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New Technologies and Social Media in Rural Health
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New Technologies and Social Media in Rural Health

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Communication and Informatics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 13702

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Josep Vidal-Alaball

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Health Promotion in Rural Areas Research Group, Gerència Territorial de la Catalunya Central, Catalan Health Institute, Sant Fruitós de Bages, Spain
Interests: primary health care; public health; social media; medical education; telemedicine; eHealth
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wasim Ahmed

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Marketing, Operations and Systems, Newcastle University Business School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Interests: social media and public health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Studies show that new technologies, especially telemedicine, are better accepted by patients who live in rural areas. Professionals in these areas are also more satisfied with the service as it facilitates contact with hospital specialists, improving their professional development. By facilitating access to specialized care in regions far from urban hospitals, telemedicine and new technologies can help in reducing inequalities between rural and urban areas. With the occurrence of COVID-19, new technologies, especially telemedicine, have become one of the main tools to help stop its expansion. Due to its peculiarities, it is necessary to study how this develops in rural environments. Moreover, due to the current pandemic, social media usage has increased, which provides an important opportunity to examine the perception of new technologies.

Information communication technologies have also become influential with regard to providing support for those in rural areas. Henceforth, this Special Issue also welcomes research which examines the role and strengthens the limitations of information communication technologies and digital technologies including social media in relation to rural health. Furthermore, research papers addressing and exploring how different countries and health systems are using new technologies in rural primary care and community health settings and how these technologies are perceived, for instance, across social media platforms are also invited.

Dr. Josep Vidal-Alaball
Dr. Wasim Ahmed
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • primary health care
  • social media
  • rural health services
  • telemedicine
  • artificial intelligence
  • eHealth
  • health informatics
  • public health

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 531 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Synchronous and Asynchronous Telemedical Applications in Primary Care in Rural Regions of Northern Germany—Results and Lessons Learned from a Pilot Study
by Alexander Waschkau, Pia Traulsen and Jost Steinhäuser
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 14860; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214860 - 11 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2265
Abstract
(1) Background: Telemedical applications (TAs) that are centered around General practitioners’ (GP) practices could be beneficial for patients in rural areas in order to better their access to care. This could become more and more relevant as specialists favor practicing in more urban [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Telemedical applications (TAs) that are centered around General practitioners’ (GP) practices could be beneficial for patients in rural areas in order to better their access to care. This could become more and more relevant as specialists favor practicing in more urban regions, leaving GPs as the first medical contact of patients in rural areas. (2) Methods: Three TAs, one synchronous, one asynchronous and one used in delegation were implemented and evaluated in ten GP practices and two specialists’ practices in rural areas of northern Germany. (3) Results: Overall satisfaction with the TAs was generally high. GPs as well as specialists were especially satisfied with asynchronous TAs. A number of valuable “Lesson learned” were obtained and can be used as recommendations for further studies, e.g., taking time to identify market-ready technologies prior to implementation, developing dedicated trainings for users, and preparation of a technical support plan. Overall, the benefits of the TAs were rated high for the patients by the medical professionals. (4) Conclusion: Especially asynchronous TAs that are based on existing technology can be successfully implemented into a developing digital health care system such as the one in Germany. The impact on treatment of those TAs needs to be further investigated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Technologies and Social Media in Rural Health)
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11 pages, 315 KiB  
Article
Virtual Healthcare in Rural and Remote Settings: A Qualitative Study of Canadian Rural Family Physicians’ Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Nahid Rahimipour Anaraki, Meghraj Mukhopadhyay, Margo Wilson, Yordan Karaivanov and Shabnam Asghari
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13397; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013397 - 17 Oct 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3521
Abstract
Objective: This paper aims to explore the experiences of rural family physicians using virtual healthcare in their clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Design: A community-based participatory approach. Setting: Rural and remote communities in Canada. Participants: Thirteen rural family physicians with [...] Read more.
Objective: This paper aims to explore the experiences of rural family physicians using virtual healthcare in their clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Design: A community-based participatory approach. Setting: Rural and remote communities in Canada. Participants: Thirteen rural family physicians with at least one year of clinical experience. Results: The data illustrate significant issues associated with virtual healthcare in rural healthcare. The adoption of virtual healthcare has been expressed to pose a harsh polarity; the benefit conferred to rural family physicians with the opportunity to have flexible working hours and work at home while interacting with family members is starkly contrasted with the struggles of insufficient financial support to facilitate setting up virtual healthcare for rural physicians, unreliable technological infrastructure, and inadequate technological resources, which are all exacerbated by the lack of adequate health literacy in rural communities. Results were compiled into five major categories underpinning the lived experiences of rural family physicians: 1—potential trade-off between convenience and quality of care; 2—work–family boundaries; 3—patient-doctor communication; 4—technology as barrier or enabler; 5—increased call duration. Conclusion: The differing trends assessed in the findings illustrate the complications faced in providing virtual healthcare, which resonates with the experiences and views of rural physicians. The findings of this study may guide the development of tailored technologies that adjust for the complexity of administering virtual healthcare in rural communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Technologies and Social Media in Rural Health)
10 pages, 344 KiB  
Article
Gaps to Best Practices for Teleconsultations Performed by General Practitioners: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study
by Alexandre Carrier, Karyne Fernez, Jan Chrusciel, David Laplanche, Clément Cormi and Stéphane Sanchez
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(10), 6220; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106220 - 20 May 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2167
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic led to large increases in telemedicine activity worldwide. This rapid growth, however, may have impacted the quality of care where compliance with guidelines and best practices are concerned. The aim of this study was to describe the recent practices of [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to large increases in telemedicine activity worldwide. This rapid growth, however, may have impacted the quality of care where compliance with guidelines and best practices are concerned. The aim of this study was to describe the recent practices of a telemedicine activity (teleconsultations) and the breaches of best practice guidelines committed by general practitioners (GPs) in the Greater Eastern Region of France. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a 33-item questionnaire and was provided to the Regional Association of Healthcare Professionals, Union Régionale des Professionnels de Santé (URPS) to be shared amongst the GPs. Between April and June 2021, a total of 233 responses were received, showing that (i) by practicing telemedicine in an urban area, (ii) performing a teleconsultation at the patient’s initiative, and (iii) carrying out more than five teleconsultations per week were factors associated with a significantly higher level of best practices in telemedicine. All in all, roughly a quarter of GPs (25.3%, n = 59) had a self-declared good telemedicine practice, and the rules of good practice are of heterogeneous application. Despite the benefits of learning on the job for teleconsultation implementation during the COVID-19 lockdowns, there may be a clear need to develop structured and adapted telemedicine training programs for private practice GPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Technologies and Social Media in Rural Health)
11 pages, 363 KiB  
Article
The Use of Telemedicine in Nursing Homes: A Mixed-Method Study to Identify Critical Factors When Connecting with a General Hospital
by Clément Cormi, Jan Chrusciel, Antoine Fayol, Michel Van Rechem, Khuloud Abou-Amsha, Matthieu Tixier, Myriam Lewkowicz, David Laplanche and Stéphane Sanchez
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11148; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111148 - 23 Oct 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4334
Abstract
Evaluating the use and impact of telemedicine in nursing homes is necessary to promote improvements in the quality of this practice. Even though challenges and opportunities of telemedicine are increasingly becoming well documented for geriatrics (such as improving access to healthcare, patient management, [...] Read more.
Evaluating the use and impact of telemedicine in nursing homes is necessary to promote improvements in the quality of this practice. Even though challenges and opportunities of telemedicine are increasingly becoming well documented for geriatrics (such as improving access to healthcare, patient management, and education while reducing costs), there is still limited knowledge on how to better implement it in an inter-organizational context, especially when considering nursing homes. In this regard, this study aimed first to describe the telemedicine activity of nursing homes when cooperating with a general hospital; and then understand the behavioral differences amongst nursing homes while identifying critical factors when implementing a telemedicine project. We conducted a sequential, explanatory mixed-method study using quantitative then qualitative methods to better understand the results. Three years of teleconsultation data of twenty-six nursing homes (15 rural and 11 urban) conducting teleconsultations with a general hospital (Troyes Hospital, France) were included for the quantitative analysis, and eleven telemedicine project managers for the qualitative analysis. Between April 2018 and April 2021, 590 teleconsultations were conducted: 45% (n = 265) were conducted for general practice, 29% (n = 172) for wound care, 11% (n = 62) for diabetes management, 8% (n = 47) with gerontologist and 6% (n = 38) for dermatology. Rural nursing homes conducted more teleconsultations overall than urban ones (RR: 2.484; 95% CI: 1.083 to 5.518; p = 0.03) and included more teleconsultations for general practice (RR: 16.305; 95% CI: 3.505 to 73.523; p = 0.001). Our qualitative study showed that three critical factors are required for the implementation of a telemedicine project in nursing homes: (1) the motivation to perform teleconsultations (in other words, improving access to care and cooperation between professionals); (2) building a relevant telemedicine medical offer based on patients’ and treating physicians’ needs; and (3) it’s specific organization in terms of time and space. Our study showed different uses of teleconsultations according to the rural or urban localization of nursing homes and that telemedicine projects should be designed to consider this aspect. Triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine projects in nursing homes are increasing, and observing the three critical factors presented above could be necessary to limit the failure of such projects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Technologies and Social Media in Rural Health)
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