TY  - JOUR
AU  - Monaco, Alessandro
AU  - Palmer, Katie
AU  - Holm Ravn Faber, Nicolaj
AU  - Kohler, Irene
AU  - Silva, Mitchell
AU  - Vatland, Anita
AU  - van Griensven, Joop
AU  - Votta, Mariano
AU  - Walsh, Donna
AU  - Clay, Vincent
AU  - Yazicioglu, Mehmet Cuneyt
AU  - Ducinskiene, Danute
AU  - Donde, Shaantanu
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/1/29
TI  - Digital Health Tools for Managing Noncommunicable Diseases During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives of Patients and Caregivers
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e25652
VL  - 23
IS  - 1
KW  - digital health
KW  - information and communication technologies
KW  - health technologies
KW  - telemedicine
KW  - noncommunicable diseases
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - SARS-CoV-2
KW  - patient advocacy
KW  - caregivers
KW  - ageing
KW  - patient empowerment
KW  - digital tool
KW  - perspective
KW  - patient perspective
AB  - Background: A reduction in the number of face-to-face medical examinations conducted for patients with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to health care professionals quickly adopting different strategies to communicate with and monitor their patients. Such strategies include the increased use of digital health tools. However, patient preferences, privacy concerns, a lack of regulations, overregulation, and insufficient evidence on the efficacy of digital health tools may have hampered the potential positive benefits of using such tools to manage NCDs. Objective: This viewpoint aims to discuss the views of an advisory board of patient and caregiver association members. Specifically, we aim to present this advisory board’s view on the role of digital health tools in managing patients with NCDs during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify future directions based on patients’ perspectives. Methods: As an initiative under the NCD Partnership (PARTners in Ncds Engage foR building Strategies to improve Healthy ageing In Patients) model of Upjohn, a web-based advisory board of patient and caregiver advocates was held on July 28, 2020, to bring together key stakeholders from public and private sectors. Results: The following key themes emerged: (1) technology developers should understand that the goals of patients may differ from those of health care professionals and other stakeholders; (2) patients, health care professionals, caregivers, and other end users need to be involved in the development of digital health tools at the earliest phase possible, to guarantee usability, efficacy, and adoption; (3) digital health tools must be better tailored to people with complex conditions, such as multimorbidity, older age, and cognitive or sensory impairment; and (4) some patients do not want or are unable to use digital health care tools, so adequate alternatives should always be available. Conclusions: There was consensus that public-private partnership models, such as the Upjohn NCD Partnership, can be effective models that foster innovation by integrating multiple perspectives (eg, patients’ perspectives) into the design, development, and implementation of digital and nondigital health tools, with the main overall objective of improving the life of patients with NCDs. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - http://www.jmir.org/2021/1/e25652/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/25652
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33464206
DO  - 10.2196/25652
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/25652
ER  -