Kathlene Smith

Bio: Kathlene Smith is an academic researcher from Tennessee Wesleyan College. The author has contributed to research in topics: Psychological intervention & Informed consent. The author has an hindex of 10, co-authored 12 publications receiving 219 citations. Previous affiliations of Kathlene Smith include Wesleyan University.

A comparison of telephone and texting interventions for persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Abstract: Problem-solving interventions are not routinely offered to persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs). Telephone calls and text messages are potential avenues to offer problem solving support. This study compared the effect of telephone calls only, text messages only, and both telephone calls and text messages on individuals' symptoms and medication adherence. Thirty outpatient participants with SSDs were randomly assigned to weekly telephone calls, daily text messages, or both for three months. Participants received monthly in-home pill counts and symptom assessments. Repeated measures ANOVA was significant (F (4,26) = 4.2, p = 0.005) for symptom scores. Further work with larger, more diverse, samples is needed.

A pilot study describing physical activity in persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDS) after an exercise program.

Abstract: Despite the well known mental and physical health benefits of exercise, persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders remain sedentary. While the exercise barriers (i.e., lack of motivation, poor concentration, sedative effects of medication, poverty, and lack of access to exercise education/programs) of persons with SSDs are numerous, lack of motivation is considered foremost among them. Exercise interventions have been shown to improve exercise behavior, but there is a need for longitudinal documentation of physical activity after interventions conclude. This pilot study describes the physical activity level of 22 persons with SSDs 14 to 34 (mean 22) months after the conclusion of an exercise intervention provided in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Eighteen months after the RCT, 22 participants wore pedometers daily for one week without altering their activity. Experimental participants walked more steps and covered more distance on average than control participants on six of the seven days. This pilot study is among the first to document the physical activity level of persons with SSDs after exercise intervention. While our findings confirm the low activity level of persons with SSDs reported by others, experimental participants demonstrated higher activity levels than controls on most days. Future studies should increase the sample size and recruit participants from multiple sites to enhance power and generalizability.

Mapping mHealth Research: A Decade of Evolution

Abstract: Background: For the last decade, mHealth has constantly expanded as a part of eHealth. Mobile applications for health have the potential to target heterogeneous audiences and address specific needs in different situations, with diverse outcomes, and to complement highly developed health care technologies. The market is rapidly evolving, making countless new mobile technologies potentially available to the health care system; however, systematic research on the impact of these technologies on health outcomes remains scarce. Objective: To provide a comprehensive view of the field of mHealth research to date and to understand whether and how the new generation of smartphones has triggered research, since their introduction 5 years ago. Specifically, we focused on studies aiming to evaluate the impact of mobile phones on health, and we sought to identify the main areas of health care delivery where mobile technologies can have an impact. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted on the impact of mobile phones and smartphones in health care. Abstracts and articles were categorized using typologies that were partly adapted from existing literature and partly created inductively from publications included in the review. Results: The final sample consisted of 117 articles published between 2002 and 2012. The majority of them were published in the second half of our observation period, with a clear upsurge between 2007 and 2008, when the number of articles almost doubled. The articles were published in 77 different journals, mostly from the field of medicine or technology and medicine. Although the range of health conditions addressed was very wide, a clear focus on chronic conditions was noted. The research methodology of these studies was mostly clinical trials and pilot studies, but new designs were introduced in the second half of our observation period. The size of the samples drawn to test mobile health applications also increased over time. The majority of the studies tested basic mobile phone features (eg, text messaging), while only a few assessed the impact of smartphone apps. Regarding the investigated outcomes, we observed a shift from assessment of the technology itself to assessment of its impact. The outcome measures used in the studies were mostly clinical, including both self-reported and objective measures. Conclusions: Research interest in mHealth is growing, together with an increasing complexity in research designs and aim specifications, as well as a diversification of the impact areas. However, new opportunities offered by new mobile technologies do not seem to have been explored thus far. Mapping the evolution of the field allows a better understanding of its strengths and weaknesses and can inform future developments. [J Med Internet Res 2013;15(5):e95]

Emerging mHealth and eHealth interventions for serious mental illness: a review of the literature

Abstract: Background: Serious mental illness (SMI) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Emerging mobile health (mHealth) and eHealth interventions may afford opportunities for reaching this at-risk group.Aim: To review the evidence on using emerging mHealth and eHealth technologies among people with SMI.Methods: We searched MEDLINE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane Central, and Web of Science through July 2014. Only studies which reported outcomes for mHealth or eHealth interventions, defined as remotely delivered using mobile, online, or other devices, targeting people with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder, were included.Results: Forty-six studies spanning 12 countries were included. Interventions were grouped into four categories: (1) illness self-management and relapse prevention; (2) promoting adherence to medications and/or treatment; (3) psychoeducation, supporting recovery, and promoting health and wellness; and (4) symptom monitoring. The interventions...

What are the major ethical issues in conducting research? is there a conflict between the research ethics and the nature of nursing?

Abstract: Background: Research ethics involve requirements on daily work, the protection of dignity of subjects and the publication of the information in the research. However, when nurses participate in research they have to cope with three value systems; society; nursing and science which may be in conflict with the values of subjects, communities, and societies and create tensions and dilemmas in nursing. Method and material: Using the Medline and the Nursing Cinahl data base, the most important ethical issues which appear in bibliography, will be addressed. After a short description of the nature of nursing, and the advocacy role of nurses, the writer will attempt to highlight the possible conflicts that nurses have to deal with, when undertaking or participating in research. Results: The major ethical issues in conducting research are: a) Informed consent, b) Beneficence- Do not harm c) Respect for anonymity and confidentiality d) Respect for privacy. However, both the nature of nursing which focuses on caring, preventing harm and protecting dignity and the advocates role of nurses which calls for defending the rights of subjects, are sometimes incongruent with the ethics in research. Conclusions: Ethical issues, conflicting values, and ambiguity in decision making, are recurrently emerging from literature review on nursing research. Because of lack of clarity in ethical standards, nurses must develop an awareness of these issues and an effective framework to deal with problems involving human rights.