Journal of medical Internet research
-
J. Med. Internet Res. · Sep 2021
Characterization and Identification of Variations in Types of Primary Care Visits Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Catalonia: Big Data Analysis Study.
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the care model of health systems around the world upside down, causing the abrupt cancellation of face-to-face visits and redirection of the model toward telemedicine. Digital transformation boosts information systems-the more robust they are, the easier it is to monitor the health care system in a highly complex state and allow for more agile and reliable analysis. ⋯ The disruption in the primary care model in Catalonia has led to an explosive increase in the number of non-face-to-face visits. There has been a reduction in the number of visits for diagnoses related to chronic pathologies, respiratory infections, obesity, and bodily injuries. Instead, visits for diagnoses related to socioeconomic and housing problems have increased, which emphasizes the importance of social determinants of health in the context of this pandemic. Big data analytics with routine care data yield findings that are consistent with those derived from intuition in everyday clinical practice and can help inform decision making by health planners in order to use the next few years to focus on the least-treated diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
J. Med. Internet Res. · Sep 2021
Framing of and Attention to COVID-19 on Twitter: Thematic Analysis of Hashtags.
Although past research has focused on COVID-19-related frames in the news media, such research may not accurately capture and represent the perspectives of people from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, research on the public attention to COVID-19 as reflected through frames on social media is scarce. ⋯ This study contributes to framing theory and research by demonstrating how trending hashtags can be used as new user-generated data to identify frames on social media. This study concludes that the identified frames such as "quarantine life" and "conflict" and themes such as "isolation" and "toilet paper panic" represent the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The consequences could be (1) exclusively related to COVID-19, such as hand hygiene or isolation; (2) related to any health crisis such as social support of vulnerable groups; and (3) generic that are irrespective of COVID-19, such as homeschooling or remote working.
-
J. Med. Internet Res. · Sep 2021
Randomized Controlled TrialEfficacy of a Single-Session "Empowered Relief" Zoom-Delivered Group Intervention for Chronic Pain: Randomized Controlled Trial Conducted During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Cognitive behavioral therapy-pain is an evidence-based treatment for chronic pain that can have significant patient burden, including health care cost, travel, multiple sessions, and lack of access in remote areas. ⋯ Zoom-delivered ER had high participant satisfaction and very high engagement. Among adults with chronic pain, this single-session, Zoom-delivered, skills-based pain class resulted in clinically significant improvement across a range of pain-related outcomes that was sustained at 3 months. Web-based delivery of ER could allow greater accessibility of home-based pain treatment and could address the inconveniences and barriers faced by patients when attempting to receive in-person care.
-
J. Med. Internet Res. · Sep 2021
Disparities in Outpatient and Telehealth Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Large Integrated Health Care Organization: Retrospective Cohort Study.
Dramatic decreases in outpatient visits and sudden increases in telehealth visits were observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was unclear whether these changes differed by patient demographics and socioeconomic status. ⋯ The Hispanic group and low-income group had the largest percentage increase in telehealth utilization in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of virtual care potentially mitigated the impact of the pandemic on health care utilization in these vulnerable populations.
-
J. Med. Internet Res. · Jul 2021
Randomized Controlled TrialOnline-Delivered Group and Personal Exercise Programs to Support Low Active Older Adults' Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Randomized Controlled Trial.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, experts in mental health science emphasized the importance of developing and evaluating approaches to support and maintain the mental health of older adults. ⋯ There were no intervention effects for the trial's primary outcome (ie, psychological flourishing). It is possible that the high levels of psychological flourishing at baseline may have limited the extent to which those indicators could continue to improve further through intervention (ie, potential ceiling effects). However, the intervention effects for mental and physical health point to the potential capacity of low-cost and scalable at-home programs to support the mental and physical health of previously inactive adults in the COVID-19 pandemic.