Instant Messaging Applications Research Articles

Remote operation of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility

Full remote scientific operation of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility is now possible through significant advances in the computer science hardware and software infrastructure made over the last decade. Capabilities around information visualization, data movement, and communication have all been enhanced. The level of capability deployed to remotely operate DIII-D required an infrastructure advancement over what had previously been achieved in the fusion community. The large quantity of real-time data that is automatically displayed on DIII-D’s control room screens can now be visualized by remote participants via web-based applications. New audio/video solutions using the VoIP and instant messaging application Discord have been implemented to mimic the dynamic and ad-hoc scientific conversations that are critical in successfully operating an experimental campaign. Discord’s ability for a user to rapidly move between audio channels, text with images, and share screens is a significant enhancement over traditional videoconferencing tools. In addition, multiple combinations of broadcast audio are made available via a web-based application to allow remote participants to simultaneously listen to general announcements/sounds while conducting their own specific conversations. Secure methodologies have been put into place to allow remote control of hardware including DIII-D’s plasma control system application. Secure methods also included the ability of the on-site team to closely coordinate their work with remote team members which has been enhanced through extensions to the wireless network and the use of tablet computers for audio/video/screen sharing. However, no amount of software can fully replace the need for ‘hands on hardware.’ This infrastructure was severely stress tested during the COVID-19 pandemic where occupancy of the DIII-D control room was restricted. Operational efficiency during the pandemic, measured in discharges per hour, remained high (3.8 ± 0.8) compared to values obtained pre-pandemic (3.7 ± 0.8).

Affordances-driven ethics for research on mobile instant messaging: Notes from the Global South

Mobile instant messaging (MIM) applications have received increasing attention from social science researchers lately. Despite the high frequency of its use for multiple purposes, research in such environments entails specific ethical challenges, more familiar for researchers from the Global South, where MIMs have become an important part of the media landscape for a decade or so. This article discusses the ethical dilemmas that emerged in two distinct cases where authors were part of the research teams, concluding that current frameworks fall short in the sociotechnical dimension. To address this, we complement the casuistic-heuristic model with an affordances-driven approach, which contemplates the agency of the group members within the interactive processes that take place in digital environments and the possibilities and constraints that platforms' features offer during the research process.

A Brief Intervention With Instant Messaging or Regular Text Messaging Support in Reducing Alcohol Use

Alcohol use is prevalent among university students. Mobile instant messaging apps could enhance the effectiveness of an alcohol brief intervention (ABI), but the evidence is scarce. To evaluate the effectiveness of an ABI plus 3 months of mobile chat-based instant messaging support for alcohol reduction in university students at risk of alcohol use disorder. In this randomized clinical trial, 772 students at risk of alcohol use disorder (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test [AUDIT] score ≥8) were recruited from 8 universities in Hong Kong between October 15, 2020, and May 12, 2022. Participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to either the intervention or control group. Both groups received the same ABI at baseline, which consisted of face-to-face or video conferencing with research nurses who delivered personalized feedback based on the participant's AUDIT risk level, along with a 12-page booklet describing the benefits of alcohol reduction and the harmful effects of alcohol on health and social well-being. The intervention group then received 3 months of chat-based instant messaging support on alcohol reduction guided by behavioral change techniques. The control group received 3 months of short message service (SMS) messaging on general health topics. All outcomes were self-reported. The primary outcome was alcohol consumption in grams per week at 6 months of follow-up. By definition, 1 alcohol unit contains 10 g of pure alcohol. Secondary outcomes at the 6-month follow-up included changes in AUDIT score, weekly alcohol consumption, intention to drink in the next 30 days, drinking frequency and any binge or heavy drinking in the past 30 days, and self-efficacy of quitting drinking. The primary analysis followed the intention-to-treat principle, and linear regression (reported as unstandardized coefficient B) and logistic regression (reported as odds ratios) were used to compare the primary and secondary outcomes between the intervention and control groups. The study included 772 students (mean [SD] age, 21.1 [3.5] years; 395 females [51.2%]) who were randomly assigned to either the intervention (n = 386) or control (n = 386) group. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the intervention group had lower alcohol consumption in grams per week (B, -11.42 g [95% CI, -19.22 to -3.62 g]; P = .004), a lower AUDIT score (B, -1.19 [95% CI, -1.63 to -0.34]; P = .003), reduced weekly alcohol unit consumption (B, -1.14 [95% CI, -1.92 to -0.36]; P = .004), and less intention to drink (odds ratio, 0.66 [95% CI, 0.47 to 0.92]; P = .01) at the 6-month follow-up compared with the control group. In analyses adjusted for baseline characteristics, interacting at least once with the research nurse on the instant messaging application resulted in lower estimated alcohol consumption in grams per week (adjusted B, -17.87 g [95% CI, -32.55 to -3.20 g]; P = .01), lower weekly alcohol unit consumption (adjusted B, -1.79 [95% CI, -3.25 to -0.32]; P = .02), and a lower AUDIT score (adjusted B, -0.53 [95% CI, -1.87 to -0.44]; P = .01) at 6 months. Results of this randomized clinical trial indicate that mobile chat-based instant messaging support for alcohol reduction in addition to an ABI was effective in reducing alcohol consumption in university students in Hong Kong at risk of alcohol use disorder. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04025151.

DIGITAL SKILLS DAN DIGITAL ETHICS : TANTANGAN DALAM PENGUMPULAN, PENGGUNAAN DAN PENYEBARAN DATA PADA GENERASI Z

The speed and efficiency of the internet has made it an indispensable part of society. They can connect directly without leaving their location to people around the world through applications such as e-mail, social media or instant messaging applications. Having digital literacy skills means being able to use technology effectively to find and evaluate information, communicate with others, and create content. Without these skills, individuals can find themselves left behind in a world where so much of our personal and professional lives are conducted online. Generation Z is a generation that contributes quite high in the use of the internet in Indonesia. based on data from IDN Research Institute in collaboration with Populix from generation Z who access the internet in the range of 7-10 hours / day reaches 20.9%. This research will focus on the ability of digital skills and digital ethics in generation Z. Digital skills are skills needed to be able to live a healthy and productive digital life, and contribute to building a digital cultural environment. The emergence of hate speech, fake news, bullying, pornogoraphy, and fraud in the digital world makes it necessary to know the initial ability to use digital devices owned by users, especially generation Z so that these negative impacts can be avoided. The method used in this research is quantitative descriptive research method. This research focuses on students who represent generation Z. The factors analysed in this research include their digital skills and digital ethics. The factors analysed in this study include their digital skills and digital ethics. The data collection technique was distributed through a questionnaire. The results were then presented in the form of descriptive statistics to determine the ability of digital skills and digital ethics of Generation Z. The results of the study discuss several indicators such as the duration of accessing the internet, the use of the internet for communication, for social media, searching for information, the ability of digital skills and digital ethics including the ability to connect devices to the internet network, the ability to download applications and files, the ability to search and access data, information and digital content, the ability to check the correctness of digital information, the ability to compare information, the ability to save data, information and content, the response to share screenshots to social media, Ethics when seeing negative comments on personal posts.

Stroke caregivers’ perception on instant messaging application use for psychological intervention: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT In caring for patients with stroke, the leading cause of death and disability affecting over 80 million people worldwide, caregivers experience substantial psychological and physical burdens and difficulties in help-seeking owing to physical and time-constraints. Social distancing measures imposed during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic further restricted them from using caregiver support services. While the use of telehealth emerged as a global prevailing trend during the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence for utilising instant messaging (IM) applications for psychological intervention is scanty. This study aimed to explore stroke caregivers’ perceived potential utility of IM-delivered psychological intervention. Between January and August 2020, 36 adult family stroke caregivers in Hong Kong were recruited to individual telephone semi-structured interviews using purposive sampling. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using an interpretive description approach. Three themes of caregivers’ perceptions towards IM-delivered psychological intervention emerged: perceived high convenience and ease of use, perceived advantages that overcome existing barriers to services and message delivery tailored to individual needs. Our findings suggested that there is an imminent need among stroke caregivers for personalised psychological interventions and that IM is a potential modality for overcoming existing barriers in delivering accessible support to caregivers in real-time, real-world settings. Our study highlighted caregivers’ acceptance and perceived benefits of IM-delivered psychological intervention and provided practical insights into the design of IM-delivered psychological interventions.

“It's just a technological version of us”: Three‐generation family WhatsApp groups in Israel

AbstractObjectiveThis qualitative study analyzes communication practices, roles, and rules developed by family members while participating in a three‐generation WhatsApp family group (WFG).BackgroundAlthough instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp have become increasingly popular with families worldwide, study findings of the digital family formation process, roles, rules, and family communication styles have remained fragmented. Combining the rich familism ideology with technological skills makes the Israel digital family a good study case.MethodWe conducted 43 semistructured interviews with WFG participants representing three generations of Jewish Israeli families.ResultsAll WFGs were organized in the form of a three‐generation family tree, including one or a couple of older people in the core and a significant number of their younger relatives in the upper tree levels, where WFG membership was used as a marker of family belonging. WFG members played roles of kinkeepers, flickerers (rarely commenting participants), and silent warm experts. WFGs used two rules for communication—problematic discourse avoidance and exaggerated writing style—and two strategies for enforcing those rules—temporarily excluding rule breakers from the general group or ignoring messages of offending participant(s).ConclusionMaintaining the WFG is not a single initiative but a collective, well‐coordinated endeavor of all family generations, which helps to include grandparents in the digital family, gives WFG participants a sense of family belonging, and reproduces the image of the untroubled family.ImplicationsThe research findings can be helpful for educators, family therapists, social workers, and social policy professionals. Moreover, the study's results can benefit families who want to open WhatsApp family groups.

Determination of multipurpose prevention technology choice for contraception and HIV/STI prevention: A survey of sexually active women in Nigeria

Objectives: Interest in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prophylaxis in the context of multiple sexual and reproductive health risks women face suggests a place for multipurpose prevention techniques (MPTs), which act by combining contraception and pre-exposure prophylaxis against HIV into one unified delivery method. At present, condoms are a readily available form of MPTs. The study aims to determine the sexual characteristics of women in Nigeria and assess factors associated with MPT acceptance in the identified population. Materials and Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted using the data collection tool Google Forms®. The survey was distributed to the prospective respondents using the snowballing technique through an instant messaging application to ensure proper circulation among the geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Interest in MPT’s was evaluated using descriptive analysis. Specifically, personal and product attributes were evaluated descriptively (frequency and response rating) and with inferential statistics (logistic regression and model validation). Results: More than one-half (57%) of the participants were sexually active in the past three months. Most of the subjects reported at least one HIV risk behavior such as engaging in sexual intercourse with a male partner without a condom (50%). Factors associated with acceptance of MPTs included perceived safety, long-lasting action, and effectiveness of the formulation. Formulation types preferred by respondents include daily pills (21%), vaginal gels (12%), and inserts (8%). Personal characteristics supporting MPT use include age (30–39) and (40–49) years, married, formally educated, being a housewife, and having not had sexual intercourse with an HIV-positive male partner and having had an unintended pregnancy. Conclusion: Most of the respondents were interested in MPTs as a daily pill. Safety, long-lasting activity, and effectiveness are the top three criteria predicting acceptance. A variety of MPTs are required to be developed to suit the varying needs of different populations. The MPT preferences must be considered during product development to promote future acceptance among women in Nigeria.

Telemedicine and Pediatric Care in Rural and Remote Areas of Middle-and-Low-Income Countries: Narrative Review.

Caring for children in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) can be challenging. This review article aims to explore role of telemedicine in supporting pediatric care in LMIC. A narrative review of existing English and Spanish literature was conducted to assess role of telemedicine to support pediatric care in LMIC. Beside medical education and direct pediatric care, telemedicine can provide sub-specialties consultations without extra burden on families. Additionally, telemedicine can help in lowering under-5 mortality by supporting neonatal care, infectious illnesses, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Telemedicine can be a gate for universal coverage for all children at a lower cost. For over a decade, it has been implemented successfully and sustained in a few LMIC. However, challenges in implementing telemedicine are enormous. Still, opportunities arise by using simpler technology, low-width band internet, smartphones, instant messaging applications and solar energy. COVID-19 pandemic facilitated acceptance and applicability of telemedicine worldwide including LMIC. Nevertheless, governments must regulate telemedicine by issuing policies and ensuring employment of local experts when possible to meet local resources and cultural competency. Telemedicine has proven successful in improving pediatrics care. Many LMIC should take advantage of this innovation to promote equity and access to high quality pediatric care.

A Research Paper on Basic of Computer Network

Abstract: Computer networks facilitate the interconnection of systems for the purpose of exchanging digital information. Essentially, they comprise a collection of devices linked together through various connections. Distributed processing is employed in computer networks, wherein tasks are divided among multiple computers. However, one of the most pressing challenges faced by networks is the threat of resource attacks.This research paper delves into the fundamental concepts of computer networks, which are essentially a collection of devices interconnected via links. These devices, or nodes, encompass a variety of entities ranging from personal computers and phones to servers and networking hardware. Computer networks enable various applications to access resources such as the World Wide Web, shared application and storage servers, printers, fax machines, as well as email and instant messaging applications. They play a pivotal role in facilitating information sharing across diverse tasks.Computer networks can be classified into two types: open systems and closed systems. Open systems are easily connected to networks and are primed for communication. Conversely, closed systems require proper authentication and are not as readily connected to other networks..

A Mobile Instant Messaging–Delivered Psychoeducational Intervention for Cancer Caregivers

Psychoeducational interventions (PEIs), which provide both information and emotional and psychosocial support, may address the unmet needs of the caregivers of adolescent and young adult patients with cancer. To explore the effects of an instant messaging-delivered PEI on anxiety, depression, quality of life (QOL), and coping and determine whether the intervention reduces caregivers' unmet needs. This randomized clinical trial using an intention-to-treat protocol was conducted from April 1 to September 14, 2022, in a tertiary cancer hospital in China and included caregivers of patients diagnosed with cancer at age 15 to 39 years recruited using convenience sampling. Caregivers were allocated 1:1 using a randomized block scheme to the intervention or control group. The intervention group received a 5-week PEI and usual care, whereas the control group received only usual care. The PEI was delivered through articles and calls through an instant messaging application. The primary outcomes were changes in the levels of caregivers' anxiety and depression, measured using the 7-Item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9, respectively. The secondary outcomes were changes in the levels of caregivers' QOL, coping, and unmet needs. Of the 160 participants, 92 (57.5%) were male; mean (SD) age was 40.27 (8.33) years. Compared with the control group, the intervention group had significantly greater reduction in severity of anxiety (B = -3.231; 95% CI, -4.746 to -1.716; P < .001) and depression (B = -3.253; 95% CI, -5.052 to -1.454; P < .001), smaller reduction in QOL (B = 13.574; 95% CI, 0.488-26.661; P = .04), and greater reduction in unmet needs (B = -12.136; 95% CI, -18.307 to -5.965; P < .001) after the intervention. Twelve weeks after baseline, the intervention group demonstrated a significantly greater reduction only in severity of anxiety (B = -1.890; 95% CI, -3.382 to -0.397; P = .01). In this randomized clinical trial of a mobile instant messaging-delivered PEI, caregivers' unmet needs, anxiety, and depression decreased significantly and QOL declined at a significantly slower rate immediately after the intervention in the intervention group compared with the control group. A sustained effect on anxiety was observed 12 weeks after baseline. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry identifier: ChiCTR2200055951.

The Effectiveness of Whatsapp in Disseminating Work-Related Information: The Case of UPTM

In today’s digital age, WhatsApp, an instant messaging application has been extensively utilized in people’s daily lives, especially at work. Previous study shows that the use of instant messaging enables the workers to communicate better in a workplace. Hence, this study aims to examine the effectiveness and impact of WhatsApp as a communication tool for disseminating work-related information within an organization. This study employs a quantitative method approach to collect data where survey questionnaires are distributed to the employees across faculties and departments in Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia (UPTM). The factors investigated include speed, accessibility, clarity and overall satisfaction among UPTM employees in navigating WhatsApp to discuss work-related information. The results of this study complement the existing literature on organizational communication and technology adoption which are fruitful for both employers and employees. Overall, the study outlines best practices recommendations to optimize the use of WhatsApp as a communication tool within an institution by taking into account key factors such as message content, timing and recipient preferences.

Performance and Efficiency Exploration of Hardware Polynomial Multipliers for Post-Quantum Lattice-Based Cryptosystems

The significant effort in the research and design of large-scale quantum computers has spurred a transition to post-quantum cryptographic primitives worldwide. The post-quantum cryptographic primitive standardization effort led by the US NIST has recently selected the asymmetric encryption primitive Kyber as its candidate for standardization and indicated NTRU, as a valid alternative if intellectual property issues are not solved. Finally, a more conservative alternative to NTRU, NTRUPrime was also considered as an alternate candidate, due to its design choices that remove the possibility for a large set of attacks preemptively. All the aforementioned asymmetric primitives provide good performances, and are prime choices to provide IoT devices with post-quantum confidentiality services. In this work, we present a comprehensive exploration of hardware designs for the computation of polynomial multiplications, the workhorse operation in all the aforementioned cryptosystems, with a thorough analysis of performance, compactness and efficiency. The presented designs cope with the differences in the arithmetics of polynomial rings employed by distinct cryptosystems, benefiting from configurations and optimizations that are applicable at synthesis time and/or run time. In this context, we target a use case scenario where long-term key pairs are used, such as the ones for VPNs (e.g., over IPSec), secure shell protocols and instant messaging applications. Our high-performance design variants exhibit figures of latency comparable to the ones needed for the execution of the symmetric cryptographic primitives also included in the Post-Quantum schemes. Notably, the performance figures of the designs proposed for NTRU and NTRU Prime surpass the ones described in the related literature.

Monitoring negative pressure wound therapy for diabetic foot ulcers using WhatsApp

Foot complications of patients with diabetes could lead to amputations and early death. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are usually difficult to treat and impose huge financial burden. Monitoring wound progress is the mainstay of any treatment and alternatives to face-to-face consultations such as tele-medicine have been proposed. Very few papers explored the utility and effectiveness of monitoring DFU through instant messaging application such as WhatsApp. The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity of WhatsApp in monitoring diabetic wounds treated with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT).Twenty-two patients were prospectively recruited. All patients had an initial face-to-face consultation and debridement. Dressings were changed twice per week at patient's residence and media files were sent by the wound nurse via Short Message Service (SMS). A subsequent face to face consultation was scheduled whenever a complication was suspected. The primary outcomes were the percentages of accurate cases a) where a new or recurrent infection was suspected, and a b) where a debridement was thought to be needed.Complete healing of the defect using NPWT was achieved in 10 patients and a skin graft procedure was needed in another 4 patients. Five patients needed further surgical debridement. Failure to heal was observed in 3 patients. Out of the seven cases where a new infection was suspected, five (71.5%) were confirmed on face-to-face consultation. No confirmed cases of infection were observed during follow-up for those estimated as clean. Out of the 11 cases where debridement was favored based on WhatsApp media files, confirmation of a needed debridement was recorded in 8 (73%) cases.NPWT monitoring of for diabetic foot and leg ulcers using WhatsApp application was found to be an excellent method to document and track the wound process and complications. The excellent specificity and high sensibility should encourage for common use by healthcare. The results of this study could be also valuable for patients living in rural areas and in case of future pandemics.

Memanfaatkan Whatsapps Business untuk Promosi dan Penjualan

In the digital era, communication has become easier and faster thanks to existing technological advances. Various digital platforms, such as social media, instant messaging applications, or email, allow people to communicate easily without being constrained by time and distance. Online marketing can be done through various digital platforms such as WhatsApps, Websites, social media, email and other online advertising platforms. One of the most popular instant massages at the moment is WhatsApp and one specifically intended for business is WhatsApp Business. This application allows businesses to interact with customers directly via the WhatsApp platform. Warung Jajan Amak Apak, which is located in the Depok area, sells various grilled snacks and several fresh drinks to customers from residents around the stall. After conducting several discussions and questions and answers, it was discovered that this MSME had not used a marketing strategy, its business reach was also limited to the area around the place of business so that its sales turnover could not increase significantly. For this reason, on this occasion we will conduct training on the use of WhatsApp Business to increase sales. There are several approaches that we use, namely presentations, questions and answers and discussions, as well as assistance on how to use WhatsApp Business for promotions and increasing sales. After this PKM activity, it is hoped that partners will be able to use WhatsApp Business as a cheap and effective promotional tool, to introduce their products and expand their sales reach, thereby increasing business and business profits.

Factors associated with indication of prophylactic extraction of the lower third molar in orthodontic practice.

To date, there is no consensus on the factors that influence on indication for prophylactic extraction of the third molar, however it is a common indication in orthodontics. Aim: To determine the factors associated with indication of prophylactic extraction of the lower third molar in orthodontic practice. This cross-sectional analytical study used an online survey to obtain responses from 100 professionals with clinical practice in orthodontics. The Survey Monkey software was used to enter a valid and reliable questionnaire of 11 questions to obtain demographic and clinical information of the professional, as well as some patient conditions that could be considered in a possible indication for prophylactic extraction. The questionnaire was sent through social networks and instant messaging applications. Chi Square test was used to evaluate associated factors and binomial logistic regression to identify risk or protective factors. Factors significantly associated with indication of prophylactic extraction of the lower third molar were experience in orthodontics (p-value = 0.060; OR=0.325), characteristics of impaction (p-value = 0.012; OR=3.689), prevention of pericoronitis (p-value = 0.014; OR=3.769) and help stability of treatment results (p-value = 0.002; OR=6.074). The risk factors to indication for prophylactic extraction of the lower third molar were impaction of the third molar, prevention of pericoronitis and helping the stability of the results after treatment. Furthermore, experience in orthodontics was identified as a protective factor for this indication. Key words:Orthodontics, risk factors, third molar, tooth extraction.

F3l: an automated and secure function-level low-overhead labeled encrypted traffic dataset construction method for IM in Android

Fine-grained function-level encrypted traffic classification is an essential approach to maintaining network security. Machine learning and deep learning have become mainstream methods to analyze traffic, and labeled dataset construction is the basis. Android occupies a huge share of the mobile operating system market. Instant Messaging (IM) applications are important tools for people communication. But such applications have complex functions which frequently switched, so it is difficult to obtain function-level labels. The existing function-level public datasets in Android are rare and noisy, leading to research stagnation. Most labeled samples are collected with WLAN devices, which cannot exclude the operating system background traffic. At the same time, other datasets need to obtain root permission or use scripts to simulate user behavior. These collecting methods either destroy the security of the mobile device or ignore the real operation features of users with coarse-grained. Previous work (Chen et al. in Appl Sci 12(22):11731, 2022) proposed a one-stop automated encrypted traffic labeled sample collection, construction, and correlation system, A3C, running at the application-level in Android. This paper analyzes the display characteristics of IM and proposes a function-level low-overhead labeled encrypted traffic datasets construction method for Android, F3L. The supplementary method to A3C monitors UI controls and layouts of the Android system in the foreground. It selects the feature fields of attributes of them for different in-app functions to build an in-app function label matching library for target applications and in-app functions. The deviation of timestamp between function invocation and label identification completion is calibrated to cut traffic samples and map them to corresponding labels. Experiments show that the method can match the correct label within 3 s after the user operation.

Use of Instant Messaging Applications by General Practitioners During Overseas Deployment: A Survey of the French Military Health Service

ABSTRACT Introduction Instant messaging applications (MAs) represent a major component of modern telecommunications for data transmission. During overseas deployments, military doctors increasingly rely on MAs due to their availability and the urgent need to obtain advice from specialists for optimal patient management. In this study, we aimed to describe and analyze the context and usage characteristics of these MAs for transmitting medical data by military general practitioners (GPs) during overseas missions. Materials and Methods This observational study was conducted between June 2020 and December 2020, based on a survey sent to GPs from the French Military Health Service who had been deployed overseas in military operations between 2010 and 2020. Results We received 233 surveys of which 215 were analyzed. Among these, 141 military GPs used instant MAs to transmit medical data during deployment. Notably, WhatsApp was used by 97% of the participants. The military GPs mainly used these applications for the speed of exchanges (45%) and their ease of use (28%). The physician specialties predominantly involved in data sharing were trauma and orthopedic surgery (38%) and dermatology (31%). The correspondents were mainly military specialist physicians from French military teaching hospitals (85%). A response time of less than 1 h was reported in 78% of the cases. Additionally, 72 doctors (51%) undertook their last deployment in an isolated post. Conclusion MAs were extensively utilized communication tools among GPs during their overseas deployments. Although the use of these applications seems essential in telemedicine, it raises several legal and ethical questions. Thus, we recommend employing these tools while ensuring medical and military confidentiality.

An Update from the Benchmark Survey of phactMI™ Member Companies on Providing Medical Information in the Digital Space

ObjectiveThe Pharma Collaboration for Transparent Medical Information (phactMI™) benchmarking survey of 32 pharmaceutical companies describes the use of technology by Medical Information Departments.MethodsA survey was distributed to phactMI™ member companies in June 2022 and included 79 closed and open-ended questions. The survey’s six sections included demographics, chatbot, social media, instant messaging applications, websites, and technology.ResultsMost Medical Information Departments have implemented innovative technology since 2019 with the main driver of remaining up-to-date. A total of 94% have a Medical Information website. Of those with a Medical Information website for healthcare professionals (HCPs), 97% allow for self-authentication. Most HCP-based websites have webforms for inquiries and 1–800 numbers, while only few offer video chat, chatbot, and the ability to identify local representatives. These websites also link to clinicaltrials.gov, publications, posters, and congress materials. Only 30% have a website for patients/caregivers. Most websites are discoverable by Google™. Awareness of Medical Information Websites occurs in a variety of ways, with most using multiple strategies to reach HCPs. There is wide variation in the technology platform used for the core functions of Medical Information.ConclusionAs technology continues to advance and omnichannel content remains a key objective, Medical Information needs to remain agile and transformative in their strategic and tactical planning and execution. Based on this benchmarking survey, the authors recommend that Medical Information Departments focus on expanding services for patients/caregivers, leverage digital innovations, expanding awareness, building efficiencies in workflow through technology, and continually improving website functionalities with innovative technologies.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices on Teledermatology among Dermatologists in the Philippines

Abstract Background: Teledermatology has been widely used during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to overcome barriers in access to care. The objective of this study was to assess the current knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding teledermatology among dermatologists in the Philippines. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional and analytical study conducted from January 2022 to April 2022, among Filipino dermatologists using a self-administered online questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the demographics of the participants. The two-sample t-test, Chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression model were used to analyze the data. Results: Out of 113 respondents, 108 (95.5%) had adequate knowledge and a positive attitude toward teledermatology. The majority (110/113, 97.35%) practiced teledermatology. The most commonly used platform was instant messaging applications (78/100, 70.91%), and the most common factor that influenced their practice was patient demands or needs (74/110, 67.27%). Those who did not practice teledermatology cited technological difficulties as the main reason. Conclusion: Teledermatology was widely used by Filipino dermatologists to provide remote care during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, to fully utilize its potential and limit potential issues associated with its use even after the pandemic, continuous training and education among dermatologists and a more enabling technological environment may be needed.

MANAJEMEN KOMUNIKASI MEDIA DIGITAL DI PERGURUAN TINGGI SWASTA WILAYAH NON-PERKOTAAN (STUDI KASUS PTS DI SULAWESI BARAT)

The research aims to analyze the management of digital communication media used in private university organizations (PTS) with a case study of PTS in West Sulawesi, and evaluate the types of digital communication media used. This research was conducted on a sample of three campuses in West Sulawesi Province. This research is qualitative with a case study approach, with the paradigm used is the constructivism paradigm. The sample was analyzed using question construction data based on the research variables raised, so that the perceptions of the organizational team consisting of structural officials, lecturers, and students were collected. The results of this study reveal that the application of communication media in the digital era is closely related to management patterns that include planning, implementation, control, and evaluation stages with a multi-channel communication approach. Digital media such as instant messaging applications, webinar platforms, and social media play an important role in supporting interaction and collaboration between students, lecturers, and university leaders in various academic and administrative aspects. The use of these various communication channels successfully supports information distribution, coordination, exchange of views, and expression of feelings to achieve organizational goals. Although guidelines and policies still need to be improved, the positive impact of digital media in education, research, and community service, especially during the pandemic, is clear, and can even resolve internal conflicts.