Smartphones as a Multimodal Communication Tool for Interprofessional Communication among Optometrists in Ghana

Abstract

Ebenezer Oduro Antiri, Francisca Ama Hammond, Celso de Graft Armah, Thomas Kwame Atta Osei Nimo and Esther Ofosua Perbandt

Purpose: The ascertain the preferred mode(s) of smartphone-based interprofessional communication, and their perceived effects on clinical outcomes.

Method: Through a purposive sampling method, 344 Optometrists in Ghana were recruited in this cross-sectional study. Modified and validated questionnaires were used to assess the preferred mode(s) of smartphone communication and its effect on clinical outcomes.

Results: The prevalence of Optometrists who use smartphones for their interprofessional communication was 95.2% and a larger percentage of the participants (41.6%) indicated that they were more likely to use all three modes of smartphone-enabled interprofessional communication (speech, images, and image annotation) simultaneously rather than just one or two. Participants who had practiced between 1-5 years were found to subscribe to smartphone-enabled interprofessional communication more [χ2 (3, N = 336) = 24.03, p = .000]. Also, participants working in private facilities were found to subscribe to smartphone- enabled interprofessional communication more [χ2 (3, N = 336) = 12.27, p = .007].

Conclusion: The outcome of this study indicated that, participants preferred using all smartphone-enabled modes of communication simultaneously and had a positive perception about how multi-modal smartphone-enabled interprofessional communication improved clinical outcomes.

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