Intervention for Smokers through New Communication Technologies: What Perceptions Do Patients and Healthcare Professionals Have? A Qualitative Study

Background The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the health service is increasing. In spite of limitations, such as lack of time and experience, the deployment of ICTs in the healthcare system has advantages which include patient satisfaction with secure messaging, and time saving benefits and utility for patients and health professionals. ICTs may be helpful as either interventions on their own or as complementary tools to help patients stop smoking. Objectives To gather opinions from both medical professionals and smokers about an email-based application that had been designed by our research group to help smoking cessation, and identify the advantages and disadvantages associated with interventions based on the utilization of ICTs for this purpose. Methods A qualitative, descriptive–interpretative study with a phenomenological perspective was performed to identify and interpret the discourses of the participating smokers and primary healthcare professionals. Data were obtained through two techniques: semi-structured individual interviews and discussion groups, which were recorded and later systematically and literally transcribed together with the interviewer’s notes. Data were analyzed with the ATLAS TI 6.0 programme. Results Seven individual interviews and four focal groups were conducted. The advantages of the application based on the email intervention designed by our research group were said to be the saving of time in consultations and ease of access for patients who found work timetables and following a programme for smoking cessation incompatible. The disadvantages were thought to be a lack of personal contact with the healthcare professional, and the possibility of cheating/ self-deception, and a greater probability of relapse on the part of the smokers. Conclusions Both patients and healthcare professionals viewed the email-based application to help patients stop smoking as a complementary aid to face-to-face consultations. Nevertheless, ICTs could not substitute personal contact in the smoking cessation programme.

[1]  Ron Borland,et al.  Smoking Cessation and the Internet: A Qualitative Method Examining Online Consumer Behavior , 2002, Journal of medical Internet research.

[2]  Harald Seeger,et al.  Impact of electronic messaging on the patient-physician interaction , 2009, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[3]  Leslie Lenert,et al.  Research Paper: Automated E-mail Messaging as a Tool for Improving Quit Rates in an Internet Smoking Cessation Intervention , 2004, J. Am. Medical Informatics Assoc..

[4]  S. Brophy,et al.  Interventions for latent autoimmune diabetes (LADA) in adults. , 2011, The Cochrane database of systematic reviews.

[5]  R. Polosa,et al.  Feasibility of using E-mail counseling as part of a smoking-cessation program. , 2009, Respiratory care.

[6]  R. C. Hsiung.  E-therapy : case studies, guiding principles, and the clinical potential of the Internet , 2002 .

[7]  Suzanne Pingree,et al.  Development of a Tailored, Internet-based Smoking Cessation Intervention for Adolescents , 2006, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[8]  R. Richmond,et al.  Tobacco in prisons: a focus group study , 2009, Tobacco Control.

[9]  Urs-Vito Albrecht,et al.  Mobile Technologies: Expectancy, Usage, and Acceptance of Clinical Staff and Patients at a University Medical Center , 2014, JMIR mHealth and uHealth.

[10]  Seewon Ryu,et al.  Book Review: mHealth: New Horizons for Health through Mobile Technologies: Based on the Findings of the Second Global Survey on eHealth (Global Observatory for eHealth Series, Volume 3) , 2012, Healthcare Informatics Research.

[11]  B. Gardner,et al.  The needs and preferences of pregnant smokers regarding tailored Internet-based smoking cessation interventions: a qualitative interview study , 2014, BMC Public Health.

[12]  Antonio Hortelano.  La encuesta sobre Equipamiento y Uso de Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación en los Hogares (TIC-H) del INE , 2013 .

[13]  Amanda L. Graham,et al.  Reliability of Internet- Versus Telephone-Administered Questionnaires in a Diverse Sample of Smokers , 2008, Journal of medical Internet research.

[14]  Domján Andrea,et al.  World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki (WMA) - Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects , 2014 .

[15]  Aziz Sheikh,et al.  Email for clinical communication between patients/caregivers and healthcare professionals. , 2012, The Cochrane database of systematic reviews.

[16]  Hein de Vries,et al.  Efficacy of a single computer-tailored e-mail for smoking cessation: results after 6 months. , 2009, Health education research.

[17]  Peggy Gregory,et al.  Expectations and experiences of eHealth in primary care: A qualitative practice-based investigation , 2009, Int. J. Medical Informatics.

[18]  Are individuals more accepting of the internet than mobile phone apps being used in clinical practice , 2013 .

[19]  E. Murphy,et al.  Factors influencing discussion of smoking between general practitioners and patients who smoke: a qualitative study. , 2000, The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

[20]  E. Puigdomènech,et al.  Effectiveness of an intensive E-mail based intervention in smoking cessation (TABATIC study): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial , 2013, BMC Public Health.

[21]  L. An,et al.  The role of peer e-mail support as part of a college smoking-cessation website. , 2008, American journal of preventive medicine.

[22]  Aziz Sheikh,et al.  Internet-based interventions for smoking cessation. , 2013, The Cochrane database of systematic reviews.

[23]  Nathan K. Cobb,et al.  Characterizing Internet Searchers of Smoking Cessation Information , 2006, Journal of medical Internet research.

[24]  J. Car,et al.  Communicating health promotion and disease prevention information to patients via email: a review , 2010, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[25]  Suzanne Pingree,et al.  Randomized clinical trial of an Internet-based versus brief office intervention for adolescent smoking cessation. , 2006, Patient education and counseling.

[26]  D. Ford,et al.  Doctors Who Are Using E-mail With Their Patients: a Qualitative Exploration , 2003, Journal of medical Internet research.

[27]  E. Puigdomènech,et al.  Information and communication technologies for approaching smokers: a descriptive study in primary healthcare , 2015, BMC Public Health.