TY  - JOUR
AU  - Fischer-Suárez, Natalia
AU  - Lozano-Paniagua, David
AU  - García-Duarte, Sonia
AU  - Castro-Luna, Gracia
AU  - Parrón-Carreño, Tesifón
AU  - Nievas-Soriano, Bruno José
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/11/8
TI  - Using QR Codes as a Form of eHealth to Promote Health Among Women in a Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study
JO  - JMIR Hum Factors
SP  - e41143
VL  - 9
IS  - 4
KW  - eHealth
KW  - QR code
KW  - women
KW  - health promotion
KW  - public health
KW  - healthcare sector
KW  - women's health
KW  - gynecology
KW  - gynecologist
KW  - gynecological
KW  - obstetrician
KW  - obstetric
KW  - healthcare
KW  - health care
KW  - pandemic
KW  - questionnaire
KW  - validation
KW  - validate
KW  - development
KW  - cross sectional
KW  - factorial analysis
AB  - Background: QR codes have played an integral role during the pandemic in many sectors, but their use has been limited in the health care sector, especially by patients. Although some authors have stated that developing specific content for women on how to cope with health problems could be an effective way to prevent problems, especially during pandemics, there is little research regarding the use of QR codes to promote health during a pandemic, and even fewer studies are focused on women. Moreover, although the importance of assessing these interventions from the users’ perspective has been stated, research carried out from this point of view is still scarce. Objective: This study aimed to assess the usefulness of using QR codes with information to promote women’s health in the context of a pandemic. We also sought to design and validate a questionnaire to assess this. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among women in the gynecology waiting rooms of a reference hospital. Exploratory factorial analysis with the split-half method and Cronbach α values was performed for questionnaire validation. Univariant and bivariant analyses were performed to analyze the data obtained. Results: In total, 186 women took part in the study. Exploratory factor analysis identified 2 domains: usability and applicability in medical practice. The Cronbach α value was .81. Overall, 83.7% of the answers to the first domain and 56.4% of those to the second were favorable. Women with university education or those who had used QR codes before scored better in the usability domain, while no differences were observed in the applicability scores. Conclusions:  Using QR codes in the gynecology clinics’ waiting rooms can help promote women’s health during a pandemic, regardless of their education level or whether they have used QR codes before. The questionnaire developed herein is a helpful tool to assess this. These findings are important for clinical practice. This research can be performed in other ambits, specialties, or countries. 
SN  - 2292-9495
UR  - https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2022/4/e41143
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/41143
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36346657
DO  - 10.2196/41143
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/41143
ER  -