Willingness of Patients to Use Computers for Health Communication and Monitoring Following Myocardial Infarction

Comput Inform Nurs. 2015 Sep;33(9):384-9. doi: 10.1097/CIN.0000000000000175.

Abstract

We describe the computer use characteristics of 406 post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients and their willingness to engage online for health communication and monitoring. Most participants were computer users (n = 259; 63.8%) and half (n = 209; 51.5%) read health information online at least monthly. However, most participants did not go online to track health conditions (n = 283; 69.7%), look at medical records (n = 287; 70.7%), or e-mail doctors (n = 351; 86.5%). Most participants would consider using a Web site to e-mail doctors (n = 275; 67.7%), share medical information with doctors (n = 302; 74.4%), send biological data to their doctor (n = 308; 75.9%), look at medical records (n = 321; 79.1%), track health conditions (n = 331; 81.5%), and read about health conditions (n = 332; 81.8%). Sharing health information online with family members (n = 181; 44.6%) or for support groups (n = 223; 54.9%) was not of much interest. Most post-MI participants reported they were interested in communicating with their provider and tracking their health conditions online. Because patients with a history of MI tend to be older and are disproportionately minority, researchers and clinicians must be careful to design interventions that embrace post-MI patients of diverse backgrounds that both improve their access to care and health outcomes.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Attitude to Computers*
  • Computers / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Health Communication*
  • Humans
  • Internet
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardial Infarction* / therapy
  • North Carolina
  • Patient Access to Records / psychology
  • Physician-Patient Relations
  • Telemedicine / statistics & numerical data*