Sabrina Anne Jacob1,2, Elizabeth Yie-Chuen Chong1, Soo Leng Goh3, Uma Devi Palanisamy4. 1. School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Selangor, Malaysia. 2. Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland. 3. Malaysian Federation of the Deaf, Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia. 4. Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Selangor, Malaysia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) patients have trouble communicating with community pharmacists and accessing the healthcare system. This study explored the views on a proposed mobile health (mHealth) app in terms of design and features, that will be able to bridge the communication gap between community pharmacists and DHH patients. METHODS: A community-based participatory research method was utilized. Two focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in Malaysian sign language (BIM) with a total of 10 DHH individuals. Respondents were recruited using purposive sampling. Video-recordings were transcribed and analyzed using a thematic approach. RESULTS: Two themes emerged: (I) challenges and scepticism of the healthcare system; and (II) features of the mHealth app. Respondents expressed fears and concerns about accessing healthcare services, and stressed on the need for sign language interpreters. There were also concerns about data privacy and security. With regard to app features, the majority preferred videos instead of text to convey information about their disease and medication, due to their lower literacy levels. CONCLUSIONS: For an mHealth app to be effective, app designers must ensure the app is individualised according to the cultural and linguistic diversity of the target audience. Pharmacists should also educate patients on the potential benefits of the app in terms of assisting patients with their medicine-taking. 2021 mHealth. All rights reserved.
BACKGROUND: Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) patients have trouble communicating with community pharmacists and accessing the healthcare system. This study explored the views on a proposed mobile health (mHealth) app in terms of design and features, that will be able to bridge the communication gap between community pharmacists and DHH patients. METHODS: A community-based participatory research method was utilized. Two focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in Malaysian sign language (BIM) with a total of 10 DHH individuals. Respondents were recruited using purposive sampling. Video-recordings were transcribed and analyzed using a thematic approach. RESULTS: Two themes emerged: (I) challenges and scepticism of the healthcare system; and (II) features of the mHealth app. Respondents expressed fears and concerns about accessing healthcare services, and stressed on the need for sign language interpreters. There were also concerns about data privacy and security. With regard to app features, the majority preferred videos instead of text to convey information about their disease and medication, due to their lower literacy levels. CONCLUSIONS: For an mHealth app to be effective, app designers must ensure the app is individualised according to the cultural and linguistic diversity of the target audience. Pharmacists should also educate patients on the potential benefits of the app in terms of assisting patients with their medicine-taking. 2021 mHealth. All rights reserved.
Entities:
Keywords:
Deaf; communication; community pharmacist; mHealth; pharmaceutical care
Authors: Isabelle Risso-Gill; Dina Balabanova; Fadhlina Majid; Kien Keat Ng; Khalid Yusoff; Feisul Mustapha; Charlotte Kuhlbrandt; Robby Nieuwlaat; J-D Schwalm; Tara McCready; Koon K Teo; Salim Yusuf; Martin McKee Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2015-07-03 Impact factor: 2.655