scholarly journals How to turn the Fast-Track into a Fast-Track: Process integration for evaluation of the quality of Digital Health Applications (DiGAs) on the example of the German Fast-Track Process

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammed-Ugur Karagülle ◽  
Nicolas J. Lehmann ◽  
Lea R. Muth ◽  
Cora Hintze ◽  
Marc-André Juritz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fast Track ◽  
Process Integration ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Health Applications

scholarly journals Components, design and effectiveness of digital physical rehabilitation interventions for older people: A systematic review

2020 ◽  
pp. 1357633X2092758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eda Tonga ◽  
Cynthia Srikesavan ◽  
Esther Williamson ◽  
Sarah E Lamb
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older People ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Assessment Development ◽  
Evaluation Approach ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Health Applications

Background With the rapid advancement in digital technologies, the use of digital health applications is increasing day by day. Although a large number of digital applications have been developed for rehabilitation of older people, there has been no review of the evidence for effectiveness of these interventions. Methods The aim of our study was to review the evidence of digital rehabilitation interventions on outcomes including pain, function and quality of life in older people. We focused on digital interventions that are designed to improve and restore physical functioning. We searched six electronic bibliographic databases and included randomised controlled trials. Cochrane risk of bias tool and Cochrane’s Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was used to evaluate the risk of bias and grade the evidence. Results Eight trials were included. The short-term effects of digital rehabilitation interventions on physical activity, quality of life, vertigo symptoms and falls are uncertain. Quality of trials was rated as very low to moderate evidence. Conclusion More research is needed to estimate effectiveness of these interventions.

scholarly journals Mobile app validation: a digital health scorecard approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramy Sedhom ◽  
Michael J. McShea ◽  
Adam B. Cohen ◽  
Jonathan A. Webster ◽  
Simon C. Mathews
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Health ◽  
Group Performance ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
End User ◽  
Clinical Value ◽  
Mobile Health Applications ◽  
Health Applications

AbstractWhile digital health solutions continue to grow in number and in complexity, the ability for stakeholders in healthcare to easily discern quality lags far behind. This challenge is in part due to the lack of a transparent and standardized approach to validation. Evaluation of mobile health applications (apps) is further burdened by low barriers to development and direct-to-user marketing, leading to a crowded and confusing landscape. In this context, we investigated the pragmatic application of a previously described framework for digital health validation, the Digital Health Scorecard, in a cohort of 22 popular mobile health oncology apps. The apps evaluated using this framework performed poorly, scoring 49.4% across all evaluation criteria as a group. Performance across component domains varied considerably with cost scoring highest at 100%, usability at 56.7%, technical at 37.3%, and clinical at 15.9%. satisfaction of prospectively determined end-user requirements derived from patient, family, and clinician consensus scored 37.2%. While cost outperformed consistently and usability was adequate, the results also suggested that apps suffered from significant technical limitations, were of limited clinical value, and generally did not do what end users wanted. These large gaps further support the need for transparent and standardized evaluation to help all stakeholders in healthcare improve the quality of mobile health.

Healthcare apps on smartphones available in Brazil: a preliminary classification (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
André De Faria Pereira Neto ◽  
Leticia Barbosa ◽  
Rodolfo Paolucci
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Disease Prevention ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
World Health ◽  
Computing Device ◽  
Care Treatment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Applications

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.

scholarly journals PARE0008 MOBILE APPLICATION “MOJRA” FOR MONITORING PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1290.1-1290 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Teodorovic ◽  
S. Djordjevic ◽  
L. Vranic
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Work Capacity ◽  
Learning Center ◽  
Approval Procedure ◽  
The Republic

Background:In Serbia, regular examinations with a rheumatologist are scheduled on average every 3 to 4 months. With this in mind, there is a real possibility that many patient data during this period may not be presented to the doctor during the examination, either because the patient forgets them or because they may focus on other issues and may not highlight key factsObjectives:To overcome this problem, the Association of Patients with Rheumatic Diseases of Serbia-ORS in cooperation with an IT firm developed the application “MojRA”, which was presented at the annual rheumatology congress of Serbia held in September 2019. The application “MojRA” is intended for patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis - RA. The application enables efficient storage and systematization of data, allows doctors to monitor the condition of their patients between two examinations and have a medical history. “MojRA” is available for now from smartphones running the android operating system on the google play store. The privacy of patient information is guaranteed.Methods:Patients with RA will be able to record and store information about important moments during treatment in a simple and transparent way. At each subsequent visit they will be able to describe what happened to their illness in the meantime. The application can create different types of reports and views.At the same time, the doctor can use the app to inform the patient about her/his condition in real time, which will contribute to better and more meaningful communication. All this would improve the quality of health care, preserving work capacity and improving the quality of life.Results:In order to simplify biotherapy committee approval procedure for patients of RA, the “Charger” has been developed in association with ORS and URes. The “Charger” will connect data collected by MojRa to the registry of RA patients, making the whole approval procedure more efficient and transparent.Testing of the second version of this application is underway, meetings are held between the patients using the application and the IT company that created it.Plans are to expand the app to other types of arthritis in the near future, too, and will soon be completed for devices running Apple operating systems.Conclusion:In addition to being of great benefit to patients and doctors, it can in the future be of immeasurable importance for the savings in the overall health care system of the Republic of Serbia.References:[1]Mobile Apps for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Opportunities and Challenges, Mollard E, Michaud K, Rheum Dis Clin, May 2019, Volume 45, Issue 2, Pages 197–209[2]Apps for People With Rheumatoid Arthritis to Monitor Their Disease Activity: A Review of Apps for Best Practice and Quality, Rebecca Grainger, Hutt Hospital, JMIR Publications, Advancing Digital Health Research, Feb 27, 2017.[3]ACR Mobile Apps,https://www.rheumatology.org/Learning-Center/Apps,American College of Reumatology.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

scholarly journals Digital health interventions in palliative care: a systematic meta-review

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne M. Finucane ◽  
Hannah O’Donnell ◽  
Jean Lugton ◽  
Tilly Gibson-Watt ◽  
Connie Swenson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Evidence Synthesis ◽  
Information Provision ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Meta Review

AbstractDigital health interventions (DHIs) have the potential to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of palliative care but heterogeneity amongst existing systematic reviews presents a challenge for evidence synthesis. This meta-review applied a structured search of ten databases from 2006 to 2020, revealing 21 relevant systematic reviews, encompassing 332 publications. Interventions delivered via videoconferencing (17%), electronic healthcare records (16%) and phone (13%) were most frequently described in studies within reviews. DHIs were typically used in palliative care for education (20%), symptom management (15%), decision-making (13%), information provision or management (13%) and communication (9%). Across all reviews, mostly positive impacts were reported on education, information sharing, decision-making, communication and costs. Impacts on quality of life and physical and psychological symptoms were inconclusive. Applying AMSTAR 2 criteria, most reviews were judged as low quality as they lacked a protocol or did not consider risk of bias, so findings need to be interpreted with caution.

scholarly journals Is Digital Health Intervention Effective in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Bilge Roj Gunerhanal ◽  
Merve Guney-Coskun
Keyword(s):  
Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Health Monitoring ◽  
Bowel Disease ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel

Technological advances now permit self-management strategies using mobile applications which could greatly benefit patient care. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the use of the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) digital health monitoring platform, HealthPROMISE, leads to better quality of care and improved health outcomes in IBD patients. IBD patients were recruited in gastroenterology clinics and asked to install the HealthPROMISE application onto their smartphones. Patient satisfaction, quality of care, quality of life, patient symptoms, and resource utilization metrics were collected throughout the study and sent directly to their healthcare teams. Patients with abnormal symptom/SIBDQ scores were flagged for their physicians to follow up. After one-year, patient outcome metrics were compared to baseline values. Overall, out of 59 patients enrolled in the study, 32 patients (54%) logged into the application at least once during the study period. The number of IBD-related ER visits/hospitalizations in the year of use compared to the prior year demonstrated a significant decrease from 25% of patients (8/32) to 3% (1/32) (p = 0.03). Patients also reported an increase in their understanding of the nature/causes of their condition after using the application (p = 0.026). No significant changes were observed in the number of quality indicators met (p = 0.67) or in SIBDQ scores (p = 0.48). Given the significant burden of IBD, there is a need to develop effective management strategies. This study demonstrated that digital health monitoring platforms may aid in reducing the number of ER visits and hospitalizations in IBD patients.

Problems and Barriers related to the Use of Digital Health Applications: A Scoping Review Protocol (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Godwin Denk Giebel ◽  
Christian Speckemeier ◽  
Carina Abels ◽  
Kirstin Börchers ◽  
Jürgen Wasem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Screening Process ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Review Protocol ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Health Applications

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.

The Functionality, Quality and Consistency with International Guidelines of Asthma Mobile Health Applications: Protocol for a Systematic Review. (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Billy Robinson ◽  
Enying Gong ◽  
Brian Oldenburg ◽  
Katharine See
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Airflow Limitation ◽  
Significant Variable ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Mobile Health Applications ◽  
Gina Guidelines ◽  
Mhealth Apps ◽  
Health Applications

BACKGROUND Asthma is a chronic respiratory disorder defined clinically as a combination of typical respiratory symptoms, and significant variable reversible airflow limitation. In addition to pharmacotherapy, a key aspect of asthma management is empowering patients to manage their condition and recognise and respond to asthma exacerbations. Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) represent a potential medium through which patients could improve the ability to self-manage their asthma. Few studies have conducted a systematic evaluation of both free and paid asthma mobile applications for the quality and functionality of the apps using a validated tool and to our knowledge none have systematically assessed these applications for the quality of information that they provide compared to available international best practice guidelines. This represents the first study that will undertake both of these evaluations for all available mHealth Apps in Australia targeted towards adult asthmatics. The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines represent a regularly updated guideline based on reviews of the available scientific literature by an international panel of experts. This review will examine the functionality and quality of available asthma mobile health applications and the consistency of these available applications with recommendations from the GINA guidelines. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review of adult-targeted asthma mobile health applications on the Australian market. As part of this review the potential for an mHealth app to improve asthma self-management and the overall quality of the application will be evaluated, using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) framework, and the quality of the information within an app, using the current GINA guidelines as a reference, will be assessed. METHODS A methodological stepwise approach was taken in creating this review. First the most recent GINA guidelines were independently reviewed by two authors to identify key recommendations that could feasibly be incorporated into a mHealth app. These identified recommendations were then compared to a previously developed asthma application assessment framework. A modified assessment framework was created, ensuring all of these identified recommendations were included. Two popular App stores were then reviewed to identify potential mHealth Apps and then a screening process based on pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria occurred to establish what mHealth Apps would be evaluated. Application evaluation then occurred. Technical information was obtained from publicly available information on the application store or within the app itself. The next step was to perform an application quality assessment using the validated MARS framework to objectively determine the quality of the application. Application functionality was then assessed using the IMS Institute for Health Informatics Functionality Scoring system. Finally, the mHealth applications will be assessed using a checklist that we have developed based on what was identified from the international GINA guidelines. RESULTS To date, funding has been received for the project from the Respiratory Department at Northern Health, Victoria. Three reviewers have been recruited to systematically evaluate the applications. Results for this study are expected by the end of this year. CONCLUSIONS Nil as protocol CLINICALTRIAL PROSPERO 269894

A Pharmaco-cybernetics Approach to Designing an Oncology Drug Interaction Database for Clinical Practice

2021 ◽  
pp. 169-227
Keyword(s):  
Drug Interaction ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
User Feedback ◽  
Clinical Usefulness ◽  
Health Innovation ◽  
Interaction Database ◽  
Oncology Practice

This chapter describes how OncoRx-MI, a pharmaco-informatics platform for detecting chemotherapy interactions, was designed through a pharmaco-cybernetics approach targeting the 5 activities of the digital health innovation process. This is the first database of its kind that is able to provide interaction information for anticancer drugs and chemotherapy regimen cocktails. In order to identify the gap and determine the usefulness of this database in clinical oncology practice, the quality of online anticancer drug interactions was assessed, and the perceptions of oncology practitioners were sought. The results showed that the accuracy of drug interaction content and the clinical usefulness of the database was highly regarded by these practitioners. In addition, evidence of its relevance and credibility was demonstrated through user feedback on the database.

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