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. 2022 Nov 11:4:928602.
doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2022.928602. eCollection 2022.

Mobile phone access and preferences among medical inpatients at an urban Canadian hospital for post-discharge planning: A pre-COVID-19 cross-sectional survey

Maryam AboMoslim  1 , Abdulaa Babili  2 , Niloufar Ghaseminejad-Tafreshi  1 , Matthew Manson  1 , Fanan Fattah  1 , Samia El Joueidi  1 , John A Staples  3   4 , Penny Tam  4 , Richard T Lester  1
Affiliations

Mobile phone access and preferences among medical inpatients at an urban Canadian hospital for post-discharge planning: A pre-COVID-19 cross-sectional survey

Maryam AboMoslim et al. Front Digit Health. .

Abstract

Background: Digital health interventions are increasingly used for patient care, yet little data is available on the phone access type and usage preferences amongst medical ward inpatients to inform the most appropriate digital interventions post-discharge.

Methods: To identify mobile phone ownership, internet access, and cellular use preferences among medical inpatients, we conducted a researcher-administered survey of patients admitted to five internal medicine units at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) in January 2020. The survey was administered over 2 days separated by a 2-week period.

Results: A total of 81 inpatients completed the questionnaire. Survey found that 85.2% of survey respondents had mobile phone access where 63.0% owned their own mobile phone, and 22.2% had access to a mobile phone via a proxy (or an authorized third-party) such as a family member. All participants with mobile phone access had cellular plans (i.e., phone and text); however, a quarter of respondents did not have data plans with internet access. Survey showed that 71.1% of males owned a mobile phone compared to only 52.8% of females. All participants at a "high" risk of readmission had access to a mobile phone, either as phone-owners or proxy-dependent users.

Conclusion: Access to mobile phones among medical ward inpatients, 85.2%, was comparable to smartphone penetration rates amongst Canadians in 2019, 85.1%. More patients had cellular than data plans (i.e., internet and applications). Understanding patient-specific access is key to informing potential uptake of digital health interventions aimed at using patients' mobile phones (mHealth) from an effectiveness and equity lens.

Keywords: digital health; health services planning; hospital readmission; mHealth; mobile phone penetration; patient engagement; virtual care.

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Conflict of interest statement

RL has founded WelTel International mHealth Society (a nonprofit organization) and WelTel Inc (a company) to help develop and scale the technologies to deliver the research-based services and has an interest in both organizations. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Recruitment of participants at Vancouver General Hospital internal medicine wards.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Participants preference for one-way versus two-way communication with HCP.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Participants' relative preferred modalities of communication using their mobile phone.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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