Digital Health Applications in the Context of Dementia: A Questionnaire Study to develop an Assessment Tool about the Likelihood of Use among Physicians (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Schinle ◽  
Mayumi Kaliciak ◽  
Christina Erler ◽  
Christopher Milde ◽  
Wilhelm Stork

BACKGROUND Age-related diseases such as dementia are playing an increasingly important role with regard to global population development. Thus, prevention, diagnostics and interventions require more accessibility, which can be realized through digital health applications. With the "app on prescription" Germany made history by being the first country worldwide to offer physicians the possibility to prescribe and reimburse digital health applications starting by the end of the year 2020. OBJECTIVE Considering the lack of knowledge about correlations with the likelihood of use among physicians, the aim of this study is to address the question of what makes the use of an digital health application by physicians more likely. METHODS We developed and validated a novel measurement tool - the Digital-Health-Compliance-Questionnaire (DHCQ) - to assess the role of four proposed factors on the likelihood of using a health application. Therefore, a survey was conducted online that evaluated the likelihood of using a digital application for screening of Alzheimers’ dementia called DemPredict. Within this survey, five latent dimensions (acceptance, attitude towards technology, technology experience, payment for time of use and effort of collection), the dependent variable "likelihood of use" and answers to exploratory questions were recorded and tested within directed correlations. The study was completed by 331 physicians from Germany, of whom a total of 301 physicians fulfilled the study criteria (e.g., being in regular contact to dementia patients). This data was analysed using a range of statistical methods to validate the DHCQs’ dimensions. RESULTS The DHCQ revealed good test theoretical measures: it showed excellent fit indices (TLI = .98, CFI = .982, SRMR = .073, RMSEA = .037), good internal consistency (Cronbachs-alpha = .83) and showed signs of moderate to large correlations between the DHCQ-dimensions and the dependent variable. The correlations between {“acceptance”|“attitude towards technology”| “technology experience”|“payment for time of use”} and "likelihood of use" ranged from r = 0.29 to r = 0.79 as well as between “effort of collection” and "likelihood of use" at r = -0.80. In addition, we found high levels of skepticism regarding data protection and the age of the subjects was found to be negatively related to their technical experience as well as their attitude towards technology. CONCLUSIONS In the context of the results, increased communication between the medical and technology sectors and significantly more awareness rising are recommended in order to make the use of digital health applications more attractive for physicians because it can be adjusted to their everyday needs. Further research could explore the connection between areas such as adherence on patient side and its impact on the likelihood of use by the physician.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long Viet Bui ◽  
Son Thai Ha ◽  
Ha Ngoc Nguyen ◽  
Truong Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Thuy Phuong Nguyen ◽  
...  

Emerging from early of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has become one of the most serious health crisis globally. In response to such threat, a wide range of digital health applications has been deployed in Vietnam to strengthen surveillance, risk communication, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19. Digital health has brought enormous benefits to the fight against COVID-19, however, numerous constrains in digital health application remain. Lack of strong governance of digital health development and deployment; insufficient infrastructure and staff capacity for digital health application are among the main drawbacks. Despite several outstanding problems, digital health is expected to contribute to reducing the spread, improving the effectiveness of pandemic control, and adding to the dramatic transformation of the health system the post-COVID era.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-173
Author(s):  
Ishak Sulistianto Rahardjo ◽  
Ratna Wardani

Health services that are easy to access, fast, safe, confidential, integrated, effective and efficient are demands on the quality of public services, especially for health sector in the Disruption Era. The purpose of this research was to determine the extent of the SimKes (e-health) application implementation and to explore supportive and impeding factors of health service digitalization at the member clinics of ASKLIN Kediri Branch so that it affects the medical workers’ satisfaction as an application user. The method used in this research is qualitative approach which defined as a research procedure that produces descriptive data. Collecting data using Purposive Sampling by in-depth interview techniques with semi-structured questions to 14 informants and 2 Triangulators Data Sources, namely the founder and creator of SimKes Khanza and the head of the BPJS Kesehatan’s Participant Benefits Guarantor Kediri Branch. From the research’s results, it is known that the SimKes (e-health) application has been used in all health service line in almost all ASKLIN member Clinics in Kediri Branch and the satisfaction level of medical workers using the SimKes (e-health) application ranges from 75-80%. The constraints in implementing SimKes application have been successfully mapped, including application users’ age, data networks and application customization, financing to other profession technical matters, which can increase the satisfaction of medical workers who use e-health applications if they get the right treatment. The implementation of the Health Management Information System (SimKes) application in digital health services (telemedicine/e-health) is expected to maximize health services at Health Service Facilities, especially at the member Clinics of the Indonesian Clinic Association, Kediri Branch. Digitalized health service implementations are expected to provide reliable and integrated data and information so that they can become a tool for effective and efficient management of health development.


Author(s):  
Jelle Keuper

Background and purpose – The covid-19 pandemic has forced general practices to look for ways to deliver care safely, by the use of remote healthcare solutions such as e-health. The aim of this study is to investigate the use of e-health in general practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, and theintention of general practices to continue using e-health tools more intensively in the near future. Methods – Web surveys were sent to all Dutch general practices at two moments during the pandemic: in April 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic in the Netherlands, and in July 2020, between the first and second wave, when infection numbers were lower. The surveys contained questions on the use of specific e-health tools, including e-consultations and video calling. Results – 75%of the general practices indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic caused them to start using e-health applications or made them to intensify these in April 2020. In July 2020, almost all practices indicated that they used at least one e-health application (98%). Online prescriptions ordering service and e-consultations were used by more than 80% of all practices. However, a minority of practices (<33%) answered that they intend to use (new) e-health applications more intensively after the pandemic. Some significant differences were found in the use of specific e-health applications between different practice types. Conclusions – This study confirms the expectation that there was an increased uptake of e-health applications in Dutch general practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. The relative low number of practices that intend to sustain the increased usage of e-health in their practice in the future may point towards a temporary uptake of digital health care delivery, rather than accelerated implementation of digital processes.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
André De Faria Pereira Neto ◽  
Leticia Barbosa ◽  
Rodolfo Paolucci

UNSTRUCTURED Billions of people in the world own a smartphone. It is a low-cost, portable computing device with countless features, among which applications stand out, which are programs or software developed to meet a specific goal. A wide range of applications available ranging from entertainment and personal organization to work and education is available currently. It is a vast and profitable market. Health applications have been a means of intervention for different areas, including chronic diseases, epidemics, and health emergencies. A recently published paper in the journal with the highest impact factor in Digital Health (“Journal of Medical Internet Research”) proposes a classification of health applications. This study performs a critical analysis of this organization and presents other sort criteria. This paper also presents and analyzes the “Meu Info Saúde” (“My Health Info”) app – a pioneering government initiative focused on primary care launched by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. The application classification proposal that will be presented builds on the intervention strategies in the health-disease process, namely: “Health Promotion”, “Disease Prevention” and “Care, Treatment and Rehabilitation”, as defined by official documents such as the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most applications present in the sample are of private and foreign origin, free to download, but with a display of ads or the sale of products and services. The sampled applications were classified as “Health Promotion”, and some applications have also been categorized as “Disease Prevention” or “Care, Treatment or Rehabilitation” because they have multiple functionalities. The applications identified as “Health Promotion” focused only on individuals’ lifestyle and their increased autonomy and self-care management capacity. From this perspective, the apps analyzed in this paper differ from the “Meu Info-Saúde” application developed at Fiocruz.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Kim ◽  
Brandon Ruan ◽  
Lee Bartel ◽  
Bev Foster ◽  
Chelsea Mackinnon

Music serves as an important tool to improve the health and wellness of individuals in healthcare settings. In times of high caregiver burnout, therapeutic outlets such as music for care receivers and providers are becoming increasingly important. This paper presents the first iteration of the Caregiver Confidence using Music Scale (CCuMS), an assessment tool designed to evaluate caregivers’ readiness to adopt music care. Music care is defined as the informed and intentional use of music by anyone to improve the quality of care. The CCuMS was derived from a hierarchical cluster analysis of the Music Care Training program’s Level 1 post-evaluation survey (Post-MCTL1). Thematic interpretation of the statistical outputs from the cluster analysis was completed, resulting in the first iteration of the CCuMS. Initial validation methods that were feasible with current data were conducted. Specifically, face validity, content validity and convergent validity were calculated using Pearson correlations. The CCuMS shows promise as a measurement tool for use in healthcare settings due to the moderate correlation between the Post-MCTL1 and the CCuMS scale (r=0.524), and the strong correlation between the music care training thematic questionnaire and the CCuMS (r=0.970).


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (s2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Müller-Feldmeth ◽  
Katharina Ahnefeld ◽  
Adriana Hanulíková

AbstractWe used self-paced reading to examine whether stereotypical associations of verbs with women or men as prototypical agents (e.g. the craftsman knits a sweater) are activated during sentence processing in dementia patients and healthy older adults. Effects of stereotypical knowledge on language processing have frequently been observed in young adults, but little is known about age-related changes in the activation and integration of stereotypical information. While syntactic processing may remain intact, semantic capacities are often affected in dementia. Since inferences based on gender stereotypes draw on social and world knowledge, access to stereotype information may also be affected in dementia patients. Results from dementia patients (n = 9, average age 86.6) and healthy older adults (n = 14, average age 79.5) showed slower reading times and less accuracy in comprehension scores for dementia patients compared to the control group. While activation of stereotypical associations of verbs was visible in both groups, they differed with respect to the time-course of processing. The effect of stereotypes on comprehension accuracy was visible for healthy adults only. The evidence from reading times suggests that older adults with and without dementia engage stereotypical inferences during reading, which is in line with research on young adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-152
Author(s):  
Hyun Mee Cho ◽  
Jeong Won Han ◽  
Eun Joung Choi ◽  
Hyo Eun Jeong ◽  
Bo Ram Hong ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveTo establish basic data for identifying the level of mental health care competency of general nurses through verification of the reliability and validity of Competency Assessment Tool-Mental Health in the development of a measurement tool for mental health care competency in Korea.MethodsThis study was conducted on nurses working at general wards, excluding those working at the Department of Psychiatry, in five hospitals with 200 beds or more located in Korea. Content, construct, concurrent validity, and internal consistency of the measurement were confirmed.ResultsAs a result of the construct validity, the section on importance of skills and knowledge for mental health care had 21 items, whereas the section on benefits of additional education had 22 items. The internal consistency of measurement was confirmed as follows: Cronbach's α = 0.96 for the section on importance and 0.96 for the section on benefits section.ConclusionsThis study verified the high validity and reliability of the tool in assessing the mental health care competency of nurses, and it is believed to be significant as basic data for enhancing such competency.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Godwin Denk Giebel ◽  
Christian Speckemeier ◽  
Carina Abels ◽  
Kirstin Börchers ◽  
Jürgen Wasem ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Usage of digital health applications (DHA) is increasing internationally. More and more regulatory bodies develop regulations and guidelines to enable an evidence-based and safe use. In Germany, DHA fulfilling predefined criteria (Digitale Gesundheitsanwendungen (="DiGA")) can be prescribed and are reimbursable by the German statutory health insurance scheme. Due to the increasing distribution of DHA problems and barriers should receive special attention. OBJECTIVE This study aims to identify relevant problems and barriers related to the use of DHA fulfilling the criteria of DiGA. The research done in this area will be mapped and research findings will be summarized. METHODS Conduct of the scoping review will follow published methodological frameworks and PRISMA-Scr criteria. Electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO), reference lists of relevant articles and grey literature sources will be searched. Two reviewers will assess eligibility of articles by a two-stage (title/abstract and full-text) screening process. Only problems and barriers related to DHA fulfilling the criteria of DiGA are included for this research. RESULTS This scoping review serves to give an overview about the available evidence and to identify research gaps with regards to problems and barriers related to DiGA. Results are planned to be submitted to an indexed, peer-reviewed journal in the fourth quarter of 2021. CONCLUSIONS This is the first review identifying problems and barriers specifically to the use of the German definition of DiGA. Nevertheless, our findings can presumably be applied to other contexts and health care systems as well.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Y Wang ◽  
Benjamin N Breyer ◽  
Austin W Lee ◽  
Natalie Rios ◽  
Akinyemi Oni-Orisan ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Mobile health applications may provide an efficient way for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) to log and communicate symptoms and medication side effects with their clinicians. OBJECTIVE To explore the perceptions of older men with LUTS after using a mobile health application to track their symptoms and tamsulosin side effects. METHODS Structured phone interviews were conducted after a 2-week study piloting the daily use of a mobile application to track severity of patient-selected LUTS and tamsulosin side effects. Quantitative and qualitative data were considered. RESULTS Nineteen (100%) pilot study participants completed the post-study interviews. Most men (68%) reported that the daily questionnaires were the right length, with 32% reporting that the questionnaires were too short. Men with more severe symptoms were less likely to report changes in perception of health or changes in self-management; 47% of men reported improved awareness of symptoms and 5% of men adjusted fluid intake based on the questionnaire. All men were willing to share application data with their clinicians. Thematic analysis of qualitative data yielded 8 themes: 1) orientation (setting up app, format, symptom selection, side effect selection), 2) triggers (routine/habit, symptom timing), 3) daily questionnaire (reporting symptoms, reporting side effects, tailoring), 4) technology literacy, 5) perceptions (awareness, causation/relevance, data quality, convenience, usefulness, other apps), 6) self-management, 7) clinician engagement (communication, efficiency), and 8) improvement (reference materials, flexibility, language, management recommendations, optimize clinician engagement). CONCLUSIONS We assessed the perceptions of men using a mobile health application to monitor and improve management of LUTS and medication side effects. LUTS management may be further optimized by tailoring the mobile application experience to meet patients’ individual needs, such as tracking a greater number of symptoms and integrating the application with clinicians’ visits. Mobile health applications are likely a scalable modality to monitor symptoms and improve care of older men with LUTS. Further study is required to determine the best ways to tailor the mobile application and to communicate data to clinicians or incorporate data into the electronical medical record meaningfully.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justina Purwarini

In clinical nursing, students apply knowledge gained from classroom experience to real life situations. This educational model is experiential in nature, where patient learning experiences are selected based on the successful learning process. Hence, the competencies anticipated at a certain level are achieved in accordance with the objectives of knowledge. Purpose: This study was, therefore, aimed at developing a valid clinical assessment tool to guide the education system, and evaluate nursing students’ performance during practice in Indonesia. Methods: This research employed an exploratory sequential mixed method research design. Result: The transcripts generated from Focus Group Discussions and in-depth interviews showed three major areas of competence to be achieved while undergoing clinical practice. These ought to be combined with learning outcomes on the Competency-Based Curriculum in Indonesia, and subsequently reprocessed, to establish the final results, comprising 37 items. The study shows IN-CAT as acceptable (Scale-CVI= 0.9), indicating the agreement is adequate (Cohen’s kappa= 0.795), and satisfactory (The Cronbach’s alpha= 0.949). Conclusion: The results initially specify the scale as a reliable and valid measurement tool, with the potential for use in the assessment and evaluation of clinical competence amongst nursing students. Based on the feedback from teachers and students, The assessment tool demonstrates clarified learning objectives, improved focus, and enhanced the evaluation objectivity.


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