Motivating and inhibiting factors influencing the application of mhealth technology in post-abortion care: a review study.

BACKGROUND: Abortion and its complications are challenges that endanger women's health, especially in developing countries. It seems that the application of mhealth technology can be useful as a safe and affordable strategy in post-abortion care. The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing the use of mhealth technology in post-abortion care. METHODS: This was a review study conducted in 2023 and articles published in English between 2010 and 1st November 2023 were searched in PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, and Embase databases as well as Google Scholar. Data were collected using a data extraction form and were analyzed narratively. RESULTS: The influencing factors could be divided into the motivating and inhibiting factors. The motivating factors included the subgroups of the individual factors (e.g., saving time), technical factors (e.g., usability), economic factors (e.g., saving costs), and ethico-legal factors (e.g., improving security and confidentiality of the information). Similarly, the inhibiting factors consisted of individual factors (e.g., fear of expressing abortion), technical factors (e.g., a lack of access to the network and the Internet), economic factors (e.g., inappropriate patient financial status), and ethico-legal (e.g., concerns over the security and confidentiality of information). CONCLUSION: This study underscores the importance of considering various technical and non-technical factors influencing the design and implementation of mHealth technology in post-abortion care. Developers need to address these factors to ensure successful technology adoption and mitigate risks. The findings contribute to the enhancement of women's health and offer insights for future technology acceptance models in the mHealth field.

A controlled randomized trial with a 12-week follow-up investigating the effects of medium-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation on pain, VMO thickness, and functionality in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND: One of the major contributors to disability in Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients is weakness in the Quadriceps Femoris muscle. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been used in rehabilitation for patients suffering from muscle weakness. Thus, the purpose of the study was to assess the effectiveness of NMES and exercise therapy, for improving pain, muscle weakness and function among patients with KOA. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 75 female patients diagnosed with KOA. Participants were divided into three intervention groups: NMES-only, exercise therapy (Exs) alone, and a combination of NMES and exercise (NMES + Exs). All patients underwent 12 supervised treatment sessions, three times a week. Outcome measures included pain intensity measured by visual analog scale (VAS), knee flexion range of motion (FROM), thigh muscle girth (TG), thickness of the Vastus Medialis Oblique (VMO), timed up and go test (TUG), six-minute walk test (6MWT), and WOMAC scores. Statistical analyses (ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis) methods were done to compare the amounts at the baseline, immediately after treatment and after 12 weeks. RESULTS: The NMES group exhibited a significant reduction in pain at the 12-week follow-up compared to the other groups(p = 0.022). The NMES + Exs group showed better outcomes in terms of FROM, TG, and VMO thickness post-intervention (p < 0.0001, p < 0.004, p = 0.003, respectively) and at the 12-week follow-up (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, respectively). Additionally, NMES was superior in improving TUG and 6MWT post-intervention (p < 0.0001, p = 0.038, respectively) and during the follow-up assessments (p < 0.0001, p = 0.029, respectively). The NMES + Exs group achieved better WOMAC stiffness scores at both post-intervention and follow-up evaluations (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, respectively). Furthermore, at the 12-week follow-up, NMES + Exs group outperformed the others in WOMAC pain and function subscales (p = 0.003, p = 0.017, respectively), while the NMES group demonstrated better WOMAC total scores compared to the other groups (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: The combination of NMES and exercise seems to be an efficient approach for managing KOA, as it enhances knee flexion range and TG, increases VMO thickness, and improves WOMAC scores. On the other hand, NMES alone was found to be effective in improving the physical function of KOA patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: IRCT20101228005486N7 (06-02-2020).

Challenges of using telemedicine for patients with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review.

Background: Telemedicine has aided patients with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic in receiving better healthcare services. However, despite its numerous benefits, the use of this technology has faced several challenges. This study aimed to identify the challenges of using telemedicine for patients with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This scoping review was conducted in 2024. Relevant articles published between 2020 and 2023 were searched in databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, and the Cochrane Library. Initially, 822 articles were retrieved, and after screening 21 articles were selected. Results: The challenges of using telemedicine for patients with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic were categorized into the clinical, individual, organizational, and technical challenges. The clinical challenges included the lack of physical examinations and unavailability of patients' medical history. The individual challenges contained difficulties in using smart phones by patients and their low level of literacy. The organizational challenges were related to insufficient laws about obtaining patient consent and limited reimbursement for telemedicine services, and the technical challenges included limited access to the high-speed Internet services and inadequate technical infrastructure for telemedicine services. Most studies highlighted the role of individual and organizational challenges in using this technology. Conclusions: Considering the numerous challenges experienced in using telemedicine for patients with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that more attention should be paid to address each of these challenges to improve the actual usage, service quality, and user acceptance of telemedicine technology. This, in turn, can lead to saving costs and improving the health status and quality of life of patients with diabetes.