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. 2018 Oct;24(4):292-299.
doi: 10.4258/hir.2018.24.4.292. Epub 2018 Oct 31.

Preferences of ICT among Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Undergoing Hemodialysis: An Ecuadorian Cross-Sectional Study

Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda  1   2 , Miguel Felix  1   2 , Valeria L Mata  1   2 , Emanuel Vanegas  1   2 , Antonio W D Gavilanes  3   4 , Peter Chedraui  5 , Daniel Simancas-Racines  6 , Juan Carlos Calderon  2 , Fabian Ortiz  7   8 , Guillermina Blum  9 , Angela Plua  10 , Gino Gonzalez  11 , Grace Moscoso  1   12 , Walter Morquecho  2
Affiliations

Preferences of ICT among Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Undergoing Hemodialysis: An Ecuadorian Cross-Sectional Study

Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda et al. Healthc Inform Res. 2018 Oct.

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess the frequency of use, and preferences regarding information and communication technologies (ICTs) among Ecuadorian patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing hemodialysis.

Methods: We conducted an anonymous cross-sectional survey-based study from January 2016 to April 2017, involving 393 patients with end-stage renal disease from 9 hemodialysis centers, in which they rated their use and preferences of various ICTs through a modified version of the Michigan Questionnaire. The questionnaire collected information regarding demographics, patients' interest in obtaining health-related information through ICTs, and interest in using ICTs as a potential way to communicate with their healthcare providers. A chi-square test for association and adjusted regression analyses were performed.

Results: Among all patients who participated, 64.3% reported owning a cellphone, with less than a third reporting active Internet connection. The most used ICT for obtaining information about CKD and/or hemodialysis was web-based Internet, followed by YouTube. SMS was rated the highest to receive and seek health-related information, followed by Facebook. Younger age and higher levels of education were associated with a higher overall usage of ICTs. Finally, more than half of the patients reported interest in using WhatsApp for communicating with their healthcare providers.

Conclusions: Understanding the preferences of ICTs among patients with CKD undergoing hemodialysis could help to improve their outcomes through the potential uses and benefits of ICTs. Further research is needed to assess their role in improving the care of patients with chronic diseases.

Keywords: Chronic Kidney Diseases; Internet; Medical Informatics; Renal Dialysis; Social Media.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Information and communication technologies usage and preferences among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing hemodialysis.
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