W 41: Engaging Patients with eClinical Technology: Incorporating Patient Preferences into Osteoarthritis Management and Care

Poster Presenter

Laura Khurana

Scientific Advisor
ERT
United States

Objectives

An important characteristic of successful healthcare and clinical trials is strong communication between patients and providers. This study examined preference among subjects with osteoarthritis (OA) for communication and disease management using electronic clinical (eClinical) technology.

Method

Subjects aged 37-90 with OA (n=104) were surveyed as part of a mode equivalence study. Subjects answered questions regarding their level of familiarity and use of technology, as well as preference for using eClinical technologies to improve physician communication and disease management.

Results

Subjects were diverse in age, sex, ethnicity, and technology use. 50% of subjects reported having a computer at home, and 48% reported using the internet daily. 35% of subjects use email on a daily basis, and 21% use email weekly. The majority of subjects (72%) were interested in using electronic methods to interact more with their physicians between visits to help manage and treat their disease. Subject preference for modes of electronic interaction included email (60%) or text message (51%) communication with their healthcare providers, and medication reminders (38%) or clinical visit scheduling (32%) on a smartphone. Overall, subjects thought the most effective way of improving and managing their health is to increase communication and interactions with their physicians (34%) and monitor their symptoms and medications electronically (39%). Subjects reported that having more knowledge about OA would make them more likely to discuss their quality of life (44%) and symptoms (40%) with their physicians.

Conclusion

Subjects with OA are interested in using electronic methods to increase communication with their physicians and manage their disease. eClinical technology is a way to optimize patient engagement and provider communication. Incorporating eClinical technology may lead to increased patient compliance and ultimately improve clinical care.