scholarly journals Hospital Epidemics Tracker (HEpiTracker): Description and pilot study of a mobile app to track COVID-19 in hospital workers (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan B Soriano ◽  
Esteve Fernández ◽  
Álvaro de Astorza ◽  
Luis A Pérez de Llano ◽  
Alberto Fernández-Villar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Workers ◽  
Serological Test ◽  
Hospital Staff ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Hospital Workers ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Former Smokers ◽  
General Health Score ◽  
Spread Of Infection ◽  
User Friendly

BACKGROUND Hospital workers have been the most frequently and severely affected professional group during the COVID-19 pandemic, and have a big impact on transmission. In this context, innovative tools are required to measure the symptoms compatible with COVID-19, the spread of infection, and testing capabilities within hospitals in real time. OBJECTIVE We aimed to develop and test an effective and user-friendly tool to identify and track symptoms compatible with COVID-19 in hospital workers. METHODS We developed and pilot tested Hospital Epidemics Tracker (HEpiTracker), a newly designed app to track the spread of COVID-19 among hospital workers. Hospital staff in 9 hospital centers across 5 Spanish regions (Andalusia, Balearics, Catalonia, Galicia, and Madrid) were invited to download the app on their phones and to register their daily body temperature, COVID-19–compatible symptoms, and general health score, as well as any polymerase chain reaction and serological test results. RESULTS A total of 477 hospital staff participated in the study between April 8 and June 2, 2020. Of note, both health-related (n=329) and non–health-related (n=148) professionals participated in the study; over two-thirds of participants (68.8%) were health workers (43.4% physicians and 25.4% nurses), while the proportion of non–health-related workers by center ranged from 40% to 85%. Most participants were female (n=323, 67.5%), with a mean age of 45.4 years (SD 10.6). Regarding smoking habits, 13.0% and 34.2% of participants were current or former smokers, respectively. The daily reporting of symptoms was highly variable across participating hospitals; although we observed a decline in adherence after an initial participation peak in some hospitals, other sites were characterized by low participation rates throughout the study period. CONCLUSIONS HEpiTracker is an already available tool to monitor COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in hospital workers. This tool has already been tested in real conditions. HEpiTracker is available in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. It has the potential to become a customized asset to be used in future COVID-19 pandemic waves and other environments. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04326400; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04326400

scholarly journals Hospital Epidemics Tracker (HEpiTracker): Description and pilot study of a mobile app to track COVID-19 in hospital workers

10.2196/21653 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. e21653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan B Soriano ◽  
Esteve Fernández ◽  
Álvaro de Astorza ◽  
Luis A Pérez de Llano ◽  
Alberto Fernández-Villar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Workers ◽  
Serological Test ◽  
Hospital Staff ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Hospital Workers ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Former Smokers ◽  
General Health Score ◽  
Spread Of Infection ◽  
User Friendly

Background Hospital workers have been the most frequently and severely affected professional group during the COVID-19 pandemic, and have a big impact on transmission. In this context, innovative tools are required to measure the symptoms compatible with COVID-19, the spread of infection, and testing capabilities within hospitals in real time. Objective We aimed to develop and test an effective and user-friendly tool to identify and track symptoms compatible with COVID-19 in hospital workers. Methods We developed and pilot tested Hospital Epidemics Tracker (HEpiTracker), a newly designed app to track the spread of COVID-19 among hospital workers. Hospital staff in 9 hospital centers across 5 Spanish regions (Andalusia, Balearics, Catalonia, Galicia, and Madrid) were invited to download the app on their phones and to register their daily body temperature, COVID-19–compatible symptoms, and general health score, as well as any polymerase chain reaction and serological test results. Results A total of 477 hospital staff participated in the study between April 8 and June 2, 2020. Of note, both health-related (n=329) and non–health-related (n=148) professionals participated in the study; over two-thirds of participants (68.8%) were health workers (43.4% physicians and 25.4% nurses), while the proportion of non–health-related workers by center ranged from 40% to 85%. Most participants were female (n=323, 67.5%), with a mean age of 45.4 years (SD 10.6). Regarding smoking habits, 13.0% and 34.2% of participants were current or former smokers, respectively. The daily reporting of symptoms was highly variable across participating hospitals; although we observed a decline in adherence after an initial participation peak in some hospitals, other sites were characterized by low participation rates throughout the study period. Conclusions HEpiTracker is an already available tool to monitor COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in hospital workers. This tool has already been tested in real conditions. HEpiTracker is available in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. It has the potential to become a customized asset to be used in future COVID-19 pandemic waves and other environments. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04326400; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04326400

India Goes Digital..Smartphone is the New Shopping Destination

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 289
Author(s):  
Shankar Chaudhary
Keyword(s):  
Online Shopping ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
Mobile Commerce ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Smart Phones ◽  
The Internet ◽  
The World ◽  
Shopping Experience ◽  
User Friendly

Despite being in nascent stage m-commerce is gaining momentum in India. The explosive growth of smart-phone users has made India much loved business destination for whole world. Indian internet user is becoming the second largest in the world next to China surpassing US, which throws open plenty of e-commerce opportunities, not only for Indian players, offshore players as well. Mobile commerce is likely to overtake e-commerce in the next few years, spurred by the continued uptrend in online shopping and increasing use of mobile apps.The optimism comes from the fact that people accessing the Internet through their mobiles had jumped 33 per cent in 2014 to 173 million and is expected to grow 21 per cent year-on-year till 2019 to touch 457 million. e-Commerce brands are eyeing on the mobile app segment by developing user-friendly and secure mobile apps offering a risk-free and easy shopping experience to its users. Budget 4G smart phones coupled with affordable plans, can very well drive 4G growth in India.

scholarly journals Evaluating the quality and safety of health-related apps and e-tools: Adapting the Mobile App Rating Scale and developing a quality assurance protocol

2021 ◽  
pp. 100379
Author(s):  
Anna E. Roberts ◽  
Tracey A. Davenport ◽  
Toby Wong ◽  
Hyei-Won Moon ◽  
Ian B. Hickie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Health Related

scholarly journals Coassessment framework to identify person-centred unmet needs in stroke rehabilitation: a case report in Norway

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-156
Author(s):  
Kari Jorunn Kværner ◽  
Linn Nathalie Støme ◽  
Jonathan Romm ◽  
Karianne Rygh ◽  
Frida Almquist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Stroke Rehabilitation ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Hospital Workers ◽  
Next Of Kin ◽  
Patient Journey ◽  
Health Value

ObjectiveTo describe unmet needs and values in stroke rehabilitation using the Health Value Framework and the associated coassessment tool Health Value Spider, a framework designed to identify and prioritise unmet needs based on health technology assessment (HTA).SettingThe study took place at Oslo University Hospital, Norway, from February to April 2019. Participants in three consecutive workshops were recruited from Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Oslo Municipality, Hospital Procurement Trust and Oslo University Hospital. Twenty-four hospital workers (medical and allied health staff and administrative staff) participated in workshop 1 and 29 patients, user representatives and hospital workers in workshop 2. Twenty-one patients and hospital workers participated in workshop 3.InterventionsStakeholder analysis and scenario building was performed in a coassessment setting where unmet needs were identified applying the Health Value Framework. Two of the authors are also the developers of the Health Value Framework (KJK and LNS).ResultsIn the two first workshops where health workers, patients and next of kin perspectives were elicited, three needs were identified: patient insecurity in patient journey transitions, lack of stroke rehabilitation expertise in primary care and invisible patient problems, such as fatigue and cognitive impairment. In workshop 3, 12 opportunity areas were identified. Four opportunity areas were selected by the stakeholders based on a prioritisation process: early discovery of cognitive impairment, rehabilitation continuity, empowered patients and next of kin and remote monitoring and digital touchpoints.ConclusionHealth Value Spider successfully identified and prioritised unmet needs and described associated values.

scholarly journals Improving the experience of facility-based delivery for vulnerable women through obstetric care navigation: a qualitative evaluation

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Austad ◽  
Michel Juarez ◽  
Hannah Shryer ◽  
Patricia L. Hibberd ◽  
Mari-Lynn Drainoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Workers ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Obstetric Care ◽  
Hospital Staff ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Global disparities in maternal mortality could be reduced by universal facility delivery. Yet, deficiencies in the quality of care prevent some mothers from seeking facility-based obstetric care. Obstetric care navigators (OCNs) are a new form of lay health workers that combine elements of continuous labor support and care navigation to promote obstetric referrals. Here we report qualitative results from the pilot OCN project implemented in Indigenous villages in the Guatemalan central highlands. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 mothers who received OCN accompaniment and 13 staff—namely physicians, nurses, and social workers—of the main public hospital in the pilot’s catchment area (Chimaltenango). Interviews queried OCN’s impact on patient and hospital staff experience and understanding of intended OCN roles. Audiorecorded interviews were transcribed, coded, and underwent content analysis. Results Maternal fear of surgical intervention, disrespectful and abusive treatment, and linguistic barriers were principal deterrents of care seeking. Physicians and nurses reported cultural barriers, opposition from family, and inadequate hospital resources as challenges to providing care to Indigenous mothers. Patient and hospital staff identified four valuable services offered by OCNs: emotional support, patient advocacy, facilitation of patient-provider communication, and care coordination. While patients and most physicians felt that OCNs had an overwhelmingly positive impact, nurses felt their effort would be better directed toward traditional nursing tasks. Conclusions Many barriers to maternity care exist for Indigenous mothers in Guatemala. OCNs can improve mothers’ experiences in public hospitals and reduce limitations faced by providers. However, broader buy-in from hospital staff—especially nurses—appears critical to program success. Future research should focus on measuring the impact of obstetric care navigation on key clinical outcomes (cesarean delivery) and mothers’ future care seeking behavior.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic and Behavioral Correlates of COVID-19 Infections among Hospital Workers in the Greater Jakarta Area, Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5048
Author(s):  
Adrianna Bella ◽  
Mochamad Thoriq Akbar ◽  
Gita Kusnadi ◽  
Olivia Herlinda ◽  
Putri Aprilia Regita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Worker ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Hospital Staff ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Household Size ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Hospital Workers ◽  
Behavioral Correlates ◽  
Cross Sectional

(1) Background: because of close contacts with COVID-19 patients, hospital workers are among the highest risk groups for infection. This study examined the socioeconomic and behavioral correlates of COVID-19 infection among hospital workers in Indonesia, the country hardest-hit by the disease in the Southeast Asia region. (2) Methods: we conducted a cross-sectional study, which collected data from 1397 hospital staff from eight hospitals in the Greater Jakarta area during April–July 2020. The data was collected using an online self-administered questionnaire and Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests. We employed descriptive statistics and adjusted and unadjusted logistic regressions to analyze the data of hospital workers as well as the subgroups of healthcare and non-healthcare workers. (3) Results: from a total of 1397 hospital staff in the study, 22 (1.6%) were infected. In terms of correlates, being a healthcare worker (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 8.31, 95% CI 1.27–54.54) and having a household size of more than five (AOR = 4.09, 1.02–16.43) were significantly associated with a higher risk of infection. On the other hand, those with middle- and upper-expenditure levels were shown to have a lower risk of infection (AOR = 0.06, 0.01–0.66). Behavioral factors associated with COVID-19 infection among healthcare and non-healthcare workers included knowledge of standard personal protective equipment (PPE) (AOR = 0.08, 0.01–0.54) and application of the six-step handwashing technique (AOR = 0.32, 0.12–0.83). (4) Conclusion: among hospital staff, correlates of COVID-19 infection included being a healthcare worker, household size, expenditure level, knowledge and use of PPE, and application of appropriate hand washing techniques.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of preventive and anti-epidemic measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among patients and medical personnel of an antitubercular hospital during the pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 8-14
Author(s):  
Temirov Nemat Moidunovich ◽  
Mamyrova Kanykey Kanybekovna ◽  
Abdimomunova Begimay Toktobolotovna ◽  
Satybaldieva Ayzirek Topchubaevna ◽  
Zholdoshev Saparbay Tezekbaevich
Keyword(s):  
High Efficiency ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Hospital Staff ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Tuberculosis Control ◽  
Control Center ◽  
Adequate Ventilation ◽  
Sources Of Infection ◽  
Coronavirus Infection ◽  
Spread Of Infection

The commonality of mechanisms and ways of transmission of new coronavirus infection and tuberculosis increases the risk of spreading pathogens and determines common preventive approaches. The aim of the work was to assess the effectiveness of preventive and anti-epidemic measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among patients and medical personnel of an antitubercular hospital during the pandemic. Given the specifics of TB hospital developed and implemented a complex of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which includes the identification and isolation of sources of infection, disinfection of air and adequate ventilation, disinfection of surfaces, use of personal protective equipment. The article describes the group morbidity of COVID-19 patients in an antitubercular hospital, which was caused by the introduction of infection into the hospital by patients in the incubation period. Timely measures made it possible to localize the situation and prevent the widespread spread of infection. The complex of measures for the protection of medical personnel has shown its high efficiency, which was manifested in the absence of cases of illness of personnel working in the «red zone». The absence of a consistent epidemic spread of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 among patients and hospital staff of the R.G. Bauer Jalal-Abad Regional Tuberculosis Control Center allows us to use the described experience of conducting preventive and anti-epidemic measures in medical organizations of this type.

Initiating Collaboration among Organ Transplant Professionals through Web Portals and Mobile Applications

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Alexander ◽  
Haley Hoy ◽  
Manil Maskey ◽  
Helen Conover ◽  
John Gamble ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Organ Transplant ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Efficient Access ◽  
Health Related

The knowledge base for healthcare providers working in the field of organ transplantation has grown exponentially. However, the field has no centralized ‘space’ dedicated to efficient access and sharing of information.The ease of use and portability of mobile applications (apps) make them ideal for subspecialists working in complex healthcare environments. In this article, the authors review the literature related to healthcare technology; describe the development of health-related technology; present their mobile app pilot project assessing the effects of a collaborative, mobile app based on a freely available content manage framework; and report their findings. They conclude by sharing both lessons learned while completing this project and future directions.

scholarly journals BPcontrol

2016 ◽  
Vol 07 (04) ◽  
pp. 1120-1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrián Carrera ◽  
Marc Pifarré ◽  
Jordi Vilaplana ◽  
Josep Cuadrado ◽  
Sara Solsona ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operating Systems ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Hypertensive Patients ◽  
Monitoring And Diagnosis ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Communication Efficiency ◽  
Efficiency Factors ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Health Care Centers

SummaryBackground Hypertension or high blood pressure is on the rise. Not only does it affect the elderly but is also increasingly spreading to younger sectors of the population. Treating this condition involves exhaustive monitoring of patients. The current mobile health services can be improved to perform this task more effectively.Objective To develop a useful, user-friendly, robust and efficient app, to monitor hypertensive patients and adapted to the particular requirements of hypertension.Methods This work presents BPcontrol, an Android and iOS app that allows hypertensive patients to communicate with their health-care centers, thus facilitating monitoring and diagnosis. Usability, robustness and efficiency factors for BPcontrol were evaluated for different devices and operating systems (Android, iOS and system-aware). Furthermore, its features were compared with other similar apps in the literature.Results BPcontrol is robust and user-friendly. The respective start-up efficiency of the Android and iOS versions of BPcontrol were 2.4 and 8.8 times faster than a system-aware app. Similar values were obtained for the communication efficiency (7.25 and 11.75 times faster for the Android and iOS respectively). When comparing plotting performance, BPcontrol was on average 2.25 times faster in the Android case. Most of the apps in the literature have no communication with a server, thus making it impossible to compare their performance with BPcontrol.Conclusions Its optimal design and the good behavior of its facilities make BPcontrol a very promising mobile app for monitoring hypertensive patients.Citation: Carrera A, Pifarré M, Vilaplana J, Cuadrado J, Solsona S, Mateo J, Solsona F. BPcontrol: a mobile app to monitor hypertensive patients

scholarly journals Sustainable electricity for sustainable health? A case study in North-western Zambia

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 72-82
Author(s):  
Lizzie Caperon ◽  
Lina Brand-Correa
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Hydropower Plant ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Impact

This study explores the under-researched link between clean energy and public health outcomes, and offers new insights into the link between wider access to clean energy and progress towards health outcomes, in particular the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes. This is the first study to consider the impact of a run-of-river hydropower plant (RORHP) in a remote rural community in Zambia in relation to health outcomes. Exploring this relationship establishes how the health benefits which renewable energy can bring can be capitalised upon to meet the health-related objectives of the United Nations sustainable development goals. Workshops and semi-structured interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders including community members, health workers, business owners, and key people involved with the plant, to establish health and social impacts of the introduction of electricity in the community of Ikelenge. Findings are used to establish both synergies and trade-offs of the RORHP on the health of the community, and recommendations are made for the continued improvement of health following the introduction of the RORHP, to achieve further progress towards meeting SDG targets.

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