Telemonitoring in Portugal: where do we stand and which way forward?

Mobile health for obsessive-compulsive disorder: users’ preference and perception of patient-centeredness

“…This result was found independently of the patient's living location. It is important to note that individuals living in rural areas already face inequalities in the geographical proximity to central hospitals [10], and are at risk of further disadvantages in digital transition due to limited access to technological infrastructure in those areas [10,23]. Our results add to this scenario by suggesting that although rural-living patients with OCD may not have equal opportunities, they have similar mHealth preferences as those living in urban areas.…”

“…The integration of digital apps into healthcare has been recognized as potentially valuable in fostering evidence-based and patient-centered practices [6, 7, 23], particularly in psychiatry [5]. Governmental institutions are now developing norms and legislation to support and regulate the adoption of mHealth technologies [23]. A positive impact on health systems' accessibility and economic viability is also expected [23][24][25].…”

“…Governmental institutions are now developing norms and legislation to support and regulate the adoption of mHealth technologies [23]. A positive impact on health systems' accessibility and economic viability is also expected [23][24][25]. In mental health, while mobile apps offer a unique opportunity to capture objective information about symptoms and promote a bidirectional doctor-patient interaction, validation of the collected measures for incorporation in medical decision algorithms can be achieved only if patients use these tools.…”

“…The present ndings indicate that whereas OCD's characteristics present a good t for mHealth solutions, patients are not actually using these tools. Considering reports of unsatisfactory digital literacy across many developed countries [23], we hypothesize that low digital adoption in our sample was due, at least partially, to individuals with OCD lacking the necessary digital skills. Because of this reality, international entities are now recommending investment in digital literacy and capacity [23], and OCD patients may particularly bene t from it.…”

Association between sociodemographic and clinical features, health behaviors, and health literacy of patients with prostate cancer and prostate cancer prognostic stage

“…Telemedicine has been studied for cervical (Quinley et al , 2011) and lung cancer screenings (Magarinos et al , 2023), and it could be effective and increase screening uptake. Nevertheless, low digital literacy of the patients, problems in internet access in rural area, lack of human and technological resources may not allow telemedicine to reach its potential in substituting in-person consultations (Knudsen et al , 2021; Granja et al , 2023; Miranda et al , 2023).…”