Studies in health technology and informatics, 2007
The present study investigates the knowledge, perceptions and attitudes of medical students in Sr... more The present study investigates the knowledge, perceptions and attitudes of medical students in Sri Lanka in regard to e-health. We also examined the barriers which impede them to develop knowledge and skills in e-health within their medical curriculum. A questionnaire focusing on the knowledge, attitudes and expectations of medical students towards e-health was distributed to all final year students (n=136) at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Sri Jayewardenepura University, Sri Lanka. Response rate was 74%. 43% of respondents stated that they were familiar with the term e-health. 51% rated their knowledge of e-health applications as minimal. 88% admitted that they had no e-health education or training of any kind. Over 80% of all respondents thought that e-health had an important role to play in the current and future health sector, particularly in developing countries. Our survey revealed that respondents had very poor access to computers and Internet use was rare. 77% of responden...
Life style factors such as low physical activity level and poor eating practices are common contr... more Life style factors such as low physical activity level and poor eating practices are common contributing factors to the development of obesity and overweight in children and adolescents. The dramatic increase of obesity and overweight is demanding urgent strategies to address this problem. Evidence shows that healthy habits continue into adult life when they are established in early ages. Therefore, educating children and encouraging them to adopt healthy eating and active living practices in their childhood can be an effective strategy in preventing long term excessive weight problems. In the light of technology advancements, the use of web technology is gaining popularity in managing behavioural issues. The aim of the present paper is to describe the development process of an interactive website, which is currently being used in a research study. The research study is a randomized controlled trial with eighty participants, who are school-aged children. The study will assess the ef...
There has been rather limited use of Skype for health and medical purposes. We investigated the u... more There has been rather limited use of Skype for health and medical purposes. We investigated the use of Skype for delivering psychotherapy services in the Ukraine. A provider questionnaire was distributed to all delegates (n = 50) at the Annual Symposium of Psychotherapists. One copy of a client questionnaire was also given to each service provider and they were instructed to request their next client to complete the survey. In total, 29 providers and 23 clients responded to the questionnaire. The majority of clients (61%) and providers (72%) had used Skype for a range of services. The services they provided were related to a wide range of paradigms including psycho-analysis, psycho-drama, Gestalt therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and existential therapy. A key reason for using Skype was to allow practitioners to contact clients who were not easily accessible, e.g. those who lived in other countries. Most practitioners (n = 24) thought their clients considered the services recei...
Studies in health technology and informatics, 2010
Malaysia's national health statistics for the last half century show a remarkable improvement... more Malaysia's national health statistics for the last half century show a remarkable improvement in the nation's health status. One important factor for this improvement is the Malaysian government's proactive intervention in the health sector. Among others, e-health has played a vital role in delivering and managing healthcare services in Malaysia. While the Government has integrated telehealth in its national digital infrastructure re-design, it has heavily invested in telehealth. The enactment of new laws to facilitate telehealth practices can also be noted as an important measure.
We reviewed web-based interventions for overweight and obesity prevention. A literature search wa... more We reviewed web-based interventions for overweight and obesity prevention. A literature search was conducted using seven electronic databases. Manually searched articles were also included. Thirty studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Of these, 13 studied physical activity, eight studied dietary practices and nine studied a combination of physical activity and dietary practice. Twenty-eight of the studies (93%) reported positive changes in moderate to vigorous physical activity level, fruit and vegetable intake and psychological factors. A meta-analysis showed there were improvements, though not significant, in fruit and vegetable consumption (standardised mean difference, SMD = 0.61; 95% CI =-0.13 to 1.35) and physical activity (SMD = 0.15; 95% CI =-0.06 to 0.35). The review suggests that web-based interventions are a useful educational tool for increasing awareness and making healthy behaviour changes in relation to an excessive weight gain problem.
To measure specialist international medical graduates&amp... more To measure specialist international medical graduates' (SIMGs) level of learning through participation in guided tutorials, face-to-face or through videoconferencing (VC), and the effect of tutorial attendance and quality of participation on success in specialist college examinations. Tutorials were conducted at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital between 19 September 2007 and 23 August 2010, and delivered through VC to participants at other locations. Tutorials were recorded and transcribed, and speaker contributions were tagged and ranked using content analysis software. Summary examination results were obtained from the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists. Tutorial participation and attendance, and college examination pass and fail rates. Transcripts were obtained for 116 tutorials. The median participation percentage for those who subsequently failed the college examinations was 1% (interquartile range [IQR], 0%-1%), while for those who passed the exams it was 5% (IQR, 2%-8%; P < 0.001). There was also an association between attendance and exam success; the median (IQR) attendance of those who failed was 24% (IQR, 14%-39%), while for those who passed it was 59% (IQR, 39%-77%; P < 0.001). Use of VC technology was found to be a feasible method to assist SIMGs to become aware of the requirements of the exam and to prepare more effectively.
... Jago, Russell, Tom Baranowski, Janice C. Baranowski, Debbe Thompson, Karen W. Cullen, Kathy W... more ... Jago, Russell, Tom Baranowski, Janice C. Baranowski, Debbe Thompson, Karen W. Cullen, Kathy Watson and Yan Liu. ... Williamson, Donald A., Heather M. Walden, Marney A. White, Emily York-Crowe, Robert L. Newton Jr., Anthony Alfonso, Stewart Gordon and Donna Rynn. ...
ABSTRACT We surveyed all nurses working at a tertiary paediatric hospital (except casual staff an... more ABSTRACT We surveyed all nurses working at a tertiary paediatric hospital (except casual staff and those who were on leave) from 27 hospital departments. A total of 365 questionnaires were distributed. There were 40 questions in six sections: demographic details, knowledge of e-health, relevance of e-health to nursing profession, computing skills, Internet use and access to e-health education. A total of 253 surveys were completed (69%). Most respondents reported that that they had never had e-health education of any sort (87%) and their e-health knowledge and skills were low (71%). However, 11% of nurses reported some exposure to e-health through their work. Over half (56%) of respondents indicated that e-health was important, very important or critical for health professions while 26% were not sure. The lack of education and training was considered by most respondents (71%) to be the main barrier to adopting e-health. While nurses seemed to have moderate awareness of the potential benefits of e-health, their practical skills and knowledge of the topic were very limited.
Behavioural interventions have been shown to improve outcomes in patients with type 1 diabetes me... more Behavioural interventions have been shown to improve outcomes in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). There are a small number of studies that suggest text-messages (TM), native mobile applications (NMAs), and other mobile tools may be useful platforms for delivering behavioural interventions to adolescents. The aim of this study was to explore, by way of a systematic review of available literature, (a) the outcomes of interventions using mobile technology for youth with T1DM and (b) what mobile technologies, functional design elements and aesthetic design elements have the best evidence to support their use. A search of six online databases returned 196 unique results, of which 13 met the inclusion criteria. Four studies were randomised controlled trials (RCTs), and all others prospective cohort studies. TM (10) was the most common intervention technology, while NMAs were used in four studies. The most common outcome measured was HbA1c (9); however, only three studies sho...
Studies in health technology and informatics, 2007
The present study investigates the knowledge, perceptions and attitudes of medical students in Sr... more The present study investigates the knowledge, perceptions and attitudes of medical students in Sri Lanka in regard to e-health. We also examined the barriers which impede them to develop knowledge and skills in e-health within their medical curriculum. A questionnaire focusing on the knowledge, attitudes and expectations of medical students towards e-health was distributed to all final year students (n=136) at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Sri Jayewardenepura University, Sri Lanka. Response rate was 74%. 43% of respondents stated that they were familiar with the term e-health. 51% rated their knowledge of e-health applications as minimal. 88% admitted that they had no e-health education or training of any kind. Over 80% of all respondents thought that e-health had an important role to play in the current and future health sector, particularly in developing countries. Our survey revealed that respondents had very poor access to computers and Internet use was rare. 77% of responden...
Life style factors such as low physical activity level and poor eating practices are common contr... more Life style factors such as low physical activity level and poor eating practices are common contributing factors to the development of obesity and overweight in children and adolescents. The dramatic increase of obesity and overweight is demanding urgent strategies to address this problem. Evidence shows that healthy habits continue into adult life when they are established in early ages. Therefore, educating children and encouraging them to adopt healthy eating and active living practices in their childhood can be an effective strategy in preventing long term excessive weight problems. In the light of technology advancements, the use of web technology is gaining popularity in managing behavioural issues. The aim of the present paper is to describe the development process of an interactive website, which is currently being used in a research study. The research study is a randomized controlled trial with eighty participants, who are school-aged children. The study will assess the ef...
There has been rather limited use of Skype for health and medical purposes. We investigated the u... more There has been rather limited use of Skype for health and medical purposes. We investigated the use of Skype for delivering psychotherapy services in the Ukraine. A provider questionnaire was distributed to all delegates (n = 50) at the Annual Symposium of Psychotherapists. One copy of a client questionnaire was also given to each service provider and they were instructed to request their next client to complete the survey. In total, 29 providers and 23 clients responded to the questionnaire. The majority of clients (61%) and providers (72%) had used Skype for a range of services. The services they provided were related to a wide range of paradigms including psycho-analysis, psycho-drama, Gestalt therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and existential therapy. A key reason for using Skype was to allow practitioners to contact clients who were not easily accessible, e.g. those who lived in other countries. Most practitioners (n = 24) thought their clients considered the services recei...
Studies in health technology and informatics, 2010
Malaysia's national health statistics for the last half century show a remarkable improvement... more Malaysia's national health statistics for the last half century show a remarkable improvement in the nation's health status. One important factor for this improvement is the Malaysian government's proactive intervention in the health sector. Among others, e-health has played a vital role in delivering and managing healthcare services in Malaysia. While the Government has integrated telehealth in its national digital infrastructure re-design, it has heavily invested in telehealth. The enactment of new laws to facilitate telehealth practices can also be noted as an important measure.
We reviewed web-based interventions for overweight and obesity prevention. A literature search wa... more We reviewed web-based interventions for overweight and obesity prevention. A literature search was conducted using seven electronic databases. Manually searched articles were also included. Thirty studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Of these, 13 studied physical activity, eight studied dietary practices and nine studied a combination of physical activity and dietary practice. Twenty-eight of the studies (93%) reported positive changes in moderate to vigorous physical activity level, fruit and vegetable intake and psychological factors. A meta-analysis showed there were improvements, though not significant, in fruit and vegetable consumption (standardised mean difference, SMD = 0.61; 95% CI =-0.13 to 1.35) and physical activity (SMD = 0.15; 95% CI =-0.06 to 0.35). The review suggests that web-based interventions are a useful educational tool for increasing awareness and making healthy behaviour changes in relation to an excessive weight gain problem.
To measure specialist international medical graduates&amp... more To measure specialist international medical graduates' (SIMGs) level of learning through participation in guided tutorials, face-to-face or through videoconferencing (VC), and the effect of tutorial attendance and quality of participation on success in specialist college examinations. Tutorials were conducted at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital between 19 September 2007 and 23 August 2010, and delivered through VC to participants at other locations. Tutorials were recorded and transcribed, and speaker contributions were tagged and ranked using content analysis software. Summary examination results were obtained from the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists. Tutorial participation and attendance, and college examination pass and fail rates. Transcripts were obtained for 116 tutorials. The median participation percentage for those who subsequently failed the college examinations was 1% (interquartile range [IQR], 0%-1%), while for those who passed the exams it was 5% (IQR, 2%-8%; P < 0.001). There was also an association between attendance and exam success; the median (IQR) attendance of those who failed was 24% (IQR, 14%-39%), while for those who passed it was 59% (IQR, 39%-77%; P < 0.001). Use of VC technology was found to be a feasible method to assist SIMGs to become aware of the requirements of the exam and to prepare more effectively.
... Jago, Russell, Tom Baranowski, Janice C. Baranowski, Debbe Thompson, Karen W. Cullen, Kathy W... more ... Jago, Russell, Tom Baranowski, Janice C. Baranowski, Debbe Thompson, Karen W. Cullen, Kathy Watson and Yan Liu. ... Williamson, Donald A., Heather M. Walden, Marney A. White, Emily York-Crowe, Robert L. Newton Jr., Anthony Alfonso, Stewart Gordon and Donna Rynn. ...
ABSTRACT We surveyed all nurses working at a tertiary paediatric hospital (except casual staff an... more ABSTRACT We surveyed all nurses working at a tertiary paediatric hospital (except casual staff and those who were on leave) from 27 hospital departments. A total of 365 questionnaires were distributed. There were 40 questions in six sections: demographic details, knowledge of e-health, relevance of e-health to nursing profession, computing skills, Internet use and access to e-health education. A total of 253 surveys were completed (69%). Most respondents reported that that they had never had e-health education of any sort (87%) and their e-health knowledge and skills were low (71%). However, 11% of nurses reported some exposure to e-health through their work. Over half (56%) of respondents indicated that e-health was important, very important or critical for health professions while 26% were not sure. The lack of education and training was considered by most respondents (71%) to be the main barrier to adopting e-health. While nurses seemed to have moderate awareness of the potential benefits of e-health, their practical skills and knowledge of the topic were very limited.
Behavioural interventions have been shown to improve outcomes in patients with type 1 diabetes me... more Behavioural interventions have been shown to improve outcomes in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). There are a small number of studies that suggest text-messages (TM), native mobile applications (NMAs), and other mobile tools may be useful platforms for delivering behavioural interventions to adolescents. The aim of this study was to explore, by way of a systematic review of available literature, (a) the outcomes of interventions using mobile technology for youth with T1DM and (b) what mobile technologies, functional design elements and aesthetic design elements have the best evidence to support their use. A search of six online databases returned 196 unique results, of which 13 met the inclusion criteria. Four studies were randomised controlled trials (RCTs), and all others prospective cohort studies. TM (10) was the most common intervention technology, while NMAs were used in four studies. The most common outcome measured was HbA1c (9); however, only three studies sho...
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