[Mobile health in primary care. New challenges in the development of solutions to promote physical activity and well-being]. / La salud móvil en atención primaria. Nuevos desafíos en el desarrollo de soluciones para promover la actividad física y el bienestar.

The use of smart devices such as mobile phones (smartphones) or smart watches (smartwatch) to promote physical activity and well-being has increased in recent years among patients and professionals in primary care. This change is driven by the access of patients and professionals to a large catalog of health applications, which can complement the provision of services and promote the empowerment of patients in their own health and lifestyles. These applications are beginning to be integrated with areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and data storage in the cloud, among other emerging technological systems, offering a new complementary approach to clinical practice known so far. Despite the great potential, there are numerous limitations and major challenges for its full implementation in clinical practice.

[Analysis of the interruptions generated by the use of smartphones among Primary Care Health professionals]. / Análisis de las interrupciones generadas por el uso de los smartphones entre los profesionales sanitarios de Atención Primaria.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the particular use of smartphones among Primary Care Health professionals during the care act and its consequences. DESIGN: Multicenter, cross-sectional study in a primary care setting, carried out in 3phases: survey of professionals, checklist of professionals and survey of patients. PARTICIPANTS: Primary Care Health professionals from the Territorial Primary Care Management of Barcelona (online survey) and health professionals (checklist) and patients (patient survey) from 2primary care teams in Barcelona city. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Bivariate descriptive analysis of the variables from the different surveys. Use of the mobile phone in the consultation, time, reason, type of use and perception of appropriateness. Characteristics of interruptions. RESULTS: In relation to patients, 31% consider that the health professional should only consult the mobile phone if it is to resolve some aspect of their reason for consultation and 10% consider it a lack of respect. Eighteen percent of patients describe interruptions, the majority lasting between 10 and 30s and considering them mostly avoidable. In relation to professionals, the majority (96%) claim to have their mobile phone in the consultation and on mute (77%), with only 2% recognizing its use in the presence of the patient, which is in line with what the patients describe. Furthermore, 80% of professionals say they ask permission to use it, contrasting with what patients report (50%). Eighty-five percent of professionals consider its use appropriate. CONCLUSIONS: The use of mobile phones is perceived by patients as an interruption that can affect the care act, generating dissatisfaction, which must be taken into account by health professionals. Healthcare organizations should establish recommendations regarding the use of mobile phones in consultations.

Does Influenza Vaccination Reduce the Risk of Contracting COVID-19?

The concurrent timing of the COVID-19 pandemic and the seasonal occurrence of influenza, makes it especially important to analyze the possible effect of the influenza vaccine on the risk of contracting COVID-19, or in reducing the complications caused by both diseases, especially in vulnerable populations. There is very little scientific information on the possible protective role of the influenza vaccine against the risk of contracting COVID-19, particularly in groups at high-risk of influenza complications. Reducing the risk of contracting COVID-19 in high-risk patients (those with a higher risk of infection, complications, and death) is essential to improve public well-being and to reduce hospital pressure and the collapse of primary health centers. Apart from overlapping in time, COVID-19 and flu share common aspects of transmission, so that measures to protect against flu might be effective in reducing the risk of contracting COVID-19. In this study, we conclude that the risk of contracting COVID-19 is reduced if patients are vaccinated against flu, but the reduction is small (0.22%) and therefore not clinically important. When this reduction is analysed based on the risk factor suffered by the patient, statistically significant differences have been obtained for patients with cardiovascular problems, diabetics, chronic lung and chronic kidney disease; in all four cases the reduction in the risk of contagion does not reach 1%. It is worth highlighting the behaviour that is completely different from the rest of the data for institutionalized patients. The data for these patients does not suggest a reduction in the risk of contagion for patients vaccinated against the flu, but rather the opposite, a significant increase of 6%. Socioeconomic conditions, as measured by the MEDEA deprivation index, explain increases in the risk of contracting COVID-19, and awareness campaigns should be increased to boost vaccination programs.

[Evaluation of a training model for health professionals in the care of critical patients: AIPCAP Study]. / Evaluación de un modelo formativo para profesionales sanitarios en la atención del paciente crítico: Estudio AIPCAP.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the validity, acceptability, and impact on the level of knowledge and skills of Primary Care health professionals of a training model aimed at improving the care of critical patients. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental interventional, multicentre study. LOCATION: Eight health care teams in Barcelona. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 272 professionals. INTERVENTIONS: A training program consisting of 48 simulations of acute myocardial infarction and stroke. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: A checklist was used to evaluate critical patient skills, effect of training on the knowledge of the participants, and a satisfaction survey. The training was carried out after 2 series of simulations (AMI+Stroke). In the second series, 3evaluations were made: in situ, one week after, and at 3weeks. Concordance and reliability were measured. The differences in means were analysed using the Student t test for paired data. RESULTS: A total of 449 knowledge tests were answered, with a higher score being obtained at the end of each simulation (3.89 -SD 1.01 vs. 3.21 -SD 1.09). Doctors obtained better medical scores than nurses (3.81 - SD 0.87 vs. 3.32 - SD 1.15), and professionals with a specialty completed scored more than those in training (MIR) (3.6 - SD 1.08 vs. 3.4 - SD 1.18). The mean score was 7.7 points (SD 1.56) in the first evaluation, and improved to 9.1 points (SD 0.78). The kappa index was greater than 0.40 in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: A training methodology in the management of emergencies in Primary Care based on simulations is valid, reliable and well accepted, achieving an improvement in the level of knowledge and skills of the participating professionals.