Commercial Voice Assistants’ Answers to Health-related Questions in Noncommunicable Disease Management: Factorial Experiment Assessing Response Rate and Source of Information (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caterina Bérubé ◽  
Zsolt Ferenc Kovacs ◽  
Elgar Fleisch ◽  
Tobias Kowatsch
Keyword(s):  
Disease Management ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Fractional Factorial ◽  
Noncommunicable Disease ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Health Organizations ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Expert Sources ◽  
Google Search ◽  
Voice Response

BACKGROUND Complications related to noncommunicable diseases are among the main causes of mortality. Fostering patients’ access to health-related information through efficient and accessible channels like commercial voice assistants (CVA) such as Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, or Google Assistant, may support patients’ ability to make health-related decisions and manage their chronic conditions. OBJECTIVE This study aims to evaluate the ability of CVAs in providing expertise-based voice responses to questions related to noncommunicable disease management. METHODS We collected health-related frequently asked questions from health organizations, government, medical non-profit and popular websites about conditions associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), lung cancer (LC), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes mellitus (DM), cardiovascular disease (CVD), kidney disease (KD), and cerebrovascular disease (CV). The questions were then validated with practicing medical specialists and the most frequent ones selected, resulting in a pool of 144. We submitted the selected questions to CVAs in a 3x3 fractional factorial design experiment with three developers (ie, Amazon, Apple, and Google) and three modalities (ie, voice-only, voice-and-display, display-only). The condition Google display-only was operationalized with Google Search (our gold standard of information lookup). We assessed whether the CVA provided a voice response (ie, response rate) and what type of web source was used (ie, Expert, Commercial, Crowdsourced, or Not stated). RESULTS Amazon and Google showed a slightly higher voice response rate in voice-only (76.4% and 97.2%, respectively), compared to voice-and-display (74% and 92.4%, respectively). Apple showed the opposite (16% voice-only, 16.7% voice-and-display). Source type was mostly Expert in Amazon (77.3% voice-only, 76.6% voice-and-display) and Google (70.7% voice-only, 73.7% voice-and-display). Apple mostly used Commercial (30.4% voice-only, 29.2% voice-and-display), Crowdsourced (21.7% voice-only, 33.3% voice-and-display) sources, or stated no source (39.1% voice-only, 29.2% voice-and-display). Moreover, Amazon showed the highest response rate for LC (88%), while Apple did so for COPD (20%), and Google for AD (100%). Amazon and Google always used Expert sources for AD, while Apple never did so. However, Apple used the most Expert sources for CD (50%). CONCLUSIONS None of the tested CVAs was the absolute best in responding to questions about noncommunicable disease management. CVAs seem to perform differently depending on the noncommunicable disease in question. We urge health organizations to collaborate with Google, Amazon, and Apple to allow their CVAs consistently providing reliable answers to health-related questions on noncommunicable disease management.

Infodemiological patterns in searching medication errors: relationship with risk management and shift work (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Fabbian ◽  
Emanuele Di Simone ◽  
Sara Dionisi ◽  
Noemi Giannetta ◽  
Luigi De Gennaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Shift Work ◽  
Medication Errors ◽  
Medical Errors ◽  
World Health ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Western World ◽  
The World ◽  
Google Search

BACKGROUND Western world health care systems have been trying to improve their efficiency and effectiveness in order to respond properly to the aging of the population and the epidemic of noncommunicable diseases. Errors in drugs administration is an actual important issue due to different causes. OBJECTIVE Aim of this study is to measure interest in online seeking medical errors information online related to interest in risk management and shift work. METHODS We investigated Google Trends® for popular search relating to medical errors, risk management and shift work. Relative search volumes (RSVs) were evaluated for the period November 2008-November 2018 all around the world. A comparison between RSV curves related to medical errors, risk management and shift work was carried out. Then we compared world to Italian search. RESULTS RSVs were persistently higher for risk management than for medication errors during the study period (mean RSVs 74 vs. 51%) and RSVs were stably higher for medical errors than shift work during the study period (mean RSVs 51 vs 23%). In Italy, RSVs were much lower than the rest of the world, and RSVs for medication errors during the study period were negligible. Mean RSVs for risk management and shift work were 3 and 25%, respectively. RSVs related to medication errors and clinical risk management were correlated (r=0.520, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Google search query volumes related to medication errors, risk management and shift work are different. RSVs for risk management are higher, are correlated with medication errors, and the relationship with shift work appears to be even worse, by analyzing the entire world. In Italy such a relationship completely disappears, suggesting that it needs to be emphasized by health care authorities.

scholarly journals Diagnostics and monitoring tools for noncommunicable diseases: a missing component in the global response

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Bernabé-Ortiz ◽  
Jessica H. Zafra-Tanaka ◽  
Miguel Moscoso-Porras ◽  
Rangarajan Sampath ◽  
Beatrice Vetter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Noncommunicable Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Monitoring Tools

AbstractA key component of any health system is the capacity to accurately diagnose individuals. One of the six building blocks of a health system as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) includes diagnostic tools. The WHO’s Noncommunicable Disease Global Action Plan includes addressing the lack of diagnostics for noncommunicable diseases, through multi-stakeholder collaborations to develop new technologies that are affordable, safe, effective and quality controlled, and improving laboratory and diagnostic capacity and human resources. Many challenges exist beyond price and availability for the current tools included in the Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions (PEN) for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. These include temperature stability, adaptability to various settings (e.g. at high altitude), need for training in order to perform and interpret the test, the need for maintenance and calibration, and for Blood Glucose Meters non-compatible meters and test strips. To date the issues surrounding access to diagnostic and monitoring tools for noncommunicable diseases have not been addressed in much detail. The aim of this Commentary is to present the current landscape and challenges with regards to guidance from the WHO on diagnostic tools using the WHO REASSURED criteria, which define a set of key characteristics for diagnostic tests and tools. These criteria have been used for communicable diseases, but so far have not been used for noncommunicable diseases. Diagnostic tools have played an important role in addressing many communicable diseases, such as HIV, TB and neglected tropical diseases. Clearly more attention with regards to diagnostics for noncommunicable diseases as a key component of the health system is needed.

American Medical Sociology and Health Problems in the Global South

2022 ◽  
pp. 073112142110677
Author(s):  
Rebecca Farber ◽  
Joseph Harris
Keyword(s):  
American Medical ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Medical Sociology ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Emerging Diseases ◽  
Noncommunicable Disease ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Official Journal

COVID-19 has focused global attention on disease spread across borders. But how has research on infectious and noncommunicable disease figured into the sociological imagination historically, and to what degree has American medical sociology examined health problems beyond U.S. borders? Our 35-year content analysis of 2,588 presentations in the American Sociological Association’s (ASA) Section on Medical Sociology and 922 articles within the section’s official journal finds less than 15 percent of total research examined contexts outside the United States. Research on three infectious diseases in the top eight causes of death in low-income countries (diarrheal disease, malaria, and tuberculosis [TB]) and emerging diseases—Ebola, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)—was nearly absent, as was research on major noncommunicable diseases. Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) received much more focus, although world regions hit hardest received scant attention. Interviews suggest a number of factors shape geographic foci of research, but this epistemic parochialism may ultimately impoverish sociological understanding of illness and disease.

scholarly journals Risk factors of adolescent health: mass poll results

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 91-99
Author(s):  
R. U. Khabriev ◽  
R. I. Yagudina ◽  
M. A. Rashid ◽  
E. E. Arinina
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
The Body ◽  
Noncommunicable Disease ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Fresh Vegetables ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Close Relatives ◽  
Public Health Epidemiology

Objective. To study the risk factors of noncommunicable disease spread in adolescents based on the mass pole results.Methods. The authors conducted four waves of study within the framework of the monitoring project “Risk factors for human health” in 2014–2017. The study included a multistage stratified territorial random sample of 1,691 patients over 11 years. The research population included 170 adolescents (11–19 years) (10%).Results. An adverse profile of risk factors for noncommunicable diseases was predetermined by: overweight in adolescents (10%), increased blood pressure (18%), unfavorable history of cardiovascular events in close relatives (60–70%), nutritional disorders (80–96%) , low level of physical activity (5%), smoking (20%), and alcohol consumption (26% of respondents). The body weight deficiency (35%) and overweight (10%), along with sufficient consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits in only 7% of cases reflects gross malnutrition of adolescents, which determines their future development. Awareness of adolescents of the main risk factors for noncommunicable diseases remains low (less than 30–40% for different factors). The example of close relatives, friends and stressful situations predetermine the emergence of bad habits (consumption of alcohol and tobacco) in adolescents.Scope of application. Pediatrics, public health, epidemiology.Conclusion. In order to correct adverse risk factors of noncommunicable diseases, it is necessary to attract a wide range of specialists, including intensive family and personal psychological consultations with adolescents. These measures will motivate adolescents to a healthy lifestyle and reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases in the population of the Russian Federation.

scholarly journals Noncommunicable Disease Service Utilization among Expatriate Patients in Thailand: An Analysis of Hospital Service Data, 2014–2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 9721
Author(s):  
Anon Khunakorncharatphong ◽  
Nareerut Pudpong ◽  
Rapeepong Suphanchaimat ◽  
Sataporn Julchoo ◽  
Mathudara Phaiyarom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Service Utilization ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Noncommunicable Disease ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
P Value ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Cross Sectional

Global morbidity associated with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) has increased over the years. In Thailand, NCDs are among the most prevalent of all health problems, and affect both Thai citizens and non-Thai residents, such as expatriates. Key barriers to NCD health service utilization among expatriates include cultural and language differences. This study aimed to describe the situation and factors associated with NCD service utilizations among expatriate patients in Thailand. We employed a cross-sectional study design and used the service records of public hospitals from the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) during the fiscal years 2014–2018. The focus of this study was on expatriates or those who had stayed in Thailand for at least three months. The results showed that, after 2014, there was an increasing trend in NCD service utilizations among expatriate patients for both outpatient (OP) and inpatient (IP) care. For OP care, Cambodia, Laos PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam (CLMV) expatriates had fewer odds of NCD service utilization, relative to non-CLMV expatriates (p-value < 0.001). For IP care, males tended to have greater odds of NCD service utilization compared with females (AdjOR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.05–1.74, p-value = 0.019). Increasing age showed a significant association with NCD service utilization. In addition, there was a growing trend of the NCD prevalence amongst expatriate patients. This issue points to a need for prompt public health actions if Thailand aims to have all people on its soil protected with universal health coverage for their well-being, as stipulated in the Sustainable Development Goals. Future studies that aim to collect primary evidence of expatriates at the household level should be conducted. Additional research on other societal factors that may help provide a better insight into access to healthcare for NCDs, such as socioeconomic status, beliefs, and attitudes, should be conducted.

scholarly journals Availability and price changes of potential medicines and equipment for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 among pharmacy and drug stores in Bangladesh; findings and implications

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mainul Haque ◽  
Salequl Islam ◽  
Samiul Iqbal ◽  
Umme Laila Urmi ◽  
Zubair Mahmood Kamal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Management ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Medical Science ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Local Production ◽  
Stakeholder Groups ◽  
Price Increases ◽  
Prevention And Treatment ◽  
Multiple Approach

Objective: There are concerns with increased prices and drug shortages for pertinent medicines and personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent and treat COVID-19 enhanced by misinformation. Community pharmacists and drug stores play a significant role in disease management in Bangladesh due to high co-payments. Consequently, a need to review prices and availability in the pandemic. Materials and Methods: Multiple approach involving a review and questionnaire among pharmacies and stores early March to end May 2020. Results and Discussion: 170 pharmacies and drug stores took part, giving a response rate of 63.9%. Encouragingly, no change in utilization of antimalarial medicines in 51.2% of stores despite global endorsements. However, increased utilisation of antibiotics (70.6%), analgesics (97.6%), vitamins (90.6%) and PPE (over 95%). Encouragingly, increases in purchasing of PPE. No increase in prices among 50% of the stores for antimalarials, with a similar situation for antibiotics (65.3%), analgesics (54.7%), and vitamins (51.8%). However, price increases typically for PPE (over 90% of stores). Shortages also seen for medicines and PPE, again greater for PPE. Conclusions: The pandemic has impacted on the supply and prices of medicines and PPE in Bangladesh. Key stakeholder groups can play a role addressing misinformation, with enhanced local production helping address future shortages and prices. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.19(0) 2020 p. S 36-S 50

scholarly journals Secular Changes in Mortality and Hospitalization over Time in People with Kidney Failure or Severe CKD as Compared with Other Noncommunicable Diseases

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 2631-2641
Author(s):  
Marcello Tonelli ◽  
Natasha Wiebe ◽  
Matthew T. James ◽  
Scott W. Klarenbach ◽  
Braden J. Manns ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Kidney Failure ◽  
Absolute Risk ◽  
Secular Trends ◽  
Noncommunicable Disease ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Absolute Reduction ◽  
Risk Of Mortality ◽  
New Treatments ◽  
Hospital Days ◽  
Over Time

BackgroundFew new treatments have been developed for kidney failure or CKD in recent years, leading to perceptions of slower improvement in outcomes associated with CKD or kidney failure than for other major noncommunicable diseases.MethodsOur retrospective cohort study included 548,609 people with an incident noncommunicable disease, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, various cancers, and severe CKD or kidney failure treated with renal replacement (KF-RRT), treated in Alberta, Canada, 2004–2015. For each disease, we assessed presence or absence of 8 comorbidities; we also compared secular trends in relative (compared to a referent year of 2004) and absolute risks of mortality and mean annual days in the hospital associated with each disease after 1 year and 5 years.ResultsComorbidities increased significantly in number over time for all noncommunicable diseases except diabetes, and increased most rapidly for CKD and KF-RRT. Significant but relatively small reductions over time in the risk ratio of mortality at 1 year occurred for nearly all noncommunicable diseases. Secular trends in the absolute risk of mortality were similar; CKD and KF-RRT had a relatively favorable ranking at 1 year. Breast cancer, KF-RRT, diabetes, and colorectal cancer displayed the largest relative reductions in number of hospital days at 1 year. Significant absolute reductions in the number of hospital days were observed for both KF-RRT and CKD; the former had the highest absolute reduction among all noncommunicable diseases. Results were similar at 5 years.ConclusionsWe observed secular reductions in mortality and annual hospital days at 1 year and 5 years among incident patients with KF-RRT and severe CKD, as well as several other common noncommunicable diseases.

A Comparison Between Selected Noncommunicable Disease Mortality Rates Between 2010 and 2016 Among Selected Southern African Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Ellapen ◽  
M. Barnard ◽  
G. L. Strydom ◽  
K. M. Masime ◽  
Y. Paul
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Noncommunicable Disease ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Death Rates ◽  
Chronic Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Disease Mortality

Researchers have identified cancer, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases as being the principal pathologies of increased aged standardized death rates (ASDRs) among noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The objective of this study was to compare the change in the ASDR of these principal NCDs between the years 2010 and 2016 in Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. ASDR data were collected from the 2016 Global Health Estimate. Among the selected Southern African countries for both 2010 and 2016, the order of prevalence of NCDs linked to increased ASDR was cardiovascular diseases (both cardiac and stroke), cancer, diabetes mellitus, and chronic respiratory diseases. The percentage of the total number of NCDs linked to increased ASDR in relation to total deaths increased from 43.8% (in 2010) to 51.0% (in 2016) from ( p < .0001). The percentage of principal NCDs in relation to total ASDR increased from 33.0% (in 2010) to 38.2% (in 2016; p < .0001).

scholarly journals Expanding the definition of noncommunicable disease

2016 ◽  
Vol 04 (02) ◽  
pp. 067-070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranabir Salam
Keyword(s):  
Liver Disease ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
The United States ◽  
Noncommunicable Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
World Population ◽  
The World ◽  
Definition Of

AbstractNoncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for 68% of all deaths in 2012. Eighty-two percent of these “premature” deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Most of the NCD deaths are caused by cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, mental health, road traffic accidents, and violence. The World Health Organization, several governments, and nongovernmental organizations have taken up numerous programs to curb the menace of NCDs. However, the present programs do not include some common chronic medical conditions which also lead to considerable morbidity and mortality. The present review highlights three important chronic disorders: chronic kidney disease (CKD), liver disease (cirrhosis and nonalcoholic fatty liver), and thyroid diseases. CKD is an internationally recognized public health problem affecting 5–10% of the world population. CKD resulted in 956,000 deaths in 2013 and proposes them to be included in the world wide accepted definition of NCD. Cirrhosis and chronic liver disease were the tenth leading cause of death for men and the twelfth for women in the United States in 2001. Moreover, 4–10% of the global population have thyroid dysfunction. This mini-review proposes to expand the definition of NCD to include these three major illnesses.

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