Smartphone and Medical Application use Among Dentists in China
With the development of information technology, more and more healthcare professionals are using smartphones and mobile medical applications (apps) in their clinical practice. The objective of this study was to survey the use of smartphone based medical apps among dentists in China and their perceptions on such apps.
All data were collected using anonymous questionnaires. The questionnaires for this cross-sectional study were randomly sent to dentists by email, and 379 dentists completed the questionnaires. Dentists’ demographics and their perceptions on Wechat, QQ (the most popular social media apps in China) and other medical apps were assessed, including questions on the purpose, frequency, daily use, and opinion of these apps they used. Questions were answered using a Likert scale (1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = not sure, 4 = disagree, and 5 = strongly disagree).
A total of 379 valid responses were received with a median age of 33.6 years old (63.3% female). All subjects (100%) owned a smartphone, and all of them installed and used WeChat or QQ in their clinical practice. Only 76% subjects installed medical apps (except Wechat and QQ) on their smartphones. Male dentists would like to install medical apps than female dentists (p < 0.05). With the increasing of age, the percentage of dentists to install medical apps was decreasing ( p < 0.001). The frequency and daily use of WeChat or QQ were more often than medical apps. Medical apps were positively perceived, with dentists reporting to recommend these medical apps to other peers (Likert score: 1.67 ± 0.68).
Medical apps were perceived to provide positive impact on clinical practice, education and patient care in dentistry by providing relevant medical information. But there will be still much room for improvement in the future.
On 07 Sep, 2020
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Posted 08 Jul, 2020
Received 04 Aug, 2020
On 04 Aug, 2020
Invitations sent on 10 Jul, 2020
On 10 Jul, 2020
On 10 Jul, 2020
Received 10 Jul, 2020
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On 01 Jul, 2020
On 18 Jun, 2020
Smartphone and Medical Application use Among Dentists in China
On 07 Sep, 2020
On 02 Sep, 2020
On 02 Sep, 2020
On 21 Aug, 2020
On 17 Aug, 2020
On 16 Aug, 2020
On 16 Aug, 2020
Posted 08 Jul, 2020
Received 04 Aug, 2020
On 04 Aug, 2020
Invitations sent on 10 Jul, 2020
On 10 Jul, 2020
On 10 Jul, 2020
Received 10 Jul, 2020
On 02 Jul, 2020
On 01 Jul, 2020
On 01 Jul, 2020
On 18 Jun, 2020
With the development of information technology, more and more healthcare professionals are using smartphones and mobile medical applications (apps) in their clinical practice. The objective of this study was to survey the use of smartphone based medical apps among dentists in China and their perceptions on such apps.
All data were collected using anonymous questionnaires. The questionnaires for this cross-sectional study were randomly sent to dentists by email, and 379 dentists completed the questionnaires. Dentists’ demographics and their perceptions on Wechat, QQ (the most popular social media apps in China) and other medical apps were assessed, including questions on the purpose, frequency, daily use, and opinion of these apps they used. Questions were answered using a Likert scale (1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = not sure, 4 = disagree, and 5 = strongly disagree).
A total of 379 valid responses were received with a median age of 33.6 years old (63.3% female). All subjects (100%) owned a smartphone, and all of them installed and used WeChat or QQ in their clinical practice. Only 76% subjects installed medical apps (except Wechat and QQ) on their smartphones. Male dentists would like to install medical apps than female dentists (p < 0.05). With the increasing of age, the percentage of dentists to install medical apps was decreasing ( p < 0.001). The frequency and daily use of WeChat or QQ were more often than medical apps. Medical apps were positively perceived, with dentists reporting to recommend these medical apps to other peers (Likert score: 1.67 ± 0.68).
Medical apps were perceived to provide positive impact on clinical practice, education and patient care in dentistry by providing relevant medical information. But there will be still much room for improvement in the future.