Covid-19 hotlines, helplines and call centers: a systematic review of characteristics, challenges and lessons learned.

BACKGROUND: During the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of hotlines/helplines/call centers was implemented to provide remote services and support public health. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics, challenges and lessons learned of implementing Covid-19 hotlines/helplines/call centers during the pandemic. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, IEEE Xplore, and ProQuest databases as well as Google Scholar were searched between 1st January 2020 and 31st December 2023 to retrieve relevant articles published in English. The quality and risk of bias of the studies were assessed using the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS), the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Checklist. RESULTS: In total, 43 out of 1440 articles were included in this study. About half of the hotlines/helplines/call centers were launched in March 2020 (n = 19). Providing psychological support (n = 23), reliable information about Covid-19 (n = 10), healthcare advices about Covid-19 (n = 8), and triage (n = 7) were the most common purposes of implementing these services. The most common challenges included a lack of physical examination, unavailability of hotlines/helplines/call centers at the point of need, and delay in updating Covid-19 information. The most common lessons learned were employing qualified staff, providing proper training, and getting feedback from the callers and operators. CONCLUSION: According to the results, most of the Covid-19 hotlines/helplines/call centers were launched in the early months of the pandemic, and about half of them were active seven days a week. Most of the operators were mental health providers and clinicians. The findings show the importance of continuous psychological support during crises, particularly when adequate information about the situation is not available. The challenges experienced by the callers and operators as well as the lessons learned by the service providers also need to be considered for future crises to increase the effectiveness of similar services.

Impact of telecare interventions on quality of life in older adults: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Recently, an increase in the older adult population, their chronic diseases, and functional disabilities have led to an increase in the need for more healthcare services. Telecare is one of the solutions for caring these people and can improve their quality of life. AIM: The objective of this study was to investigate impact of telecare interventions on quality of life in older adults. METHODS: This was a systematic review conducted in 2021. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, Embase, IEEE Xplore, and ProQuest databases as well as Google Scholar were searched until the end of 2020 to retrieve relevant articles published in English. The quality of the studies was assessed using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) quality assessment checklists and the mixed-methods appraisal tool (MMAT). The risk of bias in the studies was assessed using version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2) and the risk of bias in non-randomized studies-of interventions (ROBINS-I). RESULTS: In total, ten out of 1245 articles identified in the initial search, were included in this study. Telemonitoring (n = 7) and telerehabilitation (n = 3) were the most common methods of telecare interventions. Overall, the findings showed that in most studies, different dimensions of quality of life were improved after using these interventions (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Evaluating impact of telecare interventions on quality of life, especially in older adults can help system developers to improve current and future telecare technologies to meet users' requirements. Future studies can focus on evaluating the impact of specific telecare systems for a particular target group using different research methodologies.

Utilization of telehealth to manage the Covid-19 pandemic in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: Recently, the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has led to an increase in the use of telehealth technology. It seems that the application of this technology in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has been limited, and few studies have been undertaken to review the current state of knowledge in this area. The aim of the present study was to explore the utilization of telehealth to manage the Covid-19 pandemic in LMICs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This scoping review was conducted in 2022. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, IEEE Xplore, and ProQuest were searched, and all quantitative research, qualitative studies, case reports, and case studies related to the use of telehealth to manage Covid-19 in LMICs and published since 2020 were included in the study. The findings were analyzed and reported narratively. RESULTS: In total, 18 articles were included in the research. These studies were conducted in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and East Asia and Oceania. Telehealth interventions included teleconsultation, telecoaching, teledermatology, televisit, mhealth applications, telerehabilitation, telepharmacy, and telepsychiatry. WhatsApp was the most common way for service delivery and in most studies, patients and health care providers were satisfied with services. CONCLUSION: Although the use of telehealth interventions was limited in LMICs during the Covid-19 pandemic, in most cases, it was an effective solution to combat the outbreak of Covid-19 and had positive outcomes. A comparison between the characteristics and clinical effectiveness of similar interventions in different countries including LMICs are worth investigation in the future studies.

A competency framework for Ph.D. programs in health information management.

INTRODUCTION: The job expectations and professional competencies required by health information management (HIM) students/graduates are constantly changing and workforce development requires curricula in line with new emerging competencies. Although there are some competency frameworks in this field, there is no one specifically for Ph.D. educational programs in HIM. We aimed to develop a competency framework for Ph.D. programs in HIM in Iran. METHODS: We firstly developed a list of competencies based on those published in the literature or by related associations in nine domains and 51 sub-domains. We used the modified Delphi technique and invited Ph.D. students/graduates in HIM and related faculty members throughout the country to participate. Competencies with more than 75% agreement were considered as high priority competencies and those with 50% to 75% agreement as a medium priority. Competencies with less than 50% agreement were dropped. After two rounds, the competency framework was finalized. RESULTS: All suggested competencies were considered a high priority in the first round. Based on suggestions, two new domains (health knowledge management and information technology) and 20 new sub-competencies were added and then accepted in the second round. The final framework includes these competency domains: health data and information management; health data analytics; information technology; teaching competencies; research competencies; health information technology and digital health; health information classifications, terminologies, and ontologies; health information systems governance; managerial competencies; health knowledge management; and digital health entrepreneurship. CONCLUSION: This framework suggests a list of competencies in 11 domains and 71 sub-domains for Ph.D. students/graduates in HIM that should be considered for the development of future curricula for these educational programs.

Two-sided perspective on tele-speech therapy: Experiences of stuttering patients, and their parents.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefits and challenges of the tele-speech therapy from the perspective of patients who stutter, and their parents. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 patients and three parents in two rehabilitation centers. Data were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach proposed by Graneheim and Lundman. Seven categories were determined: accessible treatment, motivation of comfort in tele-speech therapy, challenges of tele-therapy, satisfaction, virtual competency, lower quality compared to face-to-face therapy, and uncertainty about the effectiveness of tele-speech therapy. The participants had a two-sided perspective regarding tele-speech therapy. Positive experiences included benefitting from more qualified therapists at multiple locations, faster access to treatment, and saving cost and time. Negative experiences and challenges consisted of low-quality of technology infrastructure for rehabilitation including low quality of shared images and videos, ineffective communication, insufficient sympathy, indirect communication, and technology incompetency. Findings showed that the participants were interested in the application of tele-speech therapy, as this method could increase their accessibility and provide the opportunity to choose proper therapists. The determined benefits and challenges can provide the policy-makers with beneficial information to implement tele-speech therapy.

The effect of tele-speech therapy on treatment of stuttering.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of tele-speech therapy on the recovery of patients with a stutter. METHODS: This research was an interventional study conducted on the patients visiting two rehabilitation centres. In this study, patients with a stutter participated in the tele-speech therapy sessions via Skype. Stuttering Severity Instrument-Fourth Edition was used to determine the severity of stutter before and after the intervention. RESULTS: The results showed a significant difference in the mean scores of stuttering severity before and after tele-speech therapy (p = 0.001). Our findings showed a mean reduction of 13.8% in stuttering scores. More than half of the patients (56.6%) reported a "high" and "very high" satisfaction with this treatment method. CONCLUSIONS: Tele-speech therapy is an effective way for the treatment of stuttering patients irrespective of their age, gender, and educational background. This method can improve patient's speech and reduce stuttering. Implications for RehabilitationTele-rehabilitation is an effective way to treat stuttering.Tele-speech therapy can be implemented for any group of stuttering patients.Participants were satisfied with the tele-rehabilitation intervention.Tele-speech therapy accelerates the treatment process.Tele-speech therapy eliminates patient travels to speech therapies.

Determining the effect of tele-rehabilitation on patients with stutter using the goal attainment scaling (GAS).

BACKGROUND: Lack of proper and timely patients' access to speech pathologists can affect the treatment and follow-up process; therefore, patients do not achieve the expected therapeutic goals. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of tele-rehabilitation on the stuttering patients using the goal attainment scaling (GAS). METHODS: This interventional study was carried out on patients who visited the rehabilitation centers affiliated to the Jahrom Welfare Office. They underwent remote speech therapy using Skype. To evaluate the treatment outcomes of the stuttering patients, GAS was used. RESULTS: The participants' speech and lingual skills improved using videoconferencing. The mean score of total GAS for patients was 53.08. Of 112 health goals, patients reached the expected or higher than expected levels in 78 goals. CONCLUSIONS: Rehabilitation through video conferencing was effective for patients with stuttering, improved their speech, and decreased their stuttering. Since, application of remote rehabilitation services can provide regular access to healthcare services, it can lead to improving patient treatment provide more frequent and faster treatment follow-up.

Information Needs of Addicted Individuals: A Qualitative Case Study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the information needs of addicts from the perspective of addicts. By identifying the experiences of the individuals involved in addiction and assessing the information they need, targeted educational interventions can be provided to meet their needs. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 addicts in two addiction outpatient clinics. Data were analyzed using the qualitative content analysis approach proposed by Graneheim and Lundman. FINDINGS: The information needs of the interviewees included recognizing types of addictive substances and the degree of dependence on them, awareness of the physical and psychological symptoms of addiction to various addictive substances, awareness of various pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, physical and psychological symptoms of quitting addiction, awareness of the length of treatment, knowledge about the dose and degree of dependence on drugs, recognizing the causes of failure in quitting addiction, awareness of governmental and non-governmental services, and awareness of the psychological measures and care services necessary after quitting addiction. CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that the knowledge and awareness of addicted individuals in various fields of addiction is low and it is necessary to provide education based on the information needs of these individuals. This requires the cooperation and efforts of policy makers, the Ministry of Education, welfare managers, and specialists in camps and addiction treatment centers. Specialists in addiction treatment clinics can use the information needs of addicts determined in this study to enrich the education of addicts.

Evaluating satisfaction of patients with stutter regarding the tele-speech therapy method and infrastructure.

OBJECTIVE: Investigating the required infrastructure for the implementation of telemedicine and the satisfaction of target groups improves the acceptance of this technology and facilitates the delivery of healthcare services. The aim of this study was to assess the satisfaction of patients with stutter concerning the therapeutic method and the infrastructure used to receive tele-speech therapy services. METHODS: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on all patients with stutter aged between 14 and 39 years at Jahrom Social Welfare Bureau (n = 30). The patients underwent speech therapy sessions through video conferencing with Skype. Data were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire. Its content validity was confirmed by three medical informatics specialists. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of patient satisfaction scores concerning the infrastructure and the tele-speech therapy method were 3.15 ±â€¯0.52 and 3.49 ±â€¯0.52, respectively. No significant relationship was found between the patients satisfaction and their gender, education level and age (p > 0.05). The results of this study showed that the number of speech therapy sessions did not affect the overall satisfaction of the patients (p > 0.05), but the number of therapeutic sessions had a direct relationship with their satisfaction with the infrastructure used for tele-speech therapy (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that patients were satisfied with tele-speech therapy. According to most patients the low speed of the Internet connection in the country was a major challenge for receiving tele-speech therapy. The results suggest that healthcare planner and policy makers invest on increasing bandwidth to improve the success rate of telemedicine programs.