to various types of case management, including measures for surveillance to facilitate various formats of outreach care and education. 4,[22][23][24][25] Technology has also been used as a patient compliance feature through an electronic patient alert and dispensing log system utilizing an audio reminder alert. 26 However, at the heart of quality asthma care is the concept of shared decision making, and asthma guidelines strongly promote this concept.…”

A text message a day keeps the pulmonologist away

“…Patients reported that the texts made them better able to manage and monitor their asthma. In another study, 9 participants indicated that they found mobile phone technology empowering; however, some wondered if this approach might engender dependence on reminders [28].…”

Monitoring symptoms at home: what methods would cancer patients be comfortable using?

“…Those of which we are aware have also found limited enthusiasm for these methods [7,12,13]. However, studies that have examined the acceptability of these new methods after the patients have used them have reported greater acceptability [14][15][16].…”

“…This may be because they are not familiar with them [7,8] because they miss the human interaction with a doctor or nurse [9,10], or because they are concerned about their privacy and the security of the data [9,11]. How comfortable patients initially feel about using these new methods is likely to affect their willingness to use them, and consequently to create a potential barrier to the implementation of these innovations into routine practice [10].…”