Technology and social media use by adult patients with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Technology and social media offer individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) unique and innovative ways to facilitate active participation in their own healthcare process. What remains unclear is the extent to which devices are currently used by this growing patient population. OBJECTIVE: To explore the prevalence of technology and social media use, as well as the possible barriers, among adult patients with I/DD. METHODS: A cross-sectional study utilizing an anonymous, accessible survey was used to obtain data from all adult patients (18 + years of age) with I/DD presenting for primary care services at a healthcare facility in New York between September and December of 2016. RESULTS: A total of 370 individuals completed the survey (529 approached, 69.9% response rate). Less than half (44.6%) of respondents used devices such as a tablet, smartphone or desktop; most (86.8%) did not use social media. Only 21.6% of respondents indicated that they use some type of assistive technology. While some respondents (46.0%) were identified by their caregivers as having a disability that would prevent them from learning/using technology, other respondents reported having no challenges (18.0%), needing training and/or ongoing support (7.4%), or being uncertain as to whether they would experience any challenges (15.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Many adult patients with I/DD do not use technology and social media that could promote self-determination and participation in their healthcare. Continued efforts must be made to promote technology use among adults with I/DD and to ensure that appropriate training is available for both the individual and his/her caregivers to achieve adoption and utilization.

Using Personal Digital Assistants to improve self-care in oral health.

We conducted a pilot project to evaluate the potential of Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) technologies to improve the oral health of people with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, chronic health problems and a long-standing history of poor oral health self-care. Oral health video and audio materials were prepared and transferred to PDAs. Patients were trained in the use of the PDAs at a regular dental appointment and the utilization of the PDA and any change in oral health status was tracked over the next six months. More than half of the 36 patients reported problems in keeping the PDAs functioning properly (mainly problems of keeping the batteries charged) for the duration of the project and 11 patients dropped out of the study. Ten of the remainder (40%) achieved improvement in at least three areas of oral health. The pilot project potentially brings a range of health promotion activities within the reach of people with limited health literacy which may produce better self-management of chronic health conditions.