Use of Mobile Library Services and Technology

Preventing the first stroke attack via mobile application technology

The use of mobile technologies in online shopping during the Covid-19 pandemic - an empirical study

In recent years, the prospect of information exchange independent of time and place has been a compelling driver for organizations worldwide to adopt mobile technology applications in their various business practices. In particular, the application of mobile technology in Supply Chain Management has drawn widespread attention from researchers and practitioners who endorse adaptive and agile supply chain processes. This chapter discusses the applications of mobile technologies in various areas of supply chain management and the potential benefits of those technologies along the dimensions of reduced replenishment time and transactions and billing cycles. Among other discussions, the role of mobile procurement, inventory management, product identification, package tracking, sales force, and field service automation technologies is highlighted. To substantiate the basis for adopting mobile technologies for supplychain management, different market drivers for mobile applications are exemplified and applied to the three macro-level processes of supplier relationship management, internal supply chain management, and customer relationship management; a resulting typology of mobile supply chain management applications is presented.

Purpose Despite the potential of mobile health applications in reducing barriers to accessing health information and facilities, the adoption and usage of such applications were low among low-income populations. This study aims to examine the use of mobile technology for health management and the perceived barriers of the use of mobile applications for health management among low-income working adults in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 working adults aged 25–45 from low-income families. The interviewees were asked about their perceptions of their health, their perceptions about and use of mobile health applications and they were asked to describe their ideal mobile health management app. Findings Interviewees often suffer from physical pain and many face relationship difficulties. They seek out health information actively on the internet, often using a mobile phone. However, their use of wearables and health mobile applications is limited. The perceived barriers of using mobile health applications included perceived difficulties in downloading and registering, privacy concerns and a lack of awareness of the health apps available. They prefer internet searching to a dedicated app. Their ideal health applications should be video based with real-life narratives. They were concerned about the credibility of the health information provided and preferred apps that engage professional and authoritative sources. Research limitations/implications The study was based on a convenience sample recruited through a nonprofit organization. It has the limitation of generalizing the results for the target population. Future studies can use survey methodology to test a theoretical model linking perceived barriers and intention to use mobile health technology. Studies using experimental design can investigate perceived ease of use and perceived benefits of different mobile health app designs. Practical implications These findings can inform the government’s health department and health organizations in designing appropriate mobile health applications that target those with limited financial and time resources. Originality/value There is a lack of studies that explore perceived barriers of adoption of mobile health technology in developed societies. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the one of the first qualitative studies conducted in Hong Kong among low-income working adults about their health conditions and usage of mobile health technology.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to quarantines and mandatory spatial distancing; people of all ages were encouraged to use technologies instead of actual human contact as part of COVID-19 prevention. The promotion of mobile applications (apps) during the pandemic influenced mobile technology use behavior. This study explored age differences in mobile technology use during the COVID-19 pandemic. A pilot-tested survey was distributed using online survey software. Persons surveyed were 35 years of age or older, currently living in the United States of America with experience using mobile technology. Survey questions pertained to mobile technology use frequency and factors influencing the decision to use mobile technology. The nationwide response included 1212 individuals. The average age of participants is 56.12±12.26 years old (female: male = 1.24:1). Responses were categorized participants into three age groups, 35 to 49, 50 to 64, and 65 or older. Daily mobile technology use frequency increased significantly (p<0.01) for all groups during the COVID-19 pandemic, with participants 35 to 49 having a significantly higher (p<0.01) use frequency than other groups. Regarding factors influencing the decision to use mobile technology, 64.1% of respondents aged 50 to 64 identified the necessity of using this technology during the pandemic as a significant factor, and 64.0% of participants in age 65 or older reported that the availability of functions on mobile devices is critical. Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant increase in mobile technology use with people in different age groups differentially valuing the factors that affected their user behavior.

Sheabutter processing and marketing is a major traditional enterprise among women in the Northern Ghana. The use of mobile technology has increased rapidly in many developing countries including Ghana. Looking at the unique marketing and other forms of transactions among women in the shea industry, it is essential for the industry to adopt mobile technology to ensure smooth transaction and market transformation. Mobile money technology adoption and shea butter marketing among women was studied by using cross-sectional survey data from Tolon District in Northern Ghana. A total of 250 women sheabutter processors and marketers in 13 communities in the district was selected randomly in 2022. The impact of mobile money technology adoption was analyzed using the Heckman Treatment model, and revealed that the adoption of mobile money technology had positive impact on sheabutter marketing. The factors influencing mobile technology adoption were also examined using the Probit model. The study recommends that expansion of mobile technology networks, increased investment in education, provision of credit facilities to processors can improve the sheabutter business. Women processors in rural communities should be trained on how to use mobile phones to access financial services by telecommunication companies and NGOs.

Background: Patient safety is a global concern because health professionals have an ethical responsibility to protect patient safety within the context of health care. Objectives: The purpose of this research was to fill in the gaps in the outcome evaluation of mobile application technologies by conducting a systematic analysis of existing mobile application interventions for enhancing patient safety culture among healthcare providers, particularly nurses. Methods: The protocol for this study was based on the 27-item Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews. Combining the keywords "mobile app," "patient safety," and "nurse or nursing" addressed three fundamental issues. PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, and CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) were searched through to find relevant articles. The papers published between January 2008 and April 31, 2023, were identified. Results: Following the full-text review, five papers were selected for this scoping review. One study was conducted in Indonesia, while others were conducted in Taiwan, the United States, Argentina, and Brazil. These mobile application interventions were delivered using technology platforms such as smartphones. The majority was used for education purposes, check lists, and reporting incidents to improve patient safety. The included study found that the application was effective, adequate, and useful to be used to improve patient safety. Conclusion: The use of mobile application technologies will improve their patient safety culture. Patient safety culture among nurses might be greatly enhanced by implementing mobile technologies.

With the burgeoning advancements in mobile technology, mobile learning has garnered significant interest across various sectors, emphasizing its crucial role in enhancing educational frameworks and nurturing students’ core competencies. This study uses the UTAUT model to create a research framework for the factors that affect teaching college English using mobile technology. Taking first-year students to junior students of a university as an example, the study collects relevant data through questionnaire surveys. It carries out correlation analysis, difference test, and regression analysis to explore the factors influencing college students’ English mobile learning. Then, combined with the SAMR model, the English teaching model of online integration and teacher-student synergy is proposed. The design of teaching experiments is used to study the effect of this paper’s teaching model. The analysis shows that community influence, performance expectations, effort expectations, content and resources, and perceived self-efficacy all have a positive effect on mobile technology use in English teaching (p &lt; 0.001), with the effects of perceived self-efficacy (0.363) and performance expectations (0.331) being particularly significant. The receptive vocabulary, output vocabulary, and comprehensive test of the students in the experimental class improved by 12.34%, 20.65%, and 15.84%, respectively, and the application of mobile technology under the SAMR model has a significant contribution to the improvement of college students’ English proficiency.

Nowadays the interest in integrating mobile applications into the learning process increases rapidly, so we need such teaching methods to facilitate and accelerate the knowledge transfer to students, intensify the process of learning, teach them techniques for independent work with the material, increase the productivity of learning and teacher's work. Such teaching methods can be implemented through the use of mobile information technology in education. Mobile technology can make the learning process more interesting, meeting today's requirements, providing the right information at the right time. The article considers the concept of «mobile learning», analyzes the features and directions of its use in modern education. It is noted that the use of mobile electronic devices and applications in higher mathematics allows checking quickly the solution, to draw the chart in a few minutes as well as to apply them to distance learning, which greatly facilitates and accelerates knowledge, increases students' productivity and independent work. Despite the widespread use and availability of mobile phones among students, mobile learning is not widespread in native universities. The article defines didactic principles to which mobile applications should correspond, and also the attention is paid to the basic advantages and disadvantages of the mobile applications use in the learning process of higher mathematics.

Purpose. The article discusses the use of mobile technologies in teaching mathematics to engineering students. The relevance of the paper is due to the need to introduce new methods and means of teaching in connection with the increasing integration of mobile technologies into all areas of life, the interests and characteristics of the new, networked generation of students, the limited possibilities of using innovative methods and means of teaching mathematics due to the conduct of classes outside the computer lab.Materials and methods. The peculiarity of this study is that the integration of mobile technologies into the process of teaching mathematics is considered as a system of three components: technological, informational and social. The analysis of these components made it possible to obtain answers to research questions: where and how mobile devices should be used when studying mathematics; what mobile applications will provide the most effective learning of the discipline; how to organize the educational process using mobile technologies to increase interest and motivation in learning mathematics.Results. The main reasons for the lack of interest in studying mathematics and low motivation include the high level of abstraction of the discipline and the characteristics of the modern, networked generation of students. Analysis of scientific sources and our own observations made it possible to identify such characteristics as problems with understanding complex and long text, the ability to easily read from a small screen and process information in parallel, the choice of sound and images instead of text, the desire for short-term learning and instant results, and attitude towards mobile devices as vital items. Taking into account the interests and wishes of students, and relying on the didactic capabilities of mobile technologies, the paper proposes mobile applications for studying various topics of a mathematical course, assignment options that help increase motivation, develop group work skills and digital literacy. The importance and effectiveness of using social services for visualizing mathematical concepts and calculation schemes, as well as the WhatsApp messenger for instant messaging between students and receiving timely individual and group consultation from a lecturer, is shown. An important characteristic of the messenger is the presence of video communication.Conclusion. The analysis of scientific literature, the study of the requirements of employers and the interests of the modern, networked generation of students, indicated the need to integrate mobile technologies into the process of teaching mathematics. Working with different groups in terms of both the level of mathematical knowledge and the level of proficiency in mobile technologies made it possible to identify and outline ways to solve the main issues of using mobile technologies in teaching mathematics. With limited time to study mathematics, it is difficult for a lecturer to allocate additional time to present the capabilities and effectiveness of mobile applications. A solution to this issue may be to include a section “Mobile Technologies” in a course related to the study of information and communication technologies. It is noted that group work also contributes to a more effective study of the capabilities and techniques of working with mobile applications.

BackgroundEarly detection of febrile illnesses at community level is essential for improved malaria case management and control. Currently, mobile phone-based technology has been commonly used to collect and transfer health information and services in different settings. This study assessed the applicability of mobile phone-based technology in real-time reporting of fever cases and management of malaria by village health workers (VHWs) in north-eastern Tanzania.MethodsThe community mobile phone-based disease surveillance and treatment for malaria (ComDSTM) platform, combined with mobile phones and web applications, was developed and implemented in three villages and one dispensary in Muheza district from November 2013 to October 2014. A baseline census was conducted in May 2013. The data were uploaded on a web-based database and updated during follow-up home visits by VHWs. Active and passive case detection (ACD, PCD) of febrile cases were done by VHWs and cases found positive by malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) were given the first dose of artemether–lumefantrine (AL) at the dispensary. Each patient was visited at home by VHWs daily for the first 3 days to supervise intake of anti-malarial and on day 7 to monitor the recovery process. The data were captured and transmitted to the database using mobile phones.ResultsThe baseline population in the three villages was 2934 in 678 households. A total of 1907 febrile cases were recorded by VHWs and 1828 (95.9%) were captured using mobile phones. At the dispensary, 1778 (93.2%) febrile cases were registered and of these, 84.2% were captured through PCD. Positivity rates were 48.2 and 45.8% by RDT and microscopy, respectively. Nine cases had treatment failure reported on day 7 post-treatment and adherence to treatment was 98%. One patient with severe febrile illness was referred to Muheza district hospital.ConclusionThe study showed that mobile phone-based technology can be successfully used by VHWs in surveillance and timely reporting of fever episodes and monitoring of treatment failure in remote areas. Further optimization and scaling-up will be required to utilize the tools for improved malaria case management and drug resistance surveillance.

Background. Some women with breast cancer tend to have psycho-social stress, embarrassment from the disease’s treatment, and difficulty asking for help. Furthermore, several studies indicate limited use of complementary online intervention in mental and spiritual health care, particularly when using mobile-based technologies. Purpose. This study identifies the key factors that affect the need for mobile-app complementary interventions and the variables affecting them among Indonesian breast cancer patients. Methods. A cross-sectional survey study with a simple random sampling technique included 112 patients between May and July 2022. The research instrument used is The Quality of Life-Breast Cancer questionnaire, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp), Palliative Performa Scale Version 2, and The Need for Complementary Interventions using mobile-app technology (NCIM) to measure Predictors of The Need for Complementary Interventions. Meanwhile, multiple linear stepwise regression was used, and the potential multicollinearity effects among NCIM predictive variables were assessed through the collinearity analysis of variable inflation factors. Results. The mean score of NCIM was 25.17 and ranged from 10 to 40, and multiple regression analysis showed that the psychological and social dimensions of quality of life, as well as Facit-Sp, significantly affected the NCIM. This explains 8.5% of the total variance in the need for Mobile-app Complementary Intervention. Conclusion. Women with breast cancer have a high need for complementary interventions based on mobile technology. This study can provide the development of complementary intervention using mobile application technology.

Introduction In modern society and modern age the presence of mobile technology is everywhere around us. The main and most important aspect is the speed of online communication that we achieve with our peers, which generates a lower economic effort as well as efficiency and speed in sporting activities. The transfer of information through the use of mobile technology leads to less energy consumption, especially in the retrieval and rapid processing of information received. Mobile technology in sport is extremely different: the internet, mobile phones, camcorders, cameras, pulse-oximeters, video software and IT equipment. Premise To observe what mobile technology is available to us, how much we can use it in adapted swimming. Order of activities: 1. Tuesday: announcement via mobile phones, sms and email 2. Wednesday: meeting with volunteers and schedule presentation for the forthcoming lesson 3. Thursday: training takes place 4. Friday: the team of coaches studies the videos and photos obtained, being able to observe the children at different moments during the training and analyzing much more easily the work of the entire team 5. Saturday: organization posts the best videos and photos on their web page Results obtained through the use of modern technology: 1. Digital information of certain physiological parameters 2. Photographic information 3. Video information on http://www.facebook.com/pages/EU-POT-Targoviste-Romania/447136495297889 4. Activity analysis: www.kinovea.org Conclusion Modern society has provided us with a host of modern technology, extremely advantageous for the efficiency of sport training. The great advantage of this technology is that we can use mobile technology at any time during the training, even right in the middle of certain activities and even in water, because of the independence of mobile technology. Mobile technology was used 100% of the time, throughout the entire activity period, during the activities as well as outside of these. We mention that full advantage is taken of the facilities that the mobile technology offered us, because they act as extra sets of eyes present during the trainings, offering details that you can not always see.

Background The use of mHealth by primary health care providers is a unique opportunity to improve maternal and child health in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, few studies have examined the effects of primary health care providers’ knowledge and attitudes of mHealth for maternal and child health promotion in low-resource settings. Therefore, this study assesses the knowledge and attitudes of primary health care providers on the use of mobile technologies such as internet-enabled smartphones for maternal and child health services. Methods We used data from a cross-sectional study of seven urban local government areas in Lagos, Nigeria. A total of 518 primary health care providers were surveyed for information on the use of mobile technologies, attitudes, and actual use of mobile technologies for maternal and child health services. Data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariable linear and logistic regression models. Results Our study showed that smartphone ownership is not a predictor of high mHealth knowledge; however, having an internet-enabled smart phone was a strong predictor of higher knowledge of mHealth (regression coefficient, ß=1.20, 95% confidence interval, CI=0.61-1.79) among primary health care providers. Owning a smartphone (ß=1.00, 95% CI=0.12-1.89) and having internet-enabled phone (ß=1.14, 95% CI=0.18-2.10) were both predictors of positive mHealth attitude. Primary health care providers with higher scores on mHealth knowledge were 1.32 times more likely to use mHealth for maternal and child health services. Similarly, those with positive attitude towards mHealth were 1.15 times more likely to use mobile technology for maternal and child health services. Conclusion The results suggest the use of mHealth tools by primary health care providers to render maternal and child health services is affected by their knowledge and attitude towards mHealth. Interventions that focus on increasing mobile technologies with internet enabled devices like smartphones are needed to improve knowledge, attitudes, and use of mHealth in maternal and child health services.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is well known for its agricultural products such as maize, rice, beans, cassava, coffee, sugar cane and banana. However, the agricultural sector is hampered by many challenges. These challenges include farmers' lack of knowledge on appropriate agricultural practices, lack of knowledge on how to identify and treat crops' diseases, inefficient production and sales processes. Literature suggests that mobile technologies can be used to enhance farmers' agricultural practices. This includes the use of traditional functionalities of mobile telephone (voice and text messages), mobile applications or a combination of both. Mobile technologies could be used to educate farmers about efficient agricultural practices, inform farmers about the market prices of their products. Mobile technologies could further be used to link farmers to wholesalers (buyers). In the context of the DRC, such innovative use of mobile technologies is appropriate and necessary for various reasons. Firstly, mobile phones penetration is increasing every year. Secondly, due to the cultural diversity in the country, there is a need to create and execute mobile technology-enabled interventions that appeal to the cultural context of each recipient. Hence, such interventions need to be customised to suit the language and cultural context of indigenous farmers. It is in this context, that this paper proposes a mobile technology-enabled intervention to enhance agricultural practices in the DRC. Using the systems thinking approach to research, this paper firstly identifies stakeholders that should be involved in the quest to enhance agricultural practices in the country. Then, the paper depicts how these stakeholders are interlinked and how ICT and mobile technologies can link them into one single ecosystem. It is anticipated that such integration will enhance farmers' knowledge and adoption of suitable agricultural practices. Hence, the output of this study is a case study that could be used as a point of reference to design ICT and mobile technology-enabled awareness programs to enhance agricultural practices in developing countries.