Women's College Hospital Institute for Health Systems Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto, ON, Canada.
JMIR Ment Health. 2016 Aug 1;3(3):e35. doi: 10.2196/mental.6068.
With rising availability and use of Internet and mobile technology in society, the demand and need for its integration into health care is growing. Despite great potential within mental health care and growing uptake, there is still little evidence to guide how these tools should be integrated into traditional care, and for whom.
To examine factors that might inform how e-communication should be implemented in our local outpatient mental health program, including barriers to traditional office-based care, patient preferences, and patient concerns.
We conducted a survey in the waiting room of our outpatient mental health program located in an urban, academic ambulatory hospital. The survey assessed (1) age, mobile phone ownership, and general e-communication usage, (2) barriers to attending office-based appointments, (3) preferences for, and interest in, e-communication for mental health care, and (4) concerns about e-communication use for mental health care. We analyzed the data descriptively and examined associations between the presence of barriers, identifying as a social media user, and interest level in e-communication.
Respondents (N=68) were predominantly in the age range of 25-54 years. The rate of mobile phone ownership was 91% (62/68), and 59% (40/68) of respondents identified as social media users. There was very low existing use of e-communication between providers and patients, with high levels of interest endorsed by survey respondents. Respondents expressed an interest in using e-communication with their provider to share updates and get feedback, coordinate care, and get general information. In regression analysis, both a barrier to care and identifying as a social media user were significantly associated with e-communication interest (P=.03 and P=.003, respectively). E-communication interest was highest among people who both had a barrier to office-based care and were a social media user. Despite high interest, there were also many concerns including privacy and loss of in-person contact.
A high burden of barriers to attending office-based care paired with a high interest in e-communication supports the integration of e-communication within our outpatient services. There may be early adopters to target: those with identified barriers to office-based care and who are active on social media. There is also a need for caution and preservation of existing services for those who choose not to, or cannot, access e-services.
随着互联网和移动技术在社会中的普及和使用，将其融入医疗保健的需求和需求也在不断增长。尽管在精神保健领域有很大的潜力，并且使用率也在不断提高，但仍然几乎没有证据可以指导这些工具应该如何融入传统护理，以及适合哪些人。
研究可能影响我们当地的门诊精神卫生计划中电子通讯实施方式的因素，包括传统办公场所护理的障碍、患者偏好和患者关注的问题。
我们在位于城市学术门诊医院的门诊精神卫生计划候诊室进行了一项调查。该调查评估了（1）年龄、手机拥有率和一般电子通讯使用情况，（2）参加办公预约的障碍，（3）对电子通讯用于精神保健的偏好和兴趣，以及（4）对电子通讯用于精神保健的担忧。我们对数据进行了描述性分析，并检查了存在障碍、识别为社交媒体用户以及对电子通讯的兴趣水平之间的关联。
受访者（N=68）主要年龄在 25-54 岁之间。手机拥有率为 91%（62/68），59%（40/68）的受访者为社交媒体用户。提供者和患者之间现有的电子通讯使用量非常低，但调查受访者表示对此很感兴趣。受访者表示有兴趣使用电子通讯与他们的提供者分享更新信息、获得反馈、协调护理和获取一般信息。在回归分析中，护理障碍和识别为社交媒体用户这两个因素均与电子通讯的兴趣显著相关（P=.03 和 P=.003）。在对办公护理有障碍且为社交媒体用户的人群中，对电子通讯的兴趣最高。尽管兴趣很高，但也存在许多问题，包括隐私和丧失面对面接触。
参加办公护理的障碍负担高，对电子通讯的兴趣高，这支持了我们将电子通讯融入门诊服务。可以针对某些人进行早期采用：那些有明确的办公护理障碍且活跃于社交媒体的人。对于那些选择不使用或无法使用电子服务的人，也需要谨慎并保留现有服务。
