This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.

Dr. Alezandra Torres
Canary Islands Health Research Institute

Basic Info

Basic Info is private.

Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Health
0 Health Literacy
0 Shared Decision Making
0 Digital Health Literacy
0 Patient Centred Care

Honors and Awards

The user has no records in this section


Career Timeline

The user has no records in this section.


Short Biography

Doctor of Psychology with experience in the area of ​​person-centered care, patient empowerment, shared decision-making and in the design and evaluation of Decision Aids. In the field of health technology assessment, she has experience in evaluating ethical, legal, organizational and patient perspectives. She also has experience and publications in the use of different digital resources, to design interventions and resources that allow improving the health and well-being of citizens. In particular, in this area, she has been a researcher for the European IC_health project, which has developed 35 MOOCs in 5 languages ​​to promote the digital health literacy. She is currently a researcher at the Canary Islands Health Research Institute and at the Evaluation Service of the Canary Health Service.

Following
Followers
Co Authors
The list of users this user is following is empty.
Following: 0 users

Feed

Full length article
Published: 23 June 2021 in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Summary Objective To assess the effectiveness of a Patient Decision Aid (PtDA) for knee osteoarthritis. Method Randomized controlled trial, in which 193 patients were allocated to the PtDA or usual care. Outcome measures were the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS), knowledge of osteoarthritis and arthroplasty, satisfaction with the decision-making process (SDMP) and treatment preference, assessed immediately after the intervention. At 6 months, the same measures were applied in non-operated patients, whereas those who underwent arthroplasty completed the SDMP and the Decisional Regret Scale (DRS). Results The PtDA produced a significant immediate improvement of decisional conflict (MD = −11.65, 95%CI: −14.93, −8.37), objective knowledge (MD = 10.37, 99%IC: 3.15, 17.70) and satisfaction (MD = 6.77, 99%CI: 1.19, 12.34), and a different distribution of preferences (χ2 = 8.74, p = 0.033). Patients with less than secondary education obtained a stronger effect on decisional conflict (p = 0.015 for the interaction) but weaker for knowledge (p = 0.051). At 6 months, there were no significant differences in any variable, including the rate of total knee replacement. Operated patients showed a low level of regret, which was not affected by the intervention. Conclusion The PtDA is effective immediately after its application, but it shows no effects in the medium-term. Future research should investigate which subgroups of patients could benefit more from this intervention, as well as the longitudinal evolution of decision-related psychological variables.

ACS Style

A. Rivero-Santana; R.S. Torrente-Jiménez; L. Perestelo-Pérez; A. Torres-Castaño; V. Ramos-García; A. Bilbao; A. Escobar; P. Serrano-Aguilar; M. Feijoo-Cid. Effectiveness of a decision aid for patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 2021, 29, 1265 -1274.

AMA Style

A. Rivero-Santana, R.S. Torrente-Jiménez, L. Perestelo-Pérez, A. Torres-Castaño, V. Ramos-García, A. Bilbao, A. Escobar, P. Serrano-Aguilar, M. Feijoo-Cid. Effectiveness of a decision aid for patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2021; 29 (9):1265-1274.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Rivero-Santana; R.S. Torrente-Jiménez; L. Perestelo-Pérez; A. Torres-Castaño; V. Ramos-García; A. Bilbao; A. Escobar; P. Serrano-Aguilar; M. Feijoo-Cid. 2021. "Effectiveness of a decision aid for patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial." Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 29, no. 9: 1265-1274.

Original article
Published: 15 November 2020 in European Journal of Cancer Care
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Objective To identify the information needs and research priorities that women with breast cancer (BC), their families and BC experts perceive on the fertility preservation. Methods We conducted two Delphi‐based studies through three online rounds. The first was aimed to identify information and research needs; the second one to assess the importance of those needs and the third one to obtain consensus, defined as an interquartile range ≤2. Results The participation rate was 76.2% in study 1 and 53.7% in study 2. The most important information needs were the referral protocol, pregnancy options for women with BC, side effects of tamoxifen and menopause as a consequence of treatment. The most important research priorities were the participation of different health professionals to provide oncofertility information, referral protocols and efficacy and safety of FP options. Conclusion Information about fertility preservation in the context of BC and different ways to get pregnant, considering risks and benefits, has emerged as an unmet need for patients and careers. The need for a participatory and coordinated approach to the provision of information on oncofertility has been agreed. Other research needs are described in an attempt to focus future research in the most necessary areas.

ACS Style

Alezandra Torres‐Castaño; Lilisbeth Perestelo‐Pérez; Andrea Duarte‐Díaz; Ana Toledo‐Chávarri; Vanesa Ramos‐García; Yolanda Álvarez‐Pérez; Pedro Serrano‐Aguilar. Information needs and research priorities for fertility preservation in women with breast cancer: patients and experts’ perspectives. European Journal of Cancer Care 2020, 30, e13359 .

AMA Style

Alezandra Torres‐Castaño, Lilisbeth Perestelo‐Pérez, Andrea Duarte‐Díaz, Ana Toledo‐Chávarri, Vanesa Ramos‐García, Yolanda Álvarez‐Pérez, Pedro Serrano‐Aguilar. Information needs and research priorities for fertility preservation in women with breast cancer: patients and experts’ perspectives. European Journal of Cancer Care. 2020; 30 (1):e13359.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alezandra Torres‐Castaño; Lilisbeth Perestelo‐Pérez; Andrea Duarte‐Díaz; Ana Toledo‐Chávarri; Vanesa Ramos‐García; Yolanda Álvarez‐Pérez; Pedro Serrano‐Aguilar. 2020. "Information needs and research priorities for fertility preservation in women with breast cancer: patients and experts’ perspectives." European Journal of Cancer Care 30, no. 1: e13359.

Journal article
Published: 07 October 2020 in International Journal of Integrated Care
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Virtual Communities of Practices (vCoP) offer patients the possibility to interact and share tools and knowledge necessary for their empowerment. This paper describes the co-design process of a vCoP for the empowerment of people with ischemic heart disease (IHD). We used a modified experience-based design approach to co-design the vCoP in collaboration with people with IHD and health professionals consisting of two phases: exploratory and development phase. Data collection techniques included listening labs, workshops, and online participation. Twenty-five people with IHD and ten health professionals participated. Experiences and needs for empowerment in IHD were identified in the exploratory phase allowing for the development of a Patient Journey Map. In the development phase, people with IHD prioritized needs to be addressed by the vCoP content framework in addition to content proposals. The Patient Journey Map helped to easily visualize the empowerment needs of people with IHD and it might be transferable for the development of other people-centred interventions. The co-design process also allowed the development of training materials adapted to the priorities of people with IHD. A people-centred co-design process of a vCoP may facilitate the empowerment of people with IHD.

ACS Style

Ana Toledo-Chávarri; Vanesa Ramos-García; Débora Koatz; Alezandra Torres-Castaño; Lilisbeth Perestelo-Pérez; Ana Belén Ramírez-Puerta; María-Eugenia Tello-Bernabé; Juan-Manuel García-García; Javier García-García; Valeria Pacheco-Huergo; Carola Orrego; Ana Isabel González-González; e-MPODERA group. Co-Design Process of a Virtual Community of Practice for the Empowerment of People with Ischemic Heart Disease. International Journal of Integrated Care 2020, 20, 9 .

AMA Style

Ana Toledo-Chávarri, Vanesa Ramos-García, Débora Koatz, Alezandra Torres-Castaño, Lilisbeth Perestelo-Pérez, Ana Belén Ramírez-Puerta, María-Eugenia Tello-Bernabé, Juan-Manuel García-García, Javier García-García, Valeria Pacheco-Huergo, Carola Orrego, Ana Isabel González-González, e-MPODERA group. Co-Design Process of a Virtual Community of Practice for the Empowerment of People with Ischemic Heart Disease. International Journal of Integrated Care. 2020; 20 (4):9.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ana Toledo-Chávarri; Vanesa Ramos-García; Débora Koatz; Alezandra Torres-Castaño; Lilisbeth Perestelo-Pérez; Ana Belén Ramírez-Puerta; María-Eugenia Tello-Bernabé; Juan-Manuel García-García; Javier García-García; Valeria Pacheco-Huergo; Carola Orrego; Ana Isabel González-González; e-MPODERA group. 2020. "Co-Design Process of a Virtual Community of Practice for the Empowerment of People with Ischemic Heart Disease." International Journal of Integrated Care 20, no. 4: 9.

Study protocol
Published: 24 August 2020 in Trials
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is a health condition sensitive to patient’s preferences and values regarding the benefits and risks of the different treatment options. In this sense, patient decision aids (PtDA) can play an important role in helping patients to incorporate their values, needs, and preferences into the decision-making process, thus improving person-centered care. Previous research has focused almost exclusively on knee OA, and therefore, the aim of this study is to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a PtDA for patients with hip OA. Methods The general design consists of two phases: (1) design a web-based PtDA for patients with hip OA, following the recommended procedures: systematic review of safety/effectiveness of treatments, and an iterative process of development with the help of an Advisory Committee composed of health professionals and patients, and (2) to evaluate the impact of the PtDA on hip OA patients’ decision-making process related with their treatment. For that aim, a multicenter randomized controlled trial will be carried out with 124 patients with hip OA in Tenerife (Spain) comparing intervention or usual care. Discussion PtDAs have been recommended as a useful and effective resource for improving PCC in many health conditions. The intervention is intended to empower patients by fostering their active participation during the decision-making process about their treatment and by ensuring they make informed decisions congruent with their values and preferences. This study will contribute to the scientific knowledge about effectiveness of PtDAs in hip OA, in order to improve the quality of health care offered to these patients. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04241978. Registered on 24 January 2020.

ACS Style

Lilisbeth Perestelo-Pérez; Yolanda Álvarez-Pérez; Amado Rivero-Santana; Vanesa Ramos-García; Andrea Duarte-Díaz; Alezandra Torres-Castaño; Ana Toledo-Chávarri; Mario Herrera-Perez; José Luis País-Brito; José Carlos Del Castillo; José Ramón Vázquez; Carola Orrego; Pedro Serrano-Aguilar. The effectiveness of a web-based decision aid for patients with hip osteoarthritis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 2020, 21, 1 -8.

AMA Style

Lilisbeth Perestelo-Pérez, Yolanda Álvarez-Pérez, Amado Rivero-Santana, Vanesa Ramos-García, Andrea Duarte-Díaz, Alezandra Torres-Castaño, Ana Toledo-Chávarri, Mario Herrera-Perez, José Luis País-Brito, José Carlos Del Castillo, José Ramón Vázquez, Carola Orrego, Pedro Serrano-Aguilar. The effectiveness of a web-based decision aid for patients with hip osteoarthritis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2020; 21 (1):1-8.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lilisbeth Perestelo-Pérez; Yolanda Álvarez-Pérez; Amado Rivero-Santana; Vanesa Ramos-García; Andrea Duarte-Díaz; Alezandra Torres-Castaño; Ana Toledo-Chávarri; Mario Herrera-Perez; José Luis País-Brito; José Carlos Del Castillo; José Ramón Vázquez; Carola Orrego; Pedro Serrano-Aguilar. 2020. "The effectiveness of a web-based decision aid for patients with hip osteoarthritis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial." Trials 21, no. 1: 1-8.

Journal article
Published: 17 August 2020 in Sustainability
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Digital health literacy (DHL) is the ability to search, understand and evaluate information from digital media and apply that knowledge to solve health problems. However, currently many citizens have not developed these skills, and this compromises not only the self-management of their health, but the possibility that health services are socially sustainable. The objective of this article was to present the objectives, activities and results of the IC-Health project whose objective was to develop a series of massive open online courses (MOOCs) to improve the DHL skills of European citizens. An exploratory report on DHL’s current evidence was developed. Furthermore, a survey, focus groups and group interviews were conducted to determine DHL levels and the needs of population cohorts (children; adolescents; pregnant and lactating women; the elderly; and people affected by type 1 and type 2 diabetes). A participation strategy with end users was designed through a community of practice for the creation of MOOCs with the seven European countries that participated in the consortium. Thirty-five MOOCs were developed in eight different languages and a descriptive and exploratory assessment of MOOCs was conducted with new participants. This first evaluation indicated that MOOCs can be an effective educational resource for DHL and a facilitator of shared decision-making processes. The process of co-creation of MOOCs, the components, the challenges and the opportunities identified in this European project could be useful for other developers of MOOCs who want to co-create interventions with beneficiaries in similar settings. Further longer-term actions are still needed to improve citizens’ DHL.

ACS Style

Lilisbeth Perestelo-Perez; Alezandra Torres-Castaño; Carina González-González; Yolanda Alvarez-Perez; Ana Toledo-Chavarri; Ana Wagner; Michelle Perello; Stephan Van Der Broucke; Gonzalo Díaz-Meneses; Barbara Piccini; Amado Rivero-Santana; Pedro Serrano-Aguilar; on behalf of the IC Project Consortium. IC-Health Project: Development of MOOCs to Promote Digital Health Literacy: First Results and Future Challenges. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6642 .

AMA Style

Lilisbeth Perestelo-Perez, Alezandra Torres-Castaño, Carina González-González, Yolanda Alvarez-Perez, Ana Toledo-Chavarri, Ana Wagner, Michelle Perello, Stephan Van Der Broucke, Gonzalo Díaz-Meneses, Barbara Piccini, Amado Rivero-Santana, Pedro Serrano-Aguilar, on behalf of the IC Project Consortium. IC-Health Project: Development of MOOCs to Promote Digital Health Literacy: First Results and Future Challenges. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (16):6642.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lilisbeth Perestelo-Perez; Alezandra Torres-Castaño; Carina González-González; Yolanda Alvarez-Perez; Ana Toledo-Chavarri; Ana Wagner; Michelle Perello; Stephan Van Der Broucke; Gonzalo Díaz-Meneses; Barbara Piccini; Amado Rivero-Santana; Pedro Serrano-Aguilar; on behalf of the IC Project Consortium. 2020. "IC-Health Project: Development of MOOCs to Promote Digital Health Literacy: First Results and Future Challenges." Sustainability 12, no. 16: 6642.

Journal article
Published: 31 March 2015 in Infancia y Aprendizaje
Reads 0
Downloads 0

With the aim of studying the impact of the internet in the home, this paper analyses how the physical component (where and with whom) and attitudinal component (who decides what the child is to see on the internet and motivations for internet use) of the family educational scenario influence the frequency of internet use and diversity of uses, as reported by parents. The participants included 711 parents of children in primary and secondary school. Results showed that being in secondary school, using the internet in privacy at home, without company, internet content under the child’s control, and parental motivations based on the internet being used as a means for the child to relax, predicted higher frequency of internet use. Some of these factors, as well as the presence of peers and new parental attitudes related to the use of the internet for social and learning purposes, predicted a greater variety of uses, suggesting a more appropriate family scenario. The practical implications for parental education on this matter are described.

ACS Style

Sonia Padilla; Elisa Rodriguez; Miriam Alvarez; Alezandra Torres; Arminda Suárez; María José Rodrigo. The influence of the family educational scenario on internet use of primary and secondary school children / La influencia del escenario educativo familiar en el uso de internet en los niños de primaria y secundaria. Infancia y Aprendizaje 2015, 38, 402 -434.

AMA Style

Sonia Padilla, Elisa Rodriguez, Miriam Alvarez, Alezandra Torres, Arminda Suárez, María José Rodrigo. The influence of the family educational scenario on internet use of primary and secondary school children / La influencia del escenario educativo familiar en el uso de internet en los niños de primaria y secundaria. Infancia y Aprendizaje. 2015; 38 (2):402-434.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sonia Padilla; Elisa Rodriguez; Miriam Alvarez; Alezandra Torres; Arminda Suárez; María José Rodrigo. 2015. "The influence of the family educational scenario on internet use of primary and secondary school children / La influencia del escenario educativo familiar en el uso de internet en los niños de primaria y secundaria." Infancia y Aprendizaje 38, no. 2: 402-434.