Background Worldwide, problem drinking is a leading risk factor for disease burden and mortality. To reduce this burden, effective interventions are required. Mobile phone-based alcohol...Show moreBackground Worldwide, problem drinking is a leading risk factor for disease burden and mortality. To reduce this burden, effective interventions are required. Mobile phone-based alcohol interventions show promise due to their ease of use and scalability. However, there is limited knowledge regarding their overall effectiveness. As it is a rapidly developing field, this meta-analysis captures the current state of evidence. Mobile phone-based alcohol interventions are expected to be more effective than control groups with minimal or no intervention. Methods A systematic literature search and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. In April 2022 the databases PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched to identify eligible studies. The search focused on publications between 2010 and 2022, without language restrictions. Randomised controlled trials comparing mobile phone-based interventions with minimal or no intervention control conditions were included. Studies with interventions tailored to students and pregnant women were excluded. Outcome data were extracted and the pooled effect size was calculated with a random effects model. Risk of bias was assessed using the revised Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and quality of evidence with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Results Five studies with 1672 participants were included and revealed a combined small effect size (Hedges’ g = -0.28, 95% CI [-0.76, 0.21]), which was insignificant (p = .19). Intervention duration and mode of delivery did not have a significant moderating effect on the outcome. Between-study heterogeneity was high and influence analyses revealed one study potentially overly contributing to the heterogeneity. There was no evidence of publication bias. Risk of bias was considered to be high for each study and the overall quality of evidence was judged to be low. Conclusion The current study found no support for the efficacy of mobile phone-based alcohol intervention compared to minimal or no intervention control groups to reduce adult problem drinking. These results should be interpreted cautiously due to the small number of studies and concerns regarding the quality of evidence. Future researchers should consider using a standard set of outcome measures to make findings in this area more comparable.Show less
Since the beginning of this millennium, mobile phone penetration has risen remarkably worldwide and has been accompanied by an associated increase in mHealth solutions. These technological...Show moreSince the beginning of this millennium, mobile phone penetration has risen remarkably worldwide and has been accompanied by an associated increase in mHealth solutions. These technological solutions are believed to enhance access to healthcare. Not only are institutions from Africa implementing these services for African societies, but also institutions from the Global North. Research has found that the consideration of local contexts and collaboration are crucial steps in the creation of mHealth solutions, which raises questions about the motivations and ways of working of European institutions. This thesis aims to answer why mHealth is perceived as a relevant solution for Africa and what factors are influential in mHealth and to shed light on the humane aspects around mHealth.Show less
Background Mobile health (mHealth), measuring physical data with medical devices at home, is often linked to patient satisfaction and improvements in measurable medical data like blood pressure,...Show moreBackground Mobile health (mHealth), measuring physical data with medical devices at home, is often linked to patient satisfaction and improvements in measurable medical data like blood pressure, but improvements in mental health and usual functioning are often not considered. mHealth programme The Box combines measuring physical parameters with Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) to get a full scope on patients’ health after open heart surgery. The aim of this study was to compare HRQoL between cardiac patients following mHealth programme The Box and patients following standard care at 3 months after discharge. Methods Patients which underwent open heart surgery were assessed before their operation and 3 months after discharge with the EQ5D questionnaire, a five-dimension questionnaire (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression). The five dimensions can be calculated into an index score to compare HRQoL between and within groups, and the last question of the questionnaire provides the Perceived Overall Health (POH) score of a patient which can also be used to assess changes within and between groups. The Box group (n = 53) received mHealth for 3 months and a digital doctor’s visit, and the control group (n = 73) received standard care. Results Both The Box group (p = ,006) and the control group (p = ,005) improved over time in POH score, and The Box group also improved over time in index score (p = ,05). No significant differences in index score or POH score were found between the two groups after 3 months, when controlled for baseline values. However, the study did find a significant difference in The Box group over time for self-care (p = ,04) and usual activities (p = ,03). Conclusion Patients using mHealth do not have higher HRQoL than patients receiving standard care at 3 months, when controlling for baseline. However, self-care and usual activities did improve over time in The Box group. The Box does not perform better than standard care, but patients do improve on HRQoL over time. The improvement over time in combination with the improved accessibility of care, make mHealth a meaningful addition to health care.Show less
