Along Came A Spider…And Frightened Health Professionals Away: Impelling EHealth and MHealth Diffusion by Evolving from the Ethics Fixation
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Abstract
Health professionals, as educators and practitioners, are to do only what is good for patients and do them no harm. The principals of beneficence and non-maleficence guide ethical codes, laws, and daily practices. In recommending eHealth and mHealth applications (apps) to patients, of course professionals must carefully consider issues such as privacy, informed consent, security of confidential data, and potential harm. eHealth and mHealth ethics are certainly not to be dismissed.
A current trend, however, as evidenced by a February 2014 review of mental health association conference topics, is for associations to offer education on ethical issues associated with technologies without including many sessions on evidence-based advantages of these technologies or practice integration suggestions. In fact, out of 1,479 presentations at eleven mental health association conferences in 2013-2014, only 71 (4.8%) were on mental health technology-related topics and 12 of these (17%) focused on technology-related ethical issues.
This inclination by well-intentioned professional associations to overemphasize ethical issues while unwittingly underemphasizing benefits of mHealth technologies, has likely contributed to lack of diffusion of these technologies. Such an ethical concerns tunnel vision may be the spider that is frightening health professionals away from tapping into advantageous, beneficial, and relevant eHealth and mHealth tools. Rogers (2003) described diffusion as the process of communicating an innovation over time among members of a social system. As key players in the health social system, professional associations may either help or hinder diffusion of eHealth and mHealth technologies. Empowering medical professionals to develop technological literacy will contribute to the diffusion of new technologies. Associations, educators, and practitioners are inspirited to take corrective action and impel diffusion of beneficial evidence-based eHealth and mHealth innovations.
Explored are the ideal conditions for eHealth and eMental health explosion: Nascent digital technologies that blazed the trail; a 2013 US national eHealth action plan to increase electronic health information access, to support the development of related digital tools, and to shift attitudes from traditional patient/provider roles to patient centered care; the potential for growth in medical app use by consumers in relation to Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology-2 (UTAUT2); evidence-based benefits of mobile mental health apps; and, the potential of mobile health apps in relation to Medina’s (2008) scientific evidence of how the human brain works and learns.
The article concludes with practical solutions for impelling eHealth and mHealth diffusion in various settings: personal, university, professional, clinical practice, and in design and development settings. Infusion of eHealth and mHealth technologies, not solely inclusion, is required. To avoid or delay the infusion of eHealth and mHealth applications into education and practice is professionally irresponsible: Failing to evolve from the ethics fixation will hinder consumers and practitioners from reaping the benefits of eHealth and mHealth technologies.
Keywords: diffusion of innovation, eHealth, ethical concerns, ethics, infusion, mental health apps, mHealth, mobile apps, technological literacy, trialability, UTAUT2
A current trend, however, as evidenced by a February 2014 review of mental health association conference topics, is for associations to offer education on ethical issues associated with technologies without including many sessions on evidence-based advantages of these technologies or practice integration suggestions. In fact, out of 1,479 presentations at eleven mental health association conferences in 2013-2014, only 71 (4.8%) were on mental health technology-related topics and 12 of these (17%) focused on technology-related ethical issues.
This inclination by well-intentioned professional associations to overemphasize ethical issues while unwittingly underemphasizing benefits of mHealth technologies, has likely contributed to lack of diffusion of these technologies. Such an ethical concerns tunnel vision may be the spider that is frightening health professionals away from tapping into advantageous, beneficial, and relevant eHealth and mHealth tools. Rogers (2003) described diffusion as the process of communicating an innovation over time among members of a social system. As key players in the health social system, professional associations may either help or hinder diffusion of eHealth and mHealth technologies. Empowering medical professionals to develop technological literacy will contribute to the diffusion of new technologies. Associations, educators, and practitioners are inspirited to take corrective action and impel diffusion of beneficial evidence-based eHealth and mHealth innovations.
Explored are the ideal conditions for eHealth and eMental health explosion: Nascent digital technologies that blazed the trail; a 2013 US national eHealth action plan to increase electronic health information access, to support the development of related digital tools, and to shift attitudes from traditional patient/provider roles to patient centered care; the potential for growth in medical app use by consumers in relation to Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology-2 (UTAUT2); evidence-based benefits of mobile mental health apps; and, the potential of mobile health apps in relation to Medina’s (2008) scientific evidence of how the human brain works and learns.
The article concludes with practical solutions for impelling eHealth and mHealth diffusion in various settings: personal, university, professional, clinical practice, and in design and development settings. Infusion of eHealth and mHealth technologies, not solely inclusion, is required. To avoid or delay the infusion of eHealth and mHealth applications into education and practice is professionally irresponsible: Failing to evolve from the ethics fixation will hinder consumers and practitioners from reaping the benefits of eHealth and mHealth technologies.
Keywords: diffusion of innovation, eHealth, ethical concerns, ethics, infusion, mental health apps, mHealth, mobile apps, technological literacy, trialability, UTAUT2
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