title: Attitudes toward technology-based health information among adult emergency department patients with drug or alcohol misuse.
abstract: Technology-based screening and interventions are emerging solutions to the challenge of addressing substance use in the emergency department (ED). A standardized questionnaire of adult patients at a large-volume, urban, academic ED assessed interest in, and potential barriers to, technology-based substance use information. Questionnaire topics included substance use, access to technology, preferences for health information, and perceived barriers to technology interventions. Among the 430 participants, mean age was 39 years and 55% were female; 37% reported alcohol misuse and 52% drug misuse. Access to technology was high. Technology was preferred by 46% of alcohol misusers (vs. 43% non-misusers, p=0.65) but only 41.9% of drug misusers (vs. 56% non-drug misusers, p=0.005). In multivariate analyses, drug misuse was associated with decreased interest in receiving technology-based information. Cited barriers included confidentiality, complexity, and time. Our findings suggest that drug misusers in particular may wish to have reassurances about the confidentiality of technology-based interactions.
authors.affiliation: Injury Prevention Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, USA. esther_choo@brown.edu
authors.forename: Esther K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Choo
authors.forename: Megan L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ranney
authors.forename: Zerlina
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mello
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult