title: Medical Information Exchange: Pattern of Global Mobile Messenger Usage among Otolaryngologists.
abstract: Information technology has revolutionized health care. However, the development of dedicated mobile health software has been lagging, leading to the use of general mobile applications to fill in the void. The use of such applications has several legal, ethical, and regulatory implications. We examined the experience and practices governing the usage of a global mobile messenger application (WhatsApp) for mobile health purposes in a national cohort of practicing otolaryngologists in Israel, a known early adaptor information technology society.
  
  
  
  Cross-sectional data were collected from practicing otolaryngologists and otolaryngology residents via self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed of a demographic section, a section surveying the practices of mobile application use, mobile health application use, and knowledge regarding institutional policies governing the transmission of medical data.
  
  
  
  The sample included 22 otolaryngology residents and 47 practicing otolaryngologists. Of the physicians, 83% worked in academic centers, and 88% and 40% of the physicians who worked in a hospital setting or a community clinic used WhatsApp for medical use, respectively. Working with residents increased the medical usage of WhatsApp from 50% to 91% (P = .006). Finally, 72% were unfamiliar with any institutional policy regarding the transfer of medical information by personal smartphones.
  
  
  
  Mobile health is becoming an integral part of modern medical systems, improving accessibility, efficiency, and possibly quality of medical care.
  
  
  
  The need to incorporate personal mobile devices in the overall information technology standards, guidelines, and regulation is becoming more acute. Nonetheless, practices must be properly instituted to prevent unwanted consequences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.|University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville, Virginia.
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Siegal
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.|Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Elad
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dagan
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.|Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.|Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Shay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duvdevani
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel eranealon@yahoo.com.|Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Eran E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Alon
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D066275:Health Information Exchange; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D063731:Mobile Applications; D000072220:Otolaryngologists; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: WhatsApp; global mobile messenger; mobile health; otolaryngology