A first long-term evaluation of the Council of Coaches application: An observational cohort study

Abstract Background Due to the aging population, more and more older adults are living with chronic conditions. Adopting a healthy lifestyle can reduce the impact of these conditions. To address this issue, Council of Coaches (COUCH) has been developed within the Council of Coaches project (European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 769553). COUCH is a web application (TRL6), in which users can have virtual conversations with a group of embodied virtual coaches. These coaches give users information, feedback and tips on adopting a healthy lifestyle primarily in the areas of physical activity and nutrition. The aim of this evaluation is to assess the use, user experience, and potential health effects. Methods Use will be assessed by the log data of COUCH, and user experience and potential health effects will be assessed by questionnaires. The target population (older adults, 55 years or older) will participate in an observational cohort study with a pre-test/post-test design. Subjects will complete multiple questionnaires: before the baseline phase, after the implementation phase and, after the follow-up phase. Each participant will sign an informed consent form. Results The COUCH evaluation consists of two rounds. The first round started in February 2020, the second round will start in May 2020, with 25 subjects planned in each round. For the first round, 26 subjects are already recruited and included. For the second round, 12 subjects are already recruited. In August 2020, the results of the evaluation will be available. During this presentation, these results will be presented. This will consist of user demographics, use, user experience, and of the results on potential health effect. Conclusions This evaluation will give us a broad overview of the use, user experience and effectiveness of COUCH in a real-life setting, leading to further development of COUCH.

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User Experience and Potential Health Effects of a Conversational Agent-Based Electronic Health Intervention: An Observational Cohort Study in the Netherlands

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3787465 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marian Z.M. Hurmuz ◽

Stephanie M. Jansen-Kosterink ◽

Tessa Beinema ◽

Katrien Fischer ◽

Harm op den Akker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Health Effects ◽

User Experience ◽

Health Intervention ◽

Observational Cohort Study ◽

Conversational Agent ◽

Potential Health ◽

Agent Based ◽

Observational Cohort

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User Experience and Potential Health Effects of a Conversational Agent-Based Electronic Health Intervention: Protocol for an Observational Cohort Study

JMIR Research Protocols ◽

10.2196/16641 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. e16641

Author(s):

Marian Z M Hurmuz ◽

Stephanie M Jansen-Kosterink ◽

Harm op den Akker ◽

Hermie J Hermens

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Chronic Pain ◽

User Experience ◽

Chronic Conditions ◽

Healthy Lifestyle ◽

Observational Cohort Study ◽

Potential Health ◽

Observational Cohort

Background While the average human life expectancy has increased remarkably, the length of life with chronic conditions has also increased. To limit the occurrence of chronic conditions and comorbidities, it is important to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Within the European project “Council of Coaches,” a personalized coaching platform was developed that supports developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Objective The primary aim of this study is to assess the user experience with and the use and potential health effects of a fully working Council of Coaches system implemented in a real-world setting among the target population, specifically older adults or adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus or chronic pain. Methods An observational cohort study with a pretest-posttest design will be conducted. The study population will be a dynamic cohort consisting of older adults, aged ≥55 years, as well as adults aged ≥18 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus or chronic pain. Each participant will interact in a fully automated manner with Council of Coaches for 5 to 9 weeks. The primary outcomes are user experience, use of the program, and potential effects (health-related factors). Secondary outcomes include demographics, applicability of the virtual coaches, and user interaction with the virtual coaches. Results Recruitment started in December 2019 and is conducted through mass mailing, snowball sampling, and advertisements in newspapers and social media. This study is expected to conclude in August 2020. Conclusions The results of this study will either confirm or reject the hypothesis that a group of virtual embodied conversational coaches can keep users engaged over several weeks of interaction and contribute to positive health outcomes. Trial Registration The Netherlands Trial Register: NL7911; https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/7911 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/16641

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Evaluation of a digital health gamification platform with older adults: An observational cohort study with a pre-test/post-test design

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.1235 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

M Hurmuz ◽

S M Jansen-Kosterink ◽

L van Velsen

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Cohort Study ◽

User Experience ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Observational Cohort Study ◽

Test Design ◽

Post Test ◽

Observational Cohort

Abstract Background Older adults are usually less physically active than younger adults. Physical inactivity can lead to frailty, which can increase the possibility of being admitted in a hospital and, being functional limited. To handle frailty Stranded is developed. Within this platform the user will be shipwrecked and has to build a boat to leave an uninhibited island. The user can leave the island by executing physical exercises and playing cognitive games. The primary aim focussed on differences in quality of life and perceived health status after using Stranded (TRL7). The secondary aim focussed on the usability of and user experience with Stranded. This study was conducted within the FRAIL-project (Eurostars-2 10.824). Methods An observational cohort study with a pre-test/post-test design was carried out. The pre-test measurements were performed before the use of Stranded, and the post-test measurements after using it for four weeks. The study population consisted of older adults, 55 years of age or older and each subject signed an informed consent form. Results One hundred and eleven older adults were included in this study (64.9% female and 35.1% male) and 91 participants started using Stranded. In total, 59 subjects dropped out. Two health variables significantly increased (n = 52), the subjects' perceived health state on a visual analogue scale and the subjects' quality of life viewed from the positive health perspective. Stranded's usability scored an average of 61.3 (SD = 21.6). The average scores on the user experience domains were all between 3.3 and 3.9 on a 7-point scale. The subjects did not have a strong negative or positive opinion about these domains. Conclusions The average quality of life increased slightly. It is hard to find an appropriate population to investigate the effects of these innovations, because of not willing to include too frail older adults for whom participating could be intensive. The usability was perceived as acceptable.

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Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Target Attainment Based on Measured Versus Predicted Unbound Ceftriaxone Concentrations in Critically Ill Patients with Pneumonia: An Observational Cohort Study

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics10050557 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 557

Author(s):

Matthias Gijsen ◽

Erwin Dreesen ◽

Ruth Van Daele ◽

Pieter Annaert ◽

Yves Debaveye ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Renal Function ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Protein Binding ◽

Critically Ill ◽

Critically Ill Patients ◽

Observational Cohort Study ◽

Target Attainment ◽

Binding Model ◽

Observational Cohort ◽

The Impact

The impact of ceftriaxone pharmacokinetic alterations on protein binding and PK/PD target attainment still remains unclear. We evaluated pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) target attainment of unbound ceftriaxone in critically ill patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Besides, we evaluated the accuracy of predicted vs. measured unbound ceftriaxone concentrations, and its impact on PK/PD target attainment. A prospective observational cohort study was carried out in adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit with severe CAP. Ceftriaxone 2 g q24h intermittent infusion was administered to all patients. Successful PK/PD target attainment was defined as unbound trough concentrations above 1 or 4 mg/L throughout the whole dosing interval. Acceptable overall PK/PD target attainment was defined as successful target attainment in ≥90% of all dosing intervals. Measured unbound ceftriaxone concentrations (CEFu) were compared to unbound concentrations predicted from various protein binding models. Thirty-one patients were included. The 1 mg/L and 4 mg/L targets were reached in 26/32 (81%) and 15/32 (47%) trough samples, respectively. Increased renal function was associated with the failure to attain both PK/PD targets. Unbound ceftriaxone concentrations predicted by the protein binding model developed in the present study showed acceptable bias and precision and had no major impact on PK/PD target attainment. We showed suboptimal (i.e., <90%) unbound ceftriaxone PK/PD target attainment when using a standard 2 g q24h dosing regimen in critically ill patients with severe CAP. Renal function was the major driver for the failure to attain the predefined targets, in accordance with results found in general and septic ICU patients. Interestingly, CEFu was reliably predicted from CEFt without major impact on clinical decisions regarding PK/PD target attainment. This suggests that, when carefully selecting a protein binding model, CEFu does not need to be measured. As a result, the turn-around time and cost for ceftriaxone quantification can be substantially reduced.

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