Sam Nordfeldt*, MD PhD, Linkoping, Sweden Carina Berterö, RNT, BSc, MScN, PhD, Linkoping, Sweden Track: Research Presentation Topic: Building virtual communities and social networking applications for patients and consumers Presentation Type: Poster presentation Submission Type: Single Presentation Building: LKSC Conference Center Stanford Room: Lower Lobby Date: 2011-09-17 12:30 PM – 01:30 PM Last modified: 2011-08-12 Free Full Paper

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Background
Children and adolescents with diabetes need intensive daily self-treatment, guided by hospital-based pediatric diabetes teams, consisting of nurses and nurse specialists, physicians and dietitians, social workers and/or clinical psychologists. These practitioners meet patients and their parents when hospitalized at onset and continue to meet them as outpatients over many years. However, little is known about the attitudes of practitioners towards the use of Web 2.0 resources on the Internet for dialogues with patients. We aimed to explore practitioners’ attitudes toward an open Web 2.0 portal tailored to young diabetes type 1 patients and parents, school staff and others. The portal offered a range of targeted services: message boards, blog tools, interactive pedagogic devices, self-care and treatment information by text and video materials, news from local practitioners, diabetes research updates, contact and FAQ services, and more.
Methods
Eighteen professionals in pediatric diabetes care teams wrote an essay on their experience from use of the portal. Two main guiding questions were asked, focusing on positive and negative user experiences. Their essays were analyzed using modern techniques of qualitative content analysis. This method to a great extent focuses on the subjects and context, and can be applied to e.g. transcribed interviews, texts and narratives. Two researchers performed the analysis independently. Open comparisons and in-depth discussions were made iteratively. Thus any discrepancies were resolved through discussion; no measure of inter-rater reliability was used.
Results
A first theme emerging from the data was named To use or not to use. The frequency of use among the health care professionals vary immensely; from never using it to using it on a daily basis and regularly promoting it. Many stated that they visit the web site now and then, just looking around. Individuals reflect on the idea of contributing actively to online dialogues. There were positive statements of the websites existence, design and function. Individuals’ perceived problems refers to a range of aspects, such as technical problems, time, computer unfamiliarity, lacking commitment, lacking access and jumbled information. A major theme - Information center for all - embraces safe facts, information and hints useful for several categories of professionals as well as patients and their significant others. Complementary to traditional care, practitioners describe various situations mediating information through the portal to patients and when informing significant others. Some demonstrate the website as part of their practice and some do not. They also presume benefits on part of their patients’ active use at home; as peers exchange experiences the site becomes alive. For families and children, practitioners believe the portal will help and support them in learning more at home, enabling them to manage situations themselves without having to call. Knowing it is themselves or other practitioners being behind the information makes it feel safe to recommend using it. A second major theme - Developing our practice - includes reflecting upon what information to give and how. Regular meetings including different professions and hospitals offer a constructive process for teamwork; developing information contents and policies together. Over time the use of the website is increasing; with more new information and updates, patients are referring to contents as well. An interest is expressed in adapting more to patients; learning more about their views by reading dialogues online. Individuals find it advantageous to see what questions patients present and what answers they get. Assuming they will meet their patients with significant others online, individuals feel like doing more to approach them, entering more functions their patients need.
Conclusions
Practitioners embraced positive attitudes towards a tailored open Web 2.0 portal, suggesting possible future benefits from systems integrating factual information and practitioners engaging in online dialogues with patients.