How are patients with chronic urticaria interested in using information and communication technologies to guide their healthcare? A UCARE study

Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda; Emanuel Vanegas; Annia Cherrez; Miguel Felix; Karsten Weller; Markus Magerl; Rasmus Robin Maurer; Valeria L. Mata; Alicja Kasperska-Zajac; Agnieszka Sikora; Daria Fomina; Elena Kovalkova; Kiran Godse; Nimmagadda Dheeraj Rao; Maryam Khoshkhui; Sahar Rastgoo; Roberta FJ Criado; Mohamed Abuzakouk; Deepa Grandon; Martijn B.A. Van Doorn; Solange Oliveira Rodrigues Valle; Eduardo Magalhães De Souza Lima; Simon Francis Thomsen; German D. Ramón; Edgar E. Matos Benavides; Andrea Bauer; Ana M. Giménez-Arnau; Emek Kocatürk; Carole Guillet; Jose Ignacio Larco; Zuo Tao Zhao; Michael Makris; Carla Ritchie; Paraskevi Xepapadaki; Luis Felipe Ensina; Sofia Cherrez; Marcus Maurer

doi:10.1016/j.waojou.2021.100542

How are patients with chronic urticaria interested in using information and communication technologies to guide their healthcare? A UCARE study

Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda^*
, Emanuel Vanegas
, Annia Cherrez
, Miguel Felix
, Karsten Weller
, Markus Magerl
, Rasmus Robin Maurer
, Valeria L. Mata
, Alicja Kasperska-Zajac
, Agnieszka Sikora
, Daria Fomina
, Elena Kovalkova
, Kiran Godse
, Nimmagadda Dheeraj Rao
, Maryam Khoshkhui
, Sahar Rastgoo
, Roberta FJ Criado
, Mohamed Abuzakouk
, Deepa Grandon
, Martijn B.A. Van Doorn

Solange Oliveira Rodrigues Valle, Eduardo Magalhães De Souza Lima, Simon Francis Thomsen, German D. Ramón, Edgar E. Matos Benavides, Andrea Bauer, Ana M. Giménez-Arnau, Emek Kocatürk, Carole Guillet, Jose Ignacio Larco, Zuo Tao Zhao, Michael Makris, Carla Ritchie, Paraskevi Xepapadaki, Luis Felipe Ensina, Sofia Cherrez, Marcus Maurer

^*Corresponding author for this work

Dermatology

Universidad Espíritu Santo, Ecuador
Respiralab Research Group
University of Rostock
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Medical University of Silesia in Katowice
Clinical City Hospital #52
Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University
Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune
Mashhad University of Medical Sciences
Universidade de São Paulo
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Faculty of Science and Health of Juiz de Fora - SUPREMA
University of Copenhagen
Instituto de Alergia e Inmunología del Sur
Asma e Inmunología - Instituto Nacional del Niño
Technische Universität Dresden
Municipal Institute for Medical Research Hospital del Mar
Koc University
University Hospital Zürich
Clinica San Felipe
Peking University
University of Athens
Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires
Universidade Federal de São Paulo
SRH Zentralklinikum Suhl

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

103 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background: Patients with chronic urticaria (CU) are increasingly using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to manage their health. What CU patients expect from ICTs and which ICTs they prefer remains unknown. We assessed why CU patients use ICTs, which ones they prefer, and what drives their expectations and choices. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1841 patients across 17 countries were recruited at UCAREs (Urticaria Centers of Reference and Excellence). Patients with CU who were >12 years old completed a 23-item questionnaire. Results: Most patients were interested in receiving disease information (87.3%), asking physicians about CU (84.1%), and communicating with other patients through ICTs (65.6%). For receiving disease information, patients preferred one-to-one and one-to-many ICTs, especially web browsers. One-to-one ICTs were also the ICTs of choice for asking physicians about urticaria and for communicating with other patients, and e-mail and WhatsApp were the preferred ICTs, respectively. Many-to-many ICTs such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter were least preferred for all 3 purposes. Living in rural areas and higher education were linked to higher odds of being interested in receiving disease information, asking physicians, and communicating with patients through ICTs. Conclusions: Most patients and especially patients with higher education who live in rural areas are interested in using ICTs for their healthcare, but prefer different ICTs for different purposes, ie, web browsers for obtaining information, e-mail for asking physicians, and WhatsApp for communicating with other patients. Our findings may help to improve ICTs for CU.

Original language	English
Article number	100542
Journal	World Allergy Organization Journal
Volume	14
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.waojou.2021.100542
Publication status	Published - 1 Jun 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
I Cherrez-Ojeda has no conflicts of interest. E Vanegas has no conflicts of interest. A Cherrez has no conflicts of interest. M Felix has no conflicts of interest. K Weller is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from: Biocryst, CSL Behring, Dr. Pfleger, FAES, Moxie, Novartis, Shire/Takeda, and Uriach. M Magerl is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from Biocryst, CSL Behring, Kalvista Pharmaceuticals, Moxie, Novartis, Pharming, and Shire/Takeda. RR Maurer has no conflicts of interest. VL Mata has no conflicts of interest. A Kasperska-Zajac has no conflicts of interest. A Sikora has no conflicts of interest. D Fomina is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from: AstraZeneca, CSL Behring, Glaxo SmithKline, MSD, Novartis, Sanofi, and Shire/Takeda. E Kovalkova has no conflicts of interest. K Godse has no conflicts of interest. N Dheeraj Rao has no conflicts of interest. M Khoshkhui has no conflicts of interest. S Rastgoo has no conflicts of interest. RFJ Criado has no conflicts of interest. M Abuzakouk has no conflicts of interest. D Grandon has no conflicts of interest. MBA van Doorn is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from Abbvie, BMS, Celgene, Janssen Cilag, LEO Pharma, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, and Sanofi-Genzyme. S Valle has no conflicts of interest. E Magalhães de Souza Lima has no conflicts of interest. SF Thomsen is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from: Abbvie, AstraZeneca, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, LEO Pharma, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, Roche, Sanofi, and UCB. GD Ramón has no conflicts of interest. EE Matos Benavides has no conflicts of interest. A Bauer is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from Novartis, Sanofi, Genentech, Leo Pharma and Shire/Takeda. Ana M Giménez-Arnau has held roles as a Medical Advisor for Sanofi, Uriach, Genentech, Novartis, Amgen , ThemoFisher, Roche, Almirall, and has research grants supported by Instituto Carlos III- FEDER, Novartis, and Uriach; she also participates in educational activities for Almirall, Genentech, Glaxo SmithKline, LEO Pharma, Menarini, MSD, Novartis, Sanofi, Avene and Uriach. E Kocatürk is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for Bayer, Novartis, and Sanofi. C Guillet has no conflicts of interest. JI Larco is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for: FAES, Novartis, and Sanofi. Z-T Zhao has no conflicts of interest. M Makris is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from AstraZeneca, Chiesi, Glaxo SmithKline, Novartis, and Sanofi. C Ritchie has no conflicts of interest. P Xepapadak reports personal fees from Galenica Greece, Glaxo SmithKline, Nestle, Novartis, Nutricia, and Uriach, outside the submitted work. LF Ensina is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from Novartis, Sanofi, and Takeda . S Cherrez has no conflicts of interest. M Maurer is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from: Allakos, Alnylam, Aralez, AstraZeneca, Biocryst, Blueprint, CSL Behring, FAES, Genentech, Kalvista Pharmaceuticals, LEO Pharma, Menarini, Moxie, MSD, Novartis, Pharming, Pharvaris, Roche, Sanofi, Shire/Takeda, UCB, and Uriach.

Funding Information:
This study was funded by the network of urticaria centers of reference and excellence (UCARE, www.ga2len-ucare.com ) and supported by the World Allergy Organization (WAO), who played no role in the development of this MS.

Funding Information:
This study was funded by the network of urticaria centers of reference and excellence (UCARE, www.ga2len-ucare.com) and supported by the World Allergy Organization (WAO), who played no role in the development of this MS.We wish to thank Leonard Lionnet, PhD, CMPP for medical writing and editorial assistance. This project benefitted from the support of the GA2LEN network of urticaria centers of reference and excellence (UCARE, www.ga2len-ucare.com) and the World Allergy Organization (WAO). Finally, we want to express our gratitude to Universidad Espiritu Santo for their continuous support.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s)

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How are patients with chronic urticaria interested in using iFinal published version, 446 KBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

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Cherrez-Ojeda, I., Vanegas, E., Cherrez, A., Felix, M., Weller, K., Magerl, M., Maurer, R. R., Mata, V. L., Kasperska-Zajac, A., Sikora, A., Fomina, D., Kovalkova, E., Godse, K., Rao, N. D., Khoshkhui, M., Rastgoo, S., Criado, R. FJ., Abuzakouk, M., Grandon, D., ... Maurer, M. (2021). How are patients with chronic urticaria interested in using information and communication technologies to guide their healthcare? A UCARE study. World Allergy Organization Journal, 14(6), Article 100542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.waojou.2021.100542

@article{0fc9adc756c247b6bf66791ca1eaee77,

title = "How are patients with chronic urticaria interested in using information and communication technologies to guide their healthcare? A UCARE study",

abstract = "Background: Patients with chronic urticaria (CU) are increasingly using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to manage their health. What CU patients expect from ICTs and which ICTs they prefer remains unknown. We assessed why CU patients use ICTs, which ones they prefer, and what drives their expectations and choices. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1841 patients across 17 countries were recruited at UCAREs (Urticaria Centers of Reference and Excellence). Patients with CU who were >12 years old completed a 23-item questionnaire. Results: Most patients were interested in receiving disease information (87.3\%), asking physicians about CU (84.1\%), and communicating with other patients through ICTs (65.6\%). For receiving disease information, patients preferred one-to-one and one-to-many ICTs, especially web browsers. One-to-one ICTs were also the ICTs of choice for asking physicians about urticaria and for communicating with other patients, and e-mail and WhatsApp were the preferred ICTs, respectively. Many-to-many ICTs such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter were least preferred for all 3 purposes. Living in rural areas and higher education were linked to higher odds of being interested in receiving disease information, asking physicians, and communicating with patients through ICTs. Conclusions: Most patients and especially patients with higher education who live in rural areas are interested in using ICTs for their healthcare, but prefer different ICTs for different purposes, ie, web browsers for obtaining information, e-mail for asking physicians, and WhatsApp for communicating with other patients. Our findings may help to improve ICTs for CU.",

author = "Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda and Emanuel Vanegas and Annia Cherrez and Miguel Felix and Karsten Weller and Markus Magerl and Maurer, \{Rasmus Robin\} and Mata, \{Valeria L.\} and Alicja Kasperska-Zajac and Agnieszka Sikora and Daria Fomina and Elena Kovalkova and Kiran Godse and Rao, \{Nimmagadda Dheeraj\} and Maryam Khoshkhui and Sahar Rastgoo and Criado, \{Roberta FJ\} and Mohamed Abuzakouk and Deepa Grandon and \{Van Doorn\}, \{Martijn B.A.\} and \{Oliveira Rodrigues Valle\}, Solange and \{De Souza Lima\}, \{Eduardo Magalh{\~a}es\} and Thomsen, \{Simon Francis\} and Ram{\'o}n, \{German D.\} and \{Matos Benavides\}, \{Edgar E.\} and Andrea Bauer and Gim{\'e}nez-Arnau, \{Ana M.\} and Emek Kocat{\"u}rk and Carole Guillet and Larco, \{Jose Ignacio\} and Zhao, \{Zuo Tao\} and Michael Makris and Carla Ritchie and Paraskevi Xepapadaki and Ensina, \{Luis Felipe\} and Sofia Cherrez and Marcus Maurer",

note = "Funding Information: I Cherrez-Ojeda has no conflicts of interest. E Vanegas has no conflicts of interest. A Cherrez has no conflicts of interest. M Felix has no conflicts of interest. K Weller is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from: Biocryst, CSL Behring, Dr. Pfleger, FAES, Moxie, Novartis, Shire/Takeda, and Uriach. M Magerl is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from Biocryst, CSL Behring, Kalvista Pharmaceuticals, Moxie, Novartis, Pharming, and Shire/Takeda. RR Maurer has no conflicts of interest. VL Mata has no conflicts of interest. A Kasperska-Zajac has no conflicts of interest. A Sikora has no conflicts of interest. D Fomina is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from: AstraZeneca, CSL Behring, Glaxo SmithKline, MSD, Novartis, Sanofi, and Shire/Takeda. E Kovalkova has no conflicts of interest. K Godse has no conflicts of interest. N Dheeraj Rao has no conflicts of interest. M Khoshkhui has no conflicts of interest. S Rastgoo has no conflicts of interest. RFJ Criado has no conflicts of interest. M Abuzakouk has no conflicts of interest. D Grandon has no conflicts of interest. MBA van Doorn is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from Abbvie, BMS, Celgene, Janssen Cilag, LEO Pharma, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, and Sanofi-Genzyme. S Valle has no conflicts of interest. E Magalh{\~a}es de Souza Lima has no conflicts of interest. SF Thomsen is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from: Abbvie, AstraZeneca, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, LEO Pharma, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, Roche, Sanofi, and UCB. GD Ram{\'o}n has no conflicts of interest. EE Matos Benavides has no conflicts of interest. A Bauer is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from Novartis, Sanofi, Genentech, Leo Pharma and Shire/Takeda. Ana M Gim{\'e}nez-Arnau has held roles as a Medical Advisor for Sanofi, Uriach, Genentech, Novartis, Amgen , ThemoFisher, Roche, Almirall, and has research grants supported by Instituto Carlos III- FEDER, Novartis, and Uriach; she also participates in educational activities for Almirall, Genentech, Glaxo SmithKline, LEO Pharma, Menarini, MSD, Novartis, Sanofi, Avene and Uriach. E Kocat{\"u}rk is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for Bayer, Novartis, and Sanofi. C Guillet has no conflicts of interest. JI Larco is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for: FAES, Novartis, and Sanofi. Z-T Zhao has no conflicts of interest. M Makris is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from AstraZeneca, Chiesi, Glaxo SmithKline, Novartis, and Sanofi. C Ritchie has no conflicts of interest. P Xepapadak reports personal fees from Galenica Greece, Glaxo SmithKline, Nestle, Novartis, Nutricia, and Uriach, outside the submitted work. LF Ensina is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from Novartis, Sanofi, and Takeda . S Cherrez has no conflicts of interest. M Maurer is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from: Allakos, Alnylam, Aralez, AstraZeneca, Biocryst, Blueprint, CSL Behring, FAES, Genentech, Kalvista Pharmaceuticals, LEO Pharma, Menarini, Moxie, MSD, Novartis, Pharming, Pharvaris, Roche, Sanofi, Shire/Takeda, UCB, and Uriach. Funding Information: This study was funded by the network of urticaria centers of reference and excellence (UCARE, www.ga2len-ucare.com ) and supported by the World Allergy Organization (WAO), who played no role in the development of this MS. Funding Information: This study was funded by the network of urticaria centers of reference and excellence (UCARE, www.ga2len-ucare.com) and supported by the World Allergy Organization (WAO), who played no role in the development of this MS.We wish to thank Leonard Lionnet, PhD, CMPP for medical writing and editorial assistance. This project benefitted from the support of the GA2LEN network of urticaria centers of reference and excellence (UCARE, www.ga2len-ucare.com) and the World Allergy Organization (WAO). Finally, we want to express our gratitude to Universidad Espiritu Santo for their continuous support. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Author(s)",

year = "2021",

month = jun,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.waojou.2021.100542",

language = "English",

volume = "14",

journal = "World Allergy Organization Journal",

issn = "1939-4551",

publisher = "Elsevier Inc.",

number = "6",

}

Cherrez-Ojeda, I, Vanegas, E, Cherrez, A, Felix, M, Weller, K, Magerl, M, Maurer, RR, Mata, VL, Kasperska-Zajac, A, Sikora, A, Fomina, D, Kovalkova, E, Godse, K, Rao, ND, Khoshkhui, M, Rastgoo, S, Criado, RFJ, Abuzakouk, M, Grandon, D, Van Doorn, MBA, Oliveira Rodrigues Valle, S, De Souza Lima, EM, Thomsen, SF, Ramón, GD, Matos Benavides, EE, Bauer, A, Giménez-Arnau, AM, Kocatürk, E, Guillet, C, Larco, JI, Zhao, ZT, Makris, M, Ritchie, C, Xepapadaki, P, Ensina, LF, Cherrez, S & Maurer, M 2021, 'How are patients with chronic urticaria interested in using information and communication technologies to guide their healthcare? A UCARE study', World Allergy Organization Journal, vol. 14, no. 6, 100542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.waojou.2021.100542

TY - JOUR

T1 - How are patients with chronic urticaria interested in using information and communication technologies to guide their healthcare? A UCARE study

AU - Cherrez-Ojeda, Ivan

AU - Vanegas, Emanuel

AU - Cherrez, Annia

AU - Felix, Miguel

AU - Weller, Karsten

AU - Magerl, Markus

AU - Maurer, Rasmus Robin

AU - Mata, Valeria L.

AU - Kasperska-Zajac, Alicja

AU - Sikora, Agnieszka

AU - Fomina, Daria

AU - Kovalkova, Elena

AU - Godse, Kiran

AU - Rao, Nimmagadda Dheeraj

AU - Khoshkhui, Maryam

AU - Rastgoo, Sahar

AU - Criado, Roberta FJ

AU - Abuzakouk, Mohamed

AU - Grandon, Deepa

AU - Van Doorn, Martijn B.A.

AU - Oliveira Rodrigues Valle, Solange

AU - De Souza Lima, Eduardo Magalhães

AU - Thomsen, Simon Francis

AU - Ramón, German D.

AU - Matos Benavides, Edgar E.

AU - Bauer, Andrea

AU - Giménez-Arnau, Ana M.

AU - Kocatürk, Emek

AU - Guillet, Carole

AU - Larco, Jose Ignacio

AU - Zhao, Zuo Tao

AU - Makris, Michael

AU - Ritchie, Carla

AU - Xepapadaki, Paraskevi

AU - Ensina, Luis Felipe

AU - Cherrez, Sofia

AU - Maurer, Marcus

N1 - Funding Information: I Cherrez-Ojeda has no conflicts of interest. E Vanegas has no conflicts of interest. A Cherrez has no conflicts of interest. M Felix has no conflicts of interest. K Weller is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from: Biocryst, CSL Behring, Dr. Pfleger, FAES, Moxie, Novartis, Shire/Takeda, and Uriach. M Magerl is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from Biocryst, CSL Behring, Kalvista Pharmaceuticals, Moxie, Novartis, Pharming, and Shire/Takeda. RR Maurer has no conflicts of interest. VL Mata has no conflicts of interest. A Kasperska-Zajac has no conflicts of interest. A Sikora has no conflicts of interest. D Fomina is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from: AstraZeneca, CSL Behring, Glaxo SmithKline, MSD, Novartis, Sanofi, and Shire/Takeda. E Kovalkova has no conflicts of interest. K Godse has no conflicts of interest. N Dheeraj Rao has no conflicts of interest. M Khoshkhui has no conflicts of interest. S Rastgoo has no conflicts of interest. RFJ Criado has no conflicts of interest. M Abuzakouk has no conflicts of interest. D Grandon has no conflicts of interest. MBA van Doorn is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from Abbvie, BMS, Celgene, Janssen Cilag, LEO Pharma, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, and Sanofi-Genzyme. S Valle has no conflicts of interest. E Magalhães de Souza Lima has no conflicts of interest. SF Thomsen is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from: Abbvie, AstraZeneca, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, LEO Pharma, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, Roche, Sanofi, and UCB. GD Ramón has no conflicts of interest. EE Matos Benavides has no conflicts of interest. A Bauer is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from Novartis, Sanofi, Genentech, Leo Pharma and Shire/Takeda. Ana M Giménez-Arnau has held roles as a Medical Advisor for Sanofi, Uriach, Genentech, Novartis, Amgen , ThemoFisher, Roche, Almirall, and has research grants supported by Instituto Carlos III- FEDER, Novartis, and Uriach; she also participates in educational activities for Almirall, Genentech, Glaxo SmithKline, LEO Pharma, Menarini, MSD, Novartis, Sanofi, Avene and Uriach. E Kocatürk is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for Bayer, Novartis, and Sanofi. C Guillet has no conflicts of interest. JI Larco is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for: FAES, Novartis, and Sanofi. Z-T Zhao has no conflicts of interest. M Makris is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from AstraZeneca, Chiesi, Glaxo SmithKline, Novartis, and Sanofi. C Ritchie has no conflicts of interest. P Xepapadak reports personal fees from Galenica Greece, Glaxo SmithKline, Nestle, Novartis, Nutricia, and Uriach, outside the submitted work. LF Ensina is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from Novartis, Sanofi, and Takeda . S Cherrez has no conflicts of interest. M Maurer is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for, and/or has received research funding from: Allakos, Alnylam, Aralez, AstraZeneca, Biocryst, Blueprint, CSL Behring, FAES, Genentech, Kalvista Pharmaceuticals, LEO Pharma, Menarini, Moxie, MSD, Novartis, Pharming, Pharvaris, Roche, Sanofi, Shire/Takeda, UCB, and Uriach. Funding Information: This study was funded by the network of urticaria centers of reference and excellence (UCARE, www.ga2len-ucare.com ) and supported by the World Allergy Organization (WAO), who played no role in the development of this MS. Funding Information: This study was funded by the network of urticaria centers of reference and excellence (UCARE, www.ga2len-ucare.com) and supported by the World Allergy Organization (WAO), who played no role in the development of this MS.We wish to thank Leonard Lionnet, PhD, CMPP for medical writing and editorial assistance. This project benefitted from the support of the GA2LEN network of urticaria centers of reference and excellence (UCARE, www.ga2len-ucare.com) and the World Allergy Organization (WAO). Finally, we want to express our gratitude to Universidad Espiritu Santo for their continuous support. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s)

PY - 2021/6/1

Y1 - 2021/6/1

N2 - Background: Patients with chronic urticaria (CU) are increasingly using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to manage their health. What CU patients expect from ICTs and which ICTs they prefer remains unknown. We assessed why CU patients use ICTs, which ones they prefer, and what drives their expectations and choices. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1841 patients across 17 countries were recruited at UCAREs (Urticaria Centers of Reference and Excellence). Patients with CU who were >12 years old completed a 23-item questionnaire. Results: Most patients were interested in receiving disease information (87.3%), asking physicians about CU (84.1%), and communicating with other patients through ICTs (65.6%). For receiving disease information, patients preferred one-to-one and one-to-many ICTs, especially web browsers. One-to-one ICTs were also the ICTs of choice for asking physicians about urticaria and for communicating with other patients, and e-mail and WhatsApp were the preferred ICTs, respectively. Many-to-many ICTs such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter were least preferred for all 3 purposes. Living in rural areas and higher education were linked to higher odds of being interested in receiving disease information, asking physicians, and communicating with patients through ICTs. Conclusions: Most patients and especially patients with higher education who live in rural areas are interested in using ICTs for their healthcare, but prefer different ICTs for different purposes, ie, web browsers for obtaining information, e-mail for asking physicians, and WhatsApp for communicating with other patients. Our findings may help to improve ICTs for CU.

AB - Background: Patients with chronic urticaria (CU) are increasingly using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to manage their health. What CU patients expect from ICTs and which ICTs they prefer remains unknown. We assessed why CU patients use ICTs, which ones they prefer, and what drives their expectations and choices. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1841 patients across 17 countries were recruited at UCAREs (Urticaria Centers of Reference and Excellence). Patients with CU who were >12 years old completed a 23-item questionnaire. Results: Most patients were interested in receiving disease information (87.3%), asking physicians about CU (84.1%), and communicating with other patients through ICTs (65.6%). For receiving disease information, patients preferred one-to-one and one-to-many ICTs, especially web browsers. One-to-one ICTs were also the ICTs of choice for asking physicians about urticaria and for communicating with other patients, and e-mail and WhatsApp were the preferred ICTs, respectively. Many-to-many ICTs such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter were least preferred for all 3 purposes. Living in rural areas and higher education were linked to higher odds of being interested in receiving disease information, asking physicians, and communicating with patients through ICTs. Conclusions: Most patients and especially patients with higher education who live in rural areas are interested in using ICTs for their healthcare, but prefer different ICTs for different purposes, ie, web browsers for obtaining information, e-mail for asking physicians, and WhatsApp for communicating with other patients. Our findings may help to improve ICTs for CU.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85108068247

U2 - 10.1016/j.waojou.2021.100542

DO - 10.1016/j.waojou.2021.100542

M3 - Article

C2 - 34141048

AN - SCOPUS:85108068247

SN - 1939-4551

VL - 14

JO - World Allergy Organization Journal

JF - World Allergy Organization Journal

IS - 6

M1 - 100542

ER -

How are patients with chronic urticaria interested in using information and communication technologies to guide their healthcare? A UCARE study

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