Abstract
BackgroundThe use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide the tools for enabling fast and reliable real-time communications, as well as the transfer of information between dental professionals and their patients. However, little is known about the frequency and preference of ICTs among Latin-American dentists. Our study aims to fill this gap by assessing different aspects related to ICTs, mainly the frequency of use, perceptions, and barriers among Ecuadorian dentists.MethodsAn anonymous, cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted among 342 Ecuadorian dentists. The final questionnaire included 13 items related to the frequency of use, perceptions, and barriers of ICTs. Bivariate analysis was performed by using chi-squared testing to explore the association between the independent variables and the intended use of ICTs, as well as to characterize the perceptions and barriers related to ICTs.ResultsIn general, most participants reported the use of ICTs to communicate with colleagues (99.7%), and patients (96.2%), while only 63.5% reported using ICTs to obtain academic information in their daily practice. WhatsApp was rated as the most used ICT for communicating with colleagues and patients. A majority of participants considered that ICTs can be useful for facilitating continuing dental education (92.1%), searching new work opportunities (91.5%), promoting health (90.1%), working with colleagues and other health professionals (91.2%), promoting their professional services (90.6%), and for resolving clinical cases (87.7%). On the subject of barriers, privacy and security concerns about personal and/or patient information was the biggest concern among dentists (65%), followed by lack of time to learn how to use and/or use ICTs (48%), lack of mobile internet access (28.1%), and lack of internet access at work (24.9%).ConclusionIn our study, we found that Ecuadorian dentists had a high usage rate of ICTs, mainly for communicating with other colleagues and patients, while the academic use of technology remains a comparatively underused application. Most of the participants surveyed had a positive perception towards ICTs, while privacy and security concerns were identified as the main barrier. Older age was associated with a less favourable perception toward ICTs, as well as an increased likelihood of reporting barriers related to the use of technology.
Highlights
The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide the tools for enabling fast and reliable real-time communications, as well as the transfer of information between dental professionals and their patients
Frequency of use of information and communication technologies among Ecuadorian dentists In general, most participants reported the use of ICTs to communicate with colleagues (99.7%), and patients (96.2%), while only 63.5% reported using ICTs to obtain academic information in the daily practice (Fig. 1)
Discussing specific ICTs, we found that WhatsApp was the most used ICT, with 97.4% of participants using it to communicate with colleagues, and 93.6% with patients
Summary
The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide the tools for enabling fast and reliable real-time communications, as well as the transfer of information between dental professionals and their patients. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) in a broad sense are defined as the digital technologies supporting the capture, processing, storage and exchange of information [1] The popularity of these tools has created a need for healthcare providers to have an online presence and interact with their patients via an increasing number of channels, constituting a new domain called e-health [2]. In 2018 41.4% of the Ecuadorian population owned a smartphone, up from 6.2% in 2012, while mobile devices accounted for approximately 24% of web traffic in the country [7] This has allowed communities to leapfrog barriers related to the installation of infrastructure, allowing them to participate in the digital environment. The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) considers communication skills as a core area in behavioural sciences in the dental curriculum, and recently defined standards for teaching and assessing competencies in communication skills for patient education and health promotion [9]
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