Discovering User Preferences for Digital Health in Well-being Apps (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neta Kela ◽  
Eleanor Eytam ◽  
Adi Katz
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Major Product ◽  
User Preferences ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Range Of Functions ◽  
Mhealth Apps

UNSTRUCTURED The desire for healthcare organizations to reduce the cost of chronic care and to prevent disease from occurring to begin with, has coincided with the development of new technology that is revolutionizing digital health. Numerous health-oriented mobile phone applications (referred to as mHealth apps) have been developed and are available for download into smartphones. These mHealth apps serve a wide range of functions. There are apps that monitor data to treat or avoid chronic illness; apps for managing daily activities and diet; apps promoting healthy choices for people who want to maintain and improve their overall health, and many others. While it is generally recognized that mHealth apps have a significant potential for promoting public health, little research has been done to determine user preferences for such apps. Understanding what users want in their mHealth apps can help increase their acceptability and encourage healthy lifestyles. The research in this article tests the major product qualities of such apps, asking two key questions: Do users seek interaction with a live physician, or are they willing to rely on artificial intelligence to analyze data from their app? Which aspects of their app do they consider as having a positive instrumental, aesthetic, or symbolic value? Next, the research presented here tests how these judgments influence product preference. The contribution of this paper is its focus on user preferences which may help in the design of mHealth apps to better address peoples’ needs—thus encouraging a wide, frequent, and effective use of such tools which promote public health.

scholarly journals Preparing the public health workforce for digital health futures: the case for digital Health training & capacity building

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
B Wong ◽  
S Buttigieg ◽  
D Vital Brito
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Public Health Education ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Digital technologies are rapidly being integrated into a wide range of health fields, public health in particular. While ‘digital health' has the potential to significantly improve population health and well-being outcomes, its effective implementation and responsible use are contingent on building a public health workforce with a sufficient level of knowledge and skills to effectively navigate the digital transformations in health. In particular, the next generation of public health professionals-namely youth-must be adequately prepared to maximise the potential of these digital transformations. This presentation will highlight three key priority areas which should be prioritised in digital health education in public health to fully harness the potential benefits of digital health: capacity building, opportunities for youth, and an ethics-driven approach. It will also present applications of digital health (technologies) and best practices for public health education.

scholarly journals The King of Dirt: Public Health and Sanitation in Late Medieval Ghent

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janna Coomans
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Urban Governance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Late Medieval ◽  
Urban Sanitation ◽  
Preventative Health ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Common

Taking the office of the coninc der ribauden in Ghent as a case-study, this article reconstructs the enforcement of urban sanitation and preventative health practices during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The coninc managed a wide range of issues perceived as potentially polluting, damaging or threateningto health. Banning waste and chasing pigs as well as prostitutes off the streets, the office implemented a governmental vision on communal well-being. Health interests, as part of a broader pursuit of the common good, therefore played an important yet hitherto largely overlooked role in medieval urban governance.

scholarly journals Proposal for the Development and Addition of a Cybersecurity Assessment Section into Technology Involving Global Public Health

2020 ◽  
pp. 48-61
Author(s):  
Stanley Mierzwa ◽  
◽  
Saumya RamaRao ◽  
Jung Ah Yun ◽  
Bok Gyo Jeong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Security Risk ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Health Initiatives ◽  
Security Risk Assessment

This paper discusses and proposes the inclusion of a cyber or security risk assessment section during the course of public health initiatives involving the use of information and communication computer technology. Over the last decade, many public health research efforts have included information technologies such as Mobile Health (mHealth), Electronic Health (eHealth), Telehealth, and Digital Health to assist with unmet global development health needs. This paper provides a background on the lack of documentation on cybersecurity risks or vulnerability assessments in global public health areas. This study suggests existing frameworks and policies be adopted for public health. We also propose to incorporate a simple assessment toolbox and a research paper section intended to help minimize cybersecurity and information security risks for public, non-profit, and healthcare organizations.

Current issues of preventive medicine and sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population: factors, technologies, management and risk assessment.

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Editorial Office ◽  
Human Welfare ◽  
Social Hygiene ◽  
Rights Protection ◽  
Consumer Rights ◽  
Wide Range

This publication is the second issue of the annual collection of original scientific works (articles) of the medical and preventive direction, compiled by the Federal State Budgetary Institution «Nizhny Novgorod Research Institute of Hygiene and Occupational Pathology» of Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare. The collection covers a very wide range of disciplines, including: hygienic sciences, epidemiology, social hygiene and the organization of the state sanitary and Epidemiological service, bacteriology, disinfection, sanitary and hygienic research methods, public health and public health. The publication is addressed to specialists of Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare - bodies and institutions, health care organizers, employees of specialized scientific and practical organizations; as well as teachers, students, residents and postgraduates of medical universities. Scientific articles are published in the author's editorial office.

scholarly journals Challenges of students and residents of human medicine in the first four months of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic – Implications for future waves and scenarios

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benny Wohlfarth ◽  
Beat Gloor ◽  
Wolf E. Hautz
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
English Language ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Human Medicine ◽  
Clinical Knowledge ◽  
Safety Measures ◽  
Faculty Preparation ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Introduction In the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, medical students and residents are expected to adapt and contribute in a healthcare environment characterized by ever-changing measures and policies. The aim of this narrative review is to provide a summary of the literature that addresses the challenges of students and residents of human medicine in the first 4 months of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in order to identify gaps and find implications for improvement within the current situation and for potential future scenarios. Methods We performed a systematic literature search and content analysis (CA) of articles available in English language that address the challenges of students and residents of human medicine in the first 4 months of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Results We retrieved 82 articles from a wide range of journals, professional backgrounds and countries. CA identified five recurring subgroup topics: “faculty preparation”, «uncertainties and mental health», «clinical knowledge», «rights and obligations» and «(self-) support and supply». Within these subgroups the main concerns of (re-)deployment, interruption of training and career, safety issues, transmission of disease, and restricted social interaction were identified as potential stressors that hold a risk for fatigue, loss of morale and burnout. Discussion Students and residents are willing and able to participate in the fight against Covid-19 when provided with appropriate deployment, legal guidance, safety measures, clinical knowledge, thorough supervision, social integration and mental health support. Preceding interviews to decide on reasonable voluntary deployment, the use of new technology and frequent feedback communication with faculties, educators and policymakers can further help with a successful and sustainable integration of students and residents in the fight against the pandemic. Conclusion It is critical that faculties, educators and policymakers have a thorough understanding of the needs and concerns of medical trainees during pandemic times. Leaders should facilitate close communication with students and residents, value their intrinsic creativeness and regularly evaluate their needs in regards to deployment, knowledge aspects, safety measures, legal concerns and overall well-being.

Religion, Aging, and Public Health

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Levin ◽  
Ellen Idler
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Perinatal Care ◽  
Geriatric Medicine ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Age Cohorts ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Health And Well Being

Religion, in both its personal and institutional forms, is a significant force influencing the health of populations across the life course. Decades of research have documented that expressions of faith and the practice of spiritual pursuits exhibit significantly protective effects for physical and mental health, psychological well-being, and population rates of morbidity, mortality, and disability. This finding has been observed across sociodemographic categories, across nations and cultures, across specific disease outcomes, and regardless of one’s religious affiliation. A salutary religious effect on health and well-being is especially apparent among older adults, but is also observed across generations and age cohorts. Moreover, this association has been persistently found for various religious indicators, including attendance at worship services, prayer and other private practices, subjective feelings of religiosity, and numerous measures of religious behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and experiences. Finally, a protective or primary preventive effect of religion has been observed in clinical, epidemiologic, social, and behavioral studies, regardless of research design or methodology. Faith-based organizations also have contributed to the health of populations, in partnerships or alliances with medical institutions and public health agencies, many of these dating back many decades. Examples include congregational health promotion and disease prevention programs and community-wide interventions, especially targeting the health and well-being of older congregants and those in less well-resourced communities, as well as faith–health partnerships in healthcare delivery, public health policymaking, and legislative advocacy for healthcare reform. Religious denominations and institutions also play a substantial role in global health development throughout the world, individually and in partnership with national health ministries, transnational medical mission organizations, and established nongovernmental agencies. These efforts focus on a wide range of goals and objectives, including building public health infrastructure, addressing ongoing environmental health needs, and responding to acute public health challenges and crises, such as infectious disease outbreaks. Constituencies include at-risk populations and cohorts throughout the life course, and programming ranges from perinatal care to maternal and child healthcare to geriatric medicine.

Scaling-Up Digital Innovations in Healthcare: Expert Commentary on Success Factors and Barriers (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Schlieter ◽  
Lisa A. Marsch ◽  
Diane Whitehouse ◽  
Lena Otto ◽  
Ana Rita Londral ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Wide Range

UNSTRUCTURED Healthcare delivery is undergoing a rapid change from traditional processes towards the use of digital health interventions and personalized medicine. Hospitals and health care providers are introducing hospital information systems, electronic health records, and telemedicine solutions to create more efficient workflows in and beyond institutions. Patients are choosing among a wide range of digital health tools provided by wearables and mobile phone applications to support their self-management, health and well-being. The question of how sustainable digital health scale-up can be successfully achieved is not yet sufficiently resolved. This paper identifies and discusses success factors and barriers for scaling-up digital health innovations. The results discussed in this paper were gathered by 13 scientists and representatives of public bodies and patient organizations during the 1st International Workshop on Best Practices for Scaling-Up Digital Innovations in Healthcare – Scale-IT-up!, co-located with the BIOSTEC 2020 conference held in Valletta, Malta. The resulting success factors and barriers are explored in the context of prior research and implications for future work.

scholarly journals Applications of digital health for public health responses to COVID-19: a systematic scoping review of artificial intelligence, telehealth and related technologies

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinesh Visva Gunasekeran ◽  
Rachel Marjorie Wei Wen Tseng ◽  
Yih-Chung Tham ◽  
Tien Yin Wong
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Real World ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Medical Needs ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has overwhelmed healthcare services, faced with the twin challenges in acutely meeting the medical needs of patients with COVID-19 while continuing essential services for non-COVID-19 illnesses. The need to re-invent, re-organize and transform healthcare and co-ordinate clinical services at a population level is urgent as countries that controlled initial outbreaks start to experience resurgences. A wide range of digital health solutions have been proposed, although the extent of successful real-world applications of these technologies is unclear. This study aims to review applications of artificial intelligence (AI), telehealth, and other relevant digital health solutions for public health responses in the healthcare operating environment amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. A systematic scoping review was performed to identify potentially relevant reports. Key findings include a large body of evidence for various clinical and operational applications of telehealth (40.1%, n = 99/247). Although a large quantity of reports investigated applications of artificial intelligence (AI) (44.9%, n = 111/247) and big data analytics (36.0%, n = 89/247), weaknesses in study design limit generalizability and translation, highlighting the need for more pragmatic real-world investigations. There were also few descriptions of applications for the internet of things (IoT) (2.0%, n = 5/247), digital platforms for communication (DC) (10.9%, 27/247), digital solutions for data management (DM) (1.6%, n = 4/247), and digital structural screening (DS) (8.9%, n = 22/247); representing gaps and opportunities for digital public health. Finally, the performance of digital health technology for operational applications related to population surveillance and points of entry have not been adequately evaluated.

scholarly journals Carole Rawcliffe and Claire Weeda, 'Introduction', Policing the Urban Environment in Premodern Europe

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Weeda
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Urban Communities ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Medical Texts ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Administrative Records ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Spiritual Well Being ◽  
Medical Theory

As urban communities in Western Europe mushroomed from the twelfth century onward, authorities promptly responded with a plethora of regulations to facilitate, at least in theory, the orderly cohabitation of dwellers within the city walls. Many of these rules concerned public health matters, such as the disposal of waste, the protection of water supplies, and the sale of wholesome foodstuffs. In some cases, sanitary regulations drew from Ancient Greek and especially Galenic medical theory, which stressed the importance of a hygienic environment in safeguarding the urban body from disease. The effective execution of such measures relied in part on the active engagement and compliance of the population. Shared assumptions regarding physical and spiritual well-being, social cohesion, neighbourliness, and economic prosperity, as well as the pursuit of ideals of urbanity, fed into communal efforts to police the environment, the behaviour of others, and the conduct of the self. Nonetheless, conflicting interests and contradictory impulses abounded, and official bodies might wield the disciplinary stick when their efforts met with apathy, confusion, resistance, or evasion. This volume explores attempts to enforce rules and recommendations for the improvement of public health and sanitation in premodern Western Europe, while also seeking to establish how urban populations may have reacted to them. To this end, it draws upon a wide range of source material, including bylaws, court rulings, and official injunctions, together with the evidence of judicial inquiries, administrative records, urban chronicles, panegyrics, and medical texts. And in so doing it comprehensively challenges a lingering tendency on the part of historians writing for the academic as well as the popular market to employ the word ‘medieval’ as a synonym for ignorance, superstition, and indifference to squalor.

scholarly journals Social Representations of Digital Health Technology in different contexts: Why People Keep or Quit Using It?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Géraldine Escriva-Boulley ◽  
Camille Bernetière ◽  
Marie Préau ◽  
Françoise Paquienseguy ◽  
Tanguy Leroy
Keyword(s):  
Intervention Studies ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Health Technology ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Information Transparency ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Wide Range

Objectives: The use of digital health technologies (DHT) is increasingly ubiquitous in intervention studies aimed at reducing health risks or improving the management of chronic diseases such as cancer. However, although DHT clearly show promises for a variety of applications, one third of users quit using DHT less than six months after the purchase, which may limit their effectiveness. This study aims to identify social representations (SR) of DHT, and to highlight why individuals adopt or are reluctant to adopt DHT, as well as the reasons for their drop-out.Methods: Five focus groups were lead with 18 participants (Mage = 43.72 years, Women = 13) whose personal uses of DHT were heterogeneous and controlled. They completed three tasks designed to elicit a wide range of SR of DHT.Results: Results showed that individuals’ concerns about DHT were focused on four themes: 1) health versus well-being purposes, 2) price, 3) data protection and, 4) difficulties for the elderly. The main reason for adopting DHT was that their use met a need, an interest. Most participants made a fairly strong distinction between the DHT which promote health and those promoting wellbeing. Reasons for reluctance and drop-out were related to a lack of knowledge, information, transparency and mastery.Conclusions: These findings may help DHT designers to understand what kind of information are needed and relevant to users. This study also highlights users’ SR of DHT, as well as their expectations and fears which should be taken into account when implementing interventions.

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