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Changes in telemonitored physiological variables and symptoms prior to exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
We examined symptom scores and physiological measurements from patients who were using a pilot COPD telemonitoring service. Of 33 patients recruited to the study, 19 were monitored for longer than 200 days. We identified three patterns of exacerbation, which we termed discrete (n = 5), rolling (n = 9) and over-ridden (n = 4). The association between FEV1, pulse and SpO2 and total symptom score was examined using multilevel logistic regression. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the model was high (0.36) indicating that much of the variance was due to differences between individuals, rather than within individuals. ...
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - January 7, 2015 Category: Information Technology Authors: Burton, C., Pinnock, H., McKinstry, B. Tags: RESEARCH/Original articles Source Type: research

The effectiveness of helplines for the treatment of alcohol and illicit substance use
While tobacco helplines (quitlines) are thought to be effective, helplines which treat other substance use do not have an established evidence base. A review was conducted of the literature on illicit drug or alcohol (IDA) helplines. The literature search was conducted in five databases. Studies prior to 2014 were included if published in English, and involved the use of a telephone counselling helpline for the treatment of illicit drug or alcohol use. Review papers, opinion pieces, letters or editorials, case studies, published abstracts and posters were excluded. Initial searching identified 2178 articles and after remov...
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - January 7, 2015 Category: Information Technology Authors: Gates, P. Tags: RESEARCH/Original articles Source Type: research

A pilot study on mobile phones as a means to access maternal health education in eastern rural Uganda
Maternal mortality in Uganda has remained relatively high since 2006. We studied access to mobile phones and people's interest in receiving audio-based maternal health lessons delivered via a toll-free telephone line. Interviews were conducted, using a male and a female translator, with 42 men and 41 women in four villages located in eastern rural Uganda. Most of the participants were recruited through systematic sampling, but some were recruited through community organizations and antenatal clinics. Ownership of a mobile phone was reported by 79% of men and by 42% of women. Among those who did not own a mobile phone, 67% ...
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - January 7, 2015 Category: Information Technology Authors: Roberts, S., Birgisson, N., Julia Chang, D., Koopman, C. Tags: RESEARCH/Original articles Source Type: research

A meta-analysis of the use of electronic reminders for patient adherence to medication in chronic disease care
We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) up to January 2014 which evaluated the effects of electronic reminders on patient adherence to medication in chronic disease care. A random-effects model was used to pool the outcome data. Subgroup analyses were performed to examine a set of moderators. Data from 20 studies, representing 22 RCTs, were synthesized. Thirteen trials utilized short message service (SMS) reminders, three used pager reminders and six employed electronic alarm device-triggered reminders. The meta-analysis showed that the use of electronic reminders was associated with a significa...
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - January 7, 2015 Category: Information Technology Authors: Tao, D., Xie, L., Wang, T., Wang, T. Tags: RESEARCH/Original articles Source Type: research

2014 Summary Statistics and Acknowledgements
(Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare)
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - December 9, 2014 Category: Information Technology Tags: EDUCATION & amp;amp; PRACTICE/Praxis Source Type: research

A mobile-phone immunization record in Ontario: uptake and opportunities for improving public health
A free iPhone app was designed to help parents in Ontario track their children’s vaccination records. It was launched in the iTunes app store on 20 November 2012. There were 4867 downloads in the following 12 months. We observed that downloads of the app were correlated with media coverage. Usage of the app was measured by app opens and the time spent in the app per open: on average there were 53 opens per day and 126 seconds spent per open. Users expressed concerns about the privacy of health information and accessibility by people of lower socioeconomic status, who were less likely to be smartphone owners. A nation...
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - December 9, 2014 Category: Information Technology Authors: Wilson, K., Atkinson, K., Pluscauskas, M., Bell, C. Tags: EDUCATION & amp;amp; PRACTICE/Praxis Source Type: research

Clinical and psychological telemonitoring and telecare of high risk heart failure patients
We conducted a trial of telemonitoring and telecare for patients with chronic heart failure leaving hospital after being treated for clinical instability. Eighty patients were randomized before hospital discharge to a usual care group (n = 40: follow-up at the outpatient clinic) or to an integrated management group (n = 40: patients learned to use a handheld PDA and kept in touch daily with the monitoring centre). At enrolment, the groups were similar for all clinical variables. At one-year follow-up, integrated management patients showed better adherence, reduced anxiety and depression, and lower NYHA class and plasma lev...
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - December 9, 2014 Category: Information Technology Authors: Villani, A., Malfatto, G., Compare, A., Rosa, F. D., Bellardita, L., Branzi, G., Molinari, E., Parati, G. Tags: RESEARCH/Original articles Source Type: research

Improving attendance in psychiatric outpatient clinics by using reminders
We compared non-attendance rates at follow-up appointments in an adult psychiatry outpatient clinic using three different reminder methods: letters, telephone prompts and text message reminders. Two of the three strategies resulted in a significant increase in the rate of attendance. Reminder letters increased attendance from 62% to 85% (P < 0.001) and text messaging increased attendance from 72% to 80% (P < 0.002). The attendance rate was not significantly different between the two groups when telephone reminders were used (P = 0.068). However, telephone prompts resulted in an 8% higher cancellation rate compared to...
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - December 9, 2014 Category: Information Technology Authors: Kunigiri, G., Gajebasia, N., Sallah, D. Tags: RESEARCH/Original articles Source Type: research

The accuracy of mobile teleradiology in the evaluation of chest X-rays
We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of digital photographs of plain film chest X-rays (CXRs) obtained using a mobile phone. The study was a randomized, non-inferiority trial, in which physical plain film CXRs viewed on a light box were compared with digital photographs of plain film CXRs. CXRs were selected from a database of radiology studies to show common pathologies found in Botswana associated with pneumonia, lung carcinoma, tuberculosis, pneumothorax and interstitial disease, as well as normal findings. The pre-selected diagnoses were subsequently verified by a second radiologist. Seven radiologists were randomized t...
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - December 9, 2014 Category: Information Technology Authors: Schwartz, A. B., Siddiqui, G., Barbieri, J. S., Akhtar, A. L., Kim, W., Littman-Quinn, R., Conant, E. F., Gupta, N. K., Pukenas, B. A., Ramchandani, P., Lev-Toaff, A. S., Tobey, J. D., Torigian, D. A., Praestgaard, A. H., Kovarik, C. L. Tags: RESEARCH/Original articles Source Type: research

An emergency department registration kiosk can increase HIV screening in high risk patients
We evaluated the feasibility and the patient acceptability of integrating a kiosk into routine emergency department (ED) practice for offering HIV testing. The work was conducted in four phases: phase 1 was a baseline, in which external testing staff offered testing at the bedside; phase 2 was a pilot assessment of a prototype kiosk; phase 3 was a pilot implementation and phase 4 was the full implementation with automated login. Feasibility was assessed by the proportion of offering HIV tests, acceptance, completion and result reporting. During the study period, the number of ED patients and eligible patients for screening...
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - December 9, 2014 Category: Information Technology Authors: Hsieh, Y.-H., Gauvey-Kern, M., Peterson, S., Woodfield, A., Deruggiero, K., Gaydos, C. A., Rothman, R. E. Tags: RESEARCH/Original articles Source Type: research

Urologists' usage and perceptions of urological apps
We conducted a survey of urologists to document their patterns of app usage and perceptions of app quality, and to assess their interest in future app usage. The survey was sent to all urologists on the mailing list of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) (n = 1613). A total of 115 responses were received (a response rate of 7%). Most respondents (89%) owned mobile devices capable of downloading apps. Most respondents (79%) used apps and about half (49%) used urological apps; the latter accessed a mean of 2.4 urological apps per month. Significantly more younger (defined as <45 years old) than older uro...
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - December 9, 2014 Category: Information Technology Authors: Dempster, N. J., Risk, R., Clark, R., Meddings, R. N. Tags: RESEARCH/Original articles Source Type: research

Trial of telemedicine for patients on home ventilator support: feasibility, confidence in clinical management and use in medical decision-making
We investigated whether telemedicine (videoconferencing) was feasible in patients with special care needs on home ventilation, whether it affected the confidence of families about the clinical management of their child, and whether it supported clinical decision-making. Videoconferencing software was provided free for 14 families who had a computer and webcam. Families completed questionnaires about clinical management before the addition of telemedicine and 2–3 months after they had used telemedicine. They also completed a questionnaire about their experience with videoconferencing. There were 27 telemedicine encoun...
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - December 9, 2014 Category: Information Technology Authors: Casavant, D. W., McManus, M. L., Parsons, S. K., Zurakowski, D., Graham, R. J. Tags: RESEARCH/Original articles Source Type: research

Telemedicine as a tool to mitigate cardiometabolic risk associated with serious mental illness
People with serious mental illness suffer from substantially higher rates of cardiometabolic morbidity and mortality than the general population. We have evaluated the efficacy of telemedicine for providing cardiometabolic risk management services compared to in-person care. A retrospective chart review was conducted in order to compare changes in body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure and serum triglycerides before and after telemedicine (n = 38). The comparator group (n = 38) was selected from a list of all clients who had a conventional appointment at the metabolic clinic. Analysis of Variance showed an overall ...
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - December 9, 2014 Category: Information Technology Authors: Moores, J. D., Uppal, S., Hernandez, A. M., Wilansky, P. Tags: RESEARCH/Original articles Source Type: research

Mobile app self-care versus in-office care for stress reduction: a cost minimization analysis
We calculated the cost of providing stress reduction care with a mobile phone app (Breathe2Relax) in comparison with normal in-person care, the standard method for managing stress in military and civilian populations. We conducted a cost-minimization analysis. The total cost to the military healthcare system of treating 1000 patients with the app was $106,397. Treating 1000 patients with in-office care cost $68,820. Treatment using the app became less expensive than in-office treatment at approximately 1600 users. From the perspective of the civilian healthcare system, treatment using the app became less expensive than in-...
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - December 9, 2014 Category: Information Technology Authors: Luxton, D. D., Hansen, R. N., Stanfill, K. Tags: RESEARCH/Original articles Source Type: research

A pilot study of telemedicine for post-operative urological care in children
We conducted a retrospective study of paediatric urological surgery patients over a 12-month period. We compared patients followed up by telemedicine with those who had post-operative follow-up on site at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) in Little Rock. All pre-operative patients living in northwest Arkansas were given the opportunity to use telemedicine from a satellite clinic at Lowell, 328 km from the hospital. Of 61 patients, 10 chose telemedicine and 51 chose to be evaluated at the ACH clinic. All telemedicine visits were completed successfully, but in four cases, the video clarity of the telemedicine imag...
Source: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare - December 9, 2014 Category: Information Technology Authors: Canon, S., Shera, A., Patel, A., Zamilpa, I., Paddack, J., Fisher, P. L., Smith, J., Hurtt, R. Tags: RESEARCH/Original articles Source Type: research