The use of social media by arthritis health professionals to disseminate a self-management program to patients: A feasibility study

Self-management support needs of patients with inflammatory arthritis and the content of self-management interventions: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Self-management skills can empower a person to manage the physical, psychological, and social impact of a health condition. However, the components of self-management interventions differ widely between studies and interventions. By performing a scoping review, we aimed to describe patients' self-management needs and how health professionals (HPs) can provide effective self-management support to patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA).

OBJECTIVES

1) to identify the evidence for self-management support needs of patients with IA, and 2) to identify the content (theory/theoretical approach, mode of delivery, duration and frequency) of self-management interventions that target patients with IA.

METHODS

In May 2021, we performed a systematic literature search (from 2000 onward) in five databases (CINAHL (Ebsco), Cochrane Library, Embase (Ovid), Medline (Ovid) and PsycINFO (Ovid)) regarding self-management in patients with IA.

RESULTS

Out of 11,748 records identified, we included 31 articles describing patients' support needs and 33 articles describing the content of self-management interventions. Patients' support needs were sorted into six topics: 1) disease impact and the pharmacological treatment, 2) care continuity and relations with HPs, 3) the importance of non-pharmacological treatment, 4) the need for support from family and friends, 5) support needs related to work issues, and 6) contextual preferences for self-management support. The theory/theoretical approach, mode of delivery, duration and frequency varied widely and were often unclearly or insufficiently described. In addition, the self-management concept was scarcely - or not - defined in the included articles. The identified topics for support needs were compared with the described content in the included articles. Only a few self-management interventions focused on patients' need for support in relation to work, and to family and friends.

CONCLUSION

HPs provided self-management support to patients with IA in various ways, but there were gaps between the patients' support needs and the identified interventions. In developing self-management interventions, the self-management concept needs to be defined and a clear theory is required to support the development of the intervention. Future studies should seek to investigate various modes of delivery, frequency and duration, to develop effective interventions that meet patients' support needs.

Self-Efficacy and the Role of Non-Pharmacologic Treatment Strategies to Improve Pain and Affect in Arthritis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

There is increasing evidence that adjunctive, non-pharmacologic treatment programs are beneficial in the management of arthritis when added to traditional disease-modifying medications. This review focuses on non-pharmacologic management strategies that impact pain and affect, with a focus on self-efficacy, for those with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

RECENT FINDINGS

We reviewed both office-based and internet-based self-management strategies, mindfulness based interventions (MBIs), and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) for patients with arthritis. These behavioral strategies have shown to improve pain, mood disturbance, and physical function in those with both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Improvements in self-efficacy and coping capacity are associated with improvements in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) related to pain and functioning.

SUMMARY

Self-management programs, MBIs, and CBTs are more effective at improving pain and mood disturbance compared to usual care for patients with arthritis although high quality randomized controlled trials are lacking. Non-pharmacologic management programs are increasingly available via the internet and mobile applications.

Theories Predicting End-User Acceptance of Telemedicine Use: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Only a few telemedicine applications have made their way into regular care. One reason is the lack of acceptance of telemedicine by potential end users.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this systematic review was to identify theoretical predictors that influence the acceptance of telemedicine.

METHODS

An electronic search was conducted in PubMed and PsycINFO in June 2018 and supplemented by a hand search. Articles were identified using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. In total, two reviewers independently assessed the title, abstract, and full-text screening and then individually performed a quality assessment of all included studies.

RESULTS

Out of 5917 potentially relevant titles (duplicates excluded), 24 studies were included. The Axis Tool for quality assessment of cross-sectional studies revealed a high risk of bias for all studies except for one study. The most commonly used models were the Technology Acceptance Model (n=11) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (n=9). The main significant predictors of acceptance were perceived usefulness (n=11), social influences (n=6), and attitude (n=6). The results show a superiority of technology acceptance versus original behavioral models.

CONCLUSIONS

The main finding of this review is the applicability of technology acceptance models and theories on telemedicine adoption. Characteristics of the technology, such as its usefulness, as well as attributes of the individual, such as his or her need for social support, inform end-user acceptance. Therefore, in the future, requirements of the target group and the group's social environment should already be taken into account when planning telemedicine applications. The results support the importance of theory-guided user-centered design approaches to telemedicine development.

The use of information and communication technologies by arthritis health professionals to disseminate a self-management program to patients: a pilot randomized controlled trial protocol

Design and objective: This paper describes the protocol for a three-arm, single-blind, parallel design randomized controlled trial (RCT) to investigate the perceived usability of Facebook to share information from an evidence-based arthritis self-management program with patients compared with email or an educational website after two weeks.

Investigating cardiovascular patients' preferences and expectations regarding the use of social media in health education

BACKGROUND

To reach more people in the community, health educators have considered employing social media alongside traditional health education methods.

AIMS

To understand the preferences and expectations of patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) regarding the use of social media in health education. To assess the association between patients' socio-demographics with their preferences and expectations about the use of social media in health education.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional descriptive study, which included 135 subjects with an established diagnosis of CVDs. The subjects were met at three cardiac outpatient clinics and recruited through a convenience sampling technique. They were recruited if they were adults, oriented and diagnosed with the CVDs for at least six months.

RESULTS

Most subjects (50.3%) were interested in receiving health education through social media, and 74.8% of them felt that using social media in health education would improve the process and lead to better outcomes. Preference for social media was significantly related to younger age, higher education, lower income, watching health education programmes on television, positive family history of CVDs, and currently has a job. Furthermore, higher positive expectations regarding using social media in health education were significantly related to higher education, watching health education programmes on television, being single, and currently has a job.

CONCLUSIONS

Subjects with CVDs are enthusiastic about health education through social media, believing that it will be good for educating them and providing them with the up-to-date information they need to live with their diseases. Findings of this study may positively contribute to the international efforts of improving health education through employing social media to improve accessibility to health education materials, and consequently decrease the burden of CVDs.

The use of social media among health professionals to facilitate chronic disease self-management with their patients: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence pertaining to the use of social media by health professionals to facilitate chronic disease self-management with their patients.

METHODS

A systematic approach was used to retrieve and extract relevant data. A total of 5163 citations were identified, of which seven unique studies met criteria for inclusion; one was a randomized controlled trial, two were prospective cohort studies, and four were qualitative studies. The following social media platforms were evaluated: discussion forums (6 studies) and collaborative project (1 study).

RESULTS

The available evidence suggests that health professionals perceived discussion forums and collaborative projects to be useful social media platforms to facilitate chronic disease self-management with patients. No relevant evidence was found regarding the use of other social media platforms. Most studies indicated positive findings regarding health professionals' intention to use discussion forums, while the one study that used a collaborative project also indicated positive findings with its perceived ease of use as health professionals felt that it was useful to facilitate chronic disease self-management with patients. Mixed findings were seen in regards to health professionals' perceived ease of use of discussion forums. The most common barrier to using social media platforms was the lack of time in health professionals' schedules.

CONCLUSIONS

Discussion forums and collaborative projects appear to be promising resources for health professionals to assist their patients in self-managing their chronic conditions; however, further research comparing various social media platforms is needed.