{"id":1277,"date":"2020-11-05T11:12:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-05T10:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/?p=1277"},"modified":"2024-09-12T14:31:23","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T12:31:23","slug":"using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/","title":{"rendered":"Using technology to manage chronic illness: why patients’ attributional styles matter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Based on an interview with Azadeh Savoli <\/a>and her article \u201cExamining How Chronically Ill Patients\u2019 Reactions to and Effective Use of Information Technology Can Influence How Well They Self-manage Their Illness,\u201d co-authored by Henri Barki (HEC Montr\u00e9al) and Guy Par\u00e9 (HEC Montr\u00e9al), published in MIS Quarterly, March 2020.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the midst of the Covid-19 health crisis, it is easy to forget that it is not infectious diseases that pose the greatest threat to humans but chronic diseases. According to the World Health Organization<\/a>, chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes surpass infectious diseases as leading causes of mortality by far. They are also the most prevalent and costly health problems worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because these are long-term diseases, self-management \u2014 including recognizing symptoms and taking appropriate action, using medications as indicated and interacting with the healthcare system \u2014 is important. It is a way to empower patients, helping them make informed decisions about their own health and ultimately improve their well-being. Yet, for example, in the specific case of chronic asthma, which researcher Azadeh Savoli and her coauthors examined in a recent study, less than 40 percent of patients regularly monitor their symptoms and even fewer follow their prescribed action plan when they have acute symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IT solutions have been proposed as a way to help patients take a more active role in managing chronic illnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three types of patients<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Savoli and her fellow researchers partnered with a McGill University research team that was developing a web-based self-management system for asthma patients. As part of their interaction with the portal, patients would answer a questionnaire at least weekly; the portal would then offer personalized feedback. Alerts were sent to patients under certain conditions, and an email function allowed patients to interact with the nurse case manager, who was monitoring study participants daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a combination of interviews and data analysis, Savoli and her team recognized three distinct groups of patients: engaged, reliant and autonomous. The engaged patients attributed the cause of their good or bad self-management to themselves. Therefore, they \u201cwere active, present and used the system in an efficient way.\u201d Because of their so-called attributional style, they wanted to understand their symptoms to make informed decisions, and overall achieved good results in using the technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reliant patients also liked and used the system regularly but may have had an \u201coverdependence\u201d on it, believing that it was taking care of them. These patients would not often use functions that would allow them to understand their condition better \u2014 they simply complied with recommendations. They achieved ineffective or moderately effective usage of the portal, based on the nurse case manager\u2019s assessment of the quality of their self-management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The autonomous patients felt disengaged from the healthcare system and saw the portal as an irritating, paternalistic imposition. They were most likely to enter incorrect information into the system and were least likely to effectively use the portal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IT systems: not for everyone?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The study suggests that highly effective use of IT-based self-management systems can be useful to chronic patients by helping them become active, mindful participants in their own care. However, not all patients use and benefit from such systems equally. It may, therefore, be helpful for medical professionals to identify patients\u2019 attributional styles before prescribing an IT system. In this way, they might better select those most likely to benefit or suggest a training program to help educate those with maladaptive patterns that predispose them to failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research Savoli and her coauthors undertook has not only clear health and financial implications, but it also had an unexpected emotional aspect, she reports. \u201cThe condition makes [patients] fragile and everything becomes emotional for them,\u201d Savoli said. \u201cSome were crying when they were talking to me. If they could manage their illness, it would hugely affect their quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\r\n\t\t
\r\n\t\t

Practical applications<\/p>\r\n\t\t

Savoli suggests that medical personnel try to determine patients\u2019 attributional style to better target who will profit from using self-management technology. Those most averse to it might first be introduced to a training program to help them adjust maladaptive perceptions or behavior. For systems designers, Savoli advises that the wording of messaging on health self-management platforms be suggestive rather than prescriptive, and interventions as nonintrusive as possible to avoid offending some patients.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n

\r\n\t\t
\r\n\t\t

Methodology<\/p>\r\n\t\t

The researchers conducted their study in cooperation with a clinical trial of a web-based self-management portal for asthma patients developed by McGill University\u2019s clinical and health informatics research group. Research methods included in-depth interviews with 32 asthma patients (who used the portal for three to six months), interviews with the nurse case manager about patients\u2019 self-management performance, as well as governmental data on medications prescribed, medications dispensed and patients\u2019 emergency room visits. Data on patients\u2019 weekly usage of portal functionalities was also examined.<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

September 2024: Please note that Azadeh Savoli\u00a0no longer works at I\u00c9SEG. This article\/video\/podcast was published during her time at the School.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Based on an interview with Azadeh Savoli and her article \u201cExamining How Chronically Ill Patients\u2019 Reactions to and Effective Use of Information Technology Can Influence How Well They Self-manage Their Illness,\u201d co-authored by Henri Barki (HEC Montr\u00e9al) and Guy Par\u00e9 (HEC Montr\u00e9al), published in MIS Quarterly, March 2020. In the midst of the Covid-19 health … Using technology to manage chronic illness: why patients’ attributional styles matter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":848,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[486],"tags":[429,442,352,18,445],"article-type":[12],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUsing technology to manage chronic illness<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"According to the WHO, chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer surpass infectious diseases as leading causes of mortality.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Using technology to manage chronic illness\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"According to the WHO, chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer surpass infectious diseases as leading causes of mortality.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"I\u00c9SEG Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-11-05T10:12:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-12T12:31:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/iStock-1309783183.jpg-1200px.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"781\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ana\u00efs Andreosso\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ana\u00efs Andreosso\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/\",\"name\":\"Using technology to manage chronic illness\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-05T10:12:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-12T12:31:23+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/#\/schema\/person\/04191eaf6c281f7c122b44e7c88ce379\"},\"description\":\"According to the WHO, chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer surpass infectious diseases as leading causes of mortality.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"I\u00c9SEG Insights\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"IT, Technology & Industry\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/resource-center\/systemes-dinformation-technologie-industrie\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Using technology to manage chronic illness: why patients’ attributional styles matter\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/\",\"name\":\"I\u00c9SEG Insights\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/#\/schema\/person\/04191eaf6c281f7c122b44e7c88ce379\",\"name\":\"Ana\u00efs Andreosso\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32dc0e4965c65204cf4f70987119c558?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32dc0e4965c65204cf4f70987119c558?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ana\u00efs Andreosso\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/author\/a-andreosso-659481\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Using technology to manage chronic illness","description":"According to the WHO, chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer surpass infectious diseases as leading causes of mortality.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Using technology to manage chronic illness","og_description":"According to the WHO, chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer surpass infectious diseases as leading causes of mortality.","og_url":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/","og_site_name":"I\u00c9SEG Insights","article_published_time":"2020-11-05T10:12:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-09-12T12:31:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":781,"url":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/iStock-1309783183.jpg-1200px.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ana\u00efs Andreosso","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ana\u00efs Andreosso","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/","url":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/","name":"Using technology to manage chronic illness","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-11-05T10:12:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-12T12:31:23+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/#\/schema\/person\/04191eaf6c281f7c122b44e7c88ce379"},"description":"According to the WHO, chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer surpass infectious diseases as leading causes of mortality.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/it-technology-industry\/using-technology-to-manage-chronic-illness\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"I\u00c9SEG Insights","item":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"IT, Technology & Industry","item":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/resource-center\/systemes-dinformation-technologie-industrie\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Using technology to manage chronic illness: why patients’ attributional styles matter"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/","name":"I\u00c9SEG Insights","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/#\/schema\/person\/04191eaf6c281f7c122b44e7c88ce379","name":"Ana\u00efs Andreosso","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32dc0e4965c65204cf4f70987119c558?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32dc0e4965c65204cf4f70987119c558?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ana\u00efs Andreosso"},"url":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/resource-center\/author\/a-andreosso-659481\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1277"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1277"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1277\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8696,"href":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1277\/revisions\/8696"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1277"},{"taxonomy":"article-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.ieseg.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article-type?post=1277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}