Health Information Systems Research Centre - Conference Items

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    The dark side of risk homeostasis when joining a Health Social Network
    (European Conference on Information Systems, ECIS, 2018-06) Rowan, Wendy; O'Connor, Yvonne; Heavin, Ciara; Lynch, Laura; Wellcome Trust
    Social networking sites capture, store, analyse and exploit personal data resulting in heightened uncertainty and perceived risk around protecting our personal data. When this data involves personal health information (PHI) the risk factors increase. These risks can be discovered in both the design and presentation of Health Social Networking (HSN) services, as well as the actions of users when providing electronic consent (eConsent). How do users interact with technology and determine the potential risks to their PHI data? This paper seeks to explore users’ behaviours and reflections on risk taking when registering onto a HSN. Examining users’ registration behaviours, it is possible to explore users’ risk homeostasis when providing eConsent on a HSN. This paper focuses on understanding the users’ decision making process to the reading and comprehension of the Terms and Conditions (T&Cs), and Privacy Policy (PP) statements. A two-step approach was taken to collecting data, with 1) the observation of action followed by 2) a focus group discussion. This research sheds light into user’s assessment of future risk, the potentially dark side of sharing PHI and the preferred ways of operating for the user of these online communities.
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    The importance of form field validation: lessons learnt from a feasibility study of an mHealth application in Malawi, Africa
    (Association for Information Systems, 2016-06) Hardy, Victoria; O'Connor, Yvonne; Thompson, Matthew; Mastellos, Nikolaos; Tran, Tammy; O'Donoghue, John; Chirambo, Griphin Baxter; Andersson, Bo; Carlsson, Sven; Heavin, Ciara; Seventh Framework Programme
    Measuring adherence to clinical guidelines using mobile health (mHealth) technologies when form field validation is enforced or turned on could potentially be viewed as skewing the dataset, leading to 100% adherence to the clinical rule base. In theory, healthcare providers should fully abide by clinical guidelines, whether in paper or digital format, to ensure that the patient receives appropriate care. However, what happens when mHealth form field validation is turned off? As part of a feasibility study in Malawi, Africa, we explored this phenomenon. Switching off validation on the mHealth artefact served its purpose within the context of a feasibility study where a parallel paper-based clinical assessment process remained in place. The design of this technical artefact with the turnkey validation feature afforded us the opportunity to turn validation on and off seamlessly. Ultimately, from an ethical, clinical and technical perspective the optimum approach is to ensure that form field validation is switched on. With form field validation on adherence to the clinical guidelines is enforced which minimises incomplete assessment and the potential for suboptimal clinical decisions that could adversely affect patient care.
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    Randomised controlled trials as a method of evaluating mobile health interventions
    (AIS Electronic Library (AISeL), 2017-06-10) Dick, Samantha; O'Connor, Yvonne; Heavin, Ciara; Seventh Framework Programme
    With the momentum around the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), more recently the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a steady increase in the number of mobile health (mHealth) pilots, feasibility studies and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) used to evaluate the potential for mHealth in developing countries. Recent research indicates the need for more robust ways of evaluating and measuring mHealth in order to truly understand the tangible benefits, and to better plan for, wide scale mHealth roll-out and implementation. In a number of large funded mHealth projects in Africa, RCTs have been selected as a means of assessing mHealth. However, there remains a dearth of research to support the selection of RCTs as a means of evaluating mHealth. The objective of this research is to investigate RCTs as a method of evaluating mobile health interventions in developing countries. Using a qualitative analysis approach, this study aims to explore the challenges associated with pursuing an RCT for the evaluation of mHealth in Malawi, Africa. Following this, as part of the wider study a checklist of factors will be proposed as a means of determining the suitability (or lack thereof) of RCTs as a means of mHealth evaluation.
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    Bridging the knowledge gap: towards a comprehensive mHealth training framework
    (AIS Electronic Library (AISeL), 2017-06) Kenny, Grace; Heavin, Ciara; O'Connor, Yvonne; Ndibuagu, Edmund; Irish Research Council
    Mobile health (mHealth) solutions can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare services delivered by Primary Healthcare (PHC) workers in rural communities in developing countries. However, a host of barriers can hinder the success of new mHealth implementations including low technology literacy levels and failure to communicate the benefits of the solution for all stakeholders. This paper argues that effective training of end users and all stakeholders can remove the barriers which stem from these issues, thereby improving the likelihood of successful implementation and enabling the eventual improvement of healthcare delivery. During a visit to Nigeria, the perceptions of key stakeholders regarding IMPACT, a new mHealth solution, were explored to ascertain the training needs of all stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem. The paper leverages data from this visit and presents IMPACTeD, a comprehensive mHealth training framework which aims to develop a collective understanding of the solution among all stakeholders, while also improving the technical ability and confidence of PHC workers. The framework will be implemented and evaluated during a second visit to Nigeria. This paper contributes to the scant literature in developing countries by providing a framework which can guide the implementation of further mHealth solutions in developing nations.
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    The status quo of IS conference publications on theorising eHealth in developing countries.
    (Association for Information Systems (AIS), 2016-12-11) O'Connor, Yvonne; Eze, Emmanuel; Heavin, Ciara; Irish Research Council
    The purpose of this systematic review is to consolidate existing evidence on electronic health (eHealth) initiatives examined in developing countries to better inform future practice and research. More specifically, this paper examines the status quo of theorising eHealth in developing countries across a range of top Information Systems (IS) conference publications over a fifteen year period (2000–2015). While some work has been done on examining the application of theory within the eHealth domain, the associated context in which this work is performed is often over looked. Examining the papers from a theoretical and contextual perspective reveal that IS researchers’ primary attention is generalisable theory (in the form of explanation) with some consideration given to the interaction with the healthcare context. IS researchers should leverage the lessons learned from other IS sub domains and move beyond generalizable theories to further enrich the understanding of eHealth in developing countries.