scholarly journals Robotics and AI for Teleoperation, Tele-Assessment, and Tele-Training for Surgery in the Era of COVID-19: Existing Challenges, and Future Vision

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Navid Feizi ◽  
Mahdi Tavakoli ◽  
Rajni V. Patel ◽  
S. Farokh Atashzar
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Procedures ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Quality Of Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Post Surgery ◽  
Operative Assessment

The unprecedented shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has severely influenced the delivery of regular healthcare services. Most non-urgent medical activities, including elective surgeries, have been paused to mitigate the risk of infection and to dedicate medical resources to managing the pandemic. In this regard, not only surgeries are substantially influenced, but also pre- and post-operative assessment of patients and training for surgical procedures have been significantly impacted due to the pandemic. Many countries are planning a phased reopening, which includes the resumption of some surgical procedures. However, it is not clear how the reopening safe-practice guidelines will impact the quality of healthcare delivery. This perspective article evaluates the use of robotics and AI in 1) robotics-assisted surgery, 2) tele-examination of patients for pre- and post-surgery, and 3) tele-training for surgical procedures. Surgeons interact with a large number of staff and patients on a daily basis. Thus, the risk of infection transmission between them raises concerns. In addition, pre- and post-operative assessment also raises concerns about increasing the risk of disease transmission, in particular, since many patients may have other underlying conditions, which can increase their chances of mortality due to the virus. The pandemic has also limited the time and access that trainee surgeons have for training in the OR and/or in the presence of an expert. In this article, we describe existing challenges and possible solutions and suggest future research directions that may be relevant for robotics and AI in addressing the three tasks mentioned above.

scholarly journals Association of patients’ perception of quality of healthcare received and colorectal cancer screening uptake: An analysis of two national surveys in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karan Chawla ◽  
Angesom Kibreab ◽  
Victor & Scott ◽  
Edward L. Lee ◽  
Farshad Aduli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
United States ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Quality Of Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
The United States ◽  
Crc Screening ◽  
Fair Poor ◽  
National Trends

Objective: It is unknown whether patients’ ratings of the quality of healthcare services they receive truly correlate with the quality of care from their providers. Understanding this association can potentiate improvement in healthcare delivery. We evaluated the association between patients’ ratings of the quality of healthcare services received and uptake of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Subject and Methods: We used two iterations of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) of adults in the United States. HINTS 2007 (4,007 respondents; weighted population=75,397,128) evaluated whether respondents were up-to-date with CRC screening while HINTS 4 cycle 3 (1,562 respondents; weighted population=76,628,000) evaluated whether participants had ever received CRC screening in the past. All included respondents from both surveys were at least 50 years of age, had no history of CRC, and had rated the quality of healthcare services that they had received at their healthcare provider’s office in the previous 12 months. Results: HINTS 2007 data showed that respondents who rated their healthcare as good, or fair/poor were significantly less likely to be up to date with CRC screening compared to those who rated their healthcare as excellent. We found comparable results from analysis of HINTS 4 cycle 3 data with poorer uptake of CRC screening as the healthcare quality ratings of respondents’ reduced. Conclusion: Our study suggested that patients who reported receiving lower quality of healthcare services were less likely to have undergone and be compliant with CRC screening recommendations. It is important to pay close attention to patient feedback surveys in order to improve healthcare delivery.

Development, Integration, and Deployment of Mobile Information Services in Healthcare

2012 ◽  
pp. 242-261
Author(s):  
Jelena Mirkovic ◽  
Haakon Bryhni
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Quality Of Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Mobile Healthcare ◽  
Mobile Access ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Mobile Information Services

The use of mobile and wireless technologies has great potential to improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare delivery. The main goal of this chapter is to describe the current state of the art in the research field of development and integration of mobile services in the healthcare sector by addressing the two main challenges: usability and security. The authors investigate the main requirements and approaches for developing highly usable, user-friendly, and well-accepted mobile healthcare services. In addition, they identify various ways of addressing security and privacy issues in mobile healthcare services and discuss the advantages and shortcomings of each approach. Finally, the chapter presents the CONNECT (Care Online: Novel Networks to Enhance Communication and Treatment) project and describes how security and usability issues can be addressed during the development of mobile access to a multi-modal Internet-based patient support system.

Exploring the Role of Service Quality and Knowledge for Mobile Health Services

2020 ◽  
pp. 1632-1653
Author(s):  
Nabila Nisha ◽  
Mehree Iqbal ◽  
Afrin Rifat ◽  
Sherina Idrish
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Facilitating Conditions

The use of mobile technology-based services has made healthcare delivery more accessible and affordable in recent times. In fact, mobile health services today act as an effective means of providing healthcare knowledge to users directly from providers. However, the cynical behavior of users regarding this medium of healthcare services often encircles around the quality of such services. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of service quality and knowledge among other underlying factors that can influence future use intentions of m-Health services in the context of Bangladesh. The conceptual model of the study identifies that certain aspects of service qualities like reliability, privacy, responsiveness, empathy and information quality along with facilitating conditions, effort expectancy, performance expectancy and social influence plays an important role in capturing users' overall perceptions of mobile health services. Finally, the study highlights managerial implications, future research directions and limitations from the Bangladesh perspective.

scholarly journals Patient satisfaction survey: A gateway to quality improvement in primary healthcare in the IAF

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. 105-108
Author(s):  
VV Joshi ◽  
R Dev ◽  
NK Tripathy
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Primary Healthcare ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Quality Of Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Tertiary Healthcare

Patient satisfaction is an important indicator to assess and improve quality of healthcare services. In Armed Forces Medical Services, studies on patient satisfaction are scant and mainly hospital based. Hence, a study was conducted with an objective to assess patient satisfaction in seven Primary Healthcare Delivery Centers (PHDCs) in one of the operational commands in the Indian Air Force (IAF). Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form 18 (PSQ-18), a simple tool, was used for the survey. The study was unique in the sense that few centers in the survey were remotely located from tertiary care hospitals and the Medical Officers in these PHDCs were relatively inexperienced. The analysis of the survey clearly brought out distinct differences in certain dimensions of patient satisfaction across the PHDCs. In addition, utility of the Hindi translated version of PSQ-18 was ascertained. Based on the results of the study, few important conclusions were drawn; (a) patient satisfaction could be assessed using simple questionnaire such as PSQ-18, (b) the Hindi translated version of PSQ-18 can also be used as a useful tool depending on the participants’ preference, and (c) the observed dimensions affecting patient satisfaction could be addressed through specific interventions. Similar survey is recommended to be conducted across primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare establishments in the IAF.

Quality of Healthcare Services in Rural India: The User Perspective

2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
J K Sharma ◽  
Ritu Narang
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Quality Of Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
User Perception ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Life Years ◽  
Physical Access

Developing nations have been focusing on relevant infrastructure, technology, disease control, and health outcomes in terms of deaths and disability-adjusted life years, largely ignoring the service quality aspect from the patient's viewpoint. However, researchers opine that real improvement in quality of care cannot occur if the user perception is not involved. Patients' perception is significant as it impacts their ‘health-seeking behaviour’ including utilization of services, seeks involvement in issues directly related to them, enables the service provider to meet their expectations better, and provides relevant information to the policy makers to improve the quality. Some studies conducted in the recent years have made attempts to develop multi-dimensional scales and measure quality of healthcare services in the developing nations. The current study seeks to assess the perception of patients towards quality of healthcare services in rural areas of seven districts of Uttar Pradesh based on the scale developed by Haddad et al (1988) after making adjustment for Indian culture and language. 500 patients were contacted at the healthcare centres. A response rate of 79.2 per cent was obtained resulting in 396 complete questionnaires. The 23-item scale employed in the study comprised five homogeneous sub-scales and tested well for reliability. The findings illustrated some interesting differences in user perception regarding service quality and how they varied between different healthcare centres and according to the demographic status of patients. It was observed that: ‘Healthcare delivery’ and ‘financial and physical access to care’ significantly impacted the perception among men while among women it was ‘healthcare delivery’ and ‘health personnel conduct and drug availability’. With improved income and education, the expectations of the respondents also increased. It was not merely the financial and physical access that was important but the manner of delivery, the availability of various facilities and the interpersonal and diagnostic aspect of care as well that mattered to the people with enhanced economic earnings. What was most astonishing was the finding that the overall quality of healthcare services is perceived to be higher in Primary Healthcare Centres than in Community Healthcare Centres (CHCs). Inadequate availability of doctors and medical equipments, poor clinical examination and poor quality of drugs were the important drawbacks reported at CHCs. The current study demonstrates that the instrument employed was reliable and possessed the power to discern differences in the opinion of people on the basis of demographic factors and point out the quality differences in different healthcare centres. It could be employed to evaluate healthcare quality perception in other rural and urban regions of the country and to assess the perception of users towards private healthcare centres. Further, research could be conducted on price-quality relationship. The government and policy makers are urged to consider the perceptions of patients as well in order to affect improvement in the quality of services and subsequently increase their utilization.

Health Information Exchange for Improving the Efficiency and Quality of Healthcare Delivery

2011 ◽  
pp. 352-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Shi ◽  
Sudhindra Upadhyaya ◽  
Ergin Erdem
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Health Information Exchange ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Quality Of Healthcare ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Right

In healthcare industry, providers, patients, and all other stakeholders must have the right information at the right time for achieving efficient and cost effective services. Exchange of information between the heterogeneous system entities plays a critical role. Health information exchange (HIE) is not only a process of transmitting data, but also a platform for streamlining operations to improve healthcare delivery in a secure manner. In this chapter, we present a comprehensive view of electronic health record (EHR) systems and HIE by presenting their architecture, benefits, challenges, and other related issues. While providing information on the current state of EHR/HIE applications, we also discuss advanced issues and secondary uses of HIE implementations, and shed some light on the future research in this area by highlighting the challenges and potentials.

scholarly journals A Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence-Based, Patient-Centric Healthcare System for Combating the COVID-19 Pandemic: Opportunities and Applications

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1019
Author(s):  
Mohamed Yaseen Jabarulla ◽  
Heung-No Lee
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Data ◽  
Disruptive Technologies ◽  
Drug Manufacturing ◽  
Digital Healthcare ◽  
Patient Centric

The world is facing multiple healthcare challenges because of the emergence of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The pandemic has exposed the limitations of handling public healthcare emergencies using existing digital healthcare technologies. Thus, the COVID-19 situation has forced research institutes and countries to rethink healthcare delivery solutions to ensure continuity of services while people stay at home and practice social distancing. Recently, several researchers have focused on disruptive technologies, such as blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI), to improve the digital healthcare workflow during COVID-19. Blockchain could combat pandemics by enabling decentralized healthcare data sharing, protecting users’ privacy, providing data empowerment, and ensuring reliable data management during outbreak tracking. In addition, AI provides intelligent computer-aided solutions by analyzing a patient’s medical images and symptoms caused by coronavirus for efficient treatments, future outbreak prediction, and drug manufacturing. Integrating both blockchain and AI could transform the existing healthcare ecosystem by democratizing and optimizing clinical workflows. In this article, we begin with an overview of digital healthcare services and problems that have arisen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Next, we conceptually propose a decentralized, patient-centric healthcare framework based on blockchain and AI to mitigate COVID-19 challenges. Then, we explore the significant applications of integrated blockchain and AI technologies to augment existing public healthcare strategies for tackling COVID-19. Finally, we highlight the challenges and implications for future research within a patient-centric paradigm.

Health Information Exchange for Improving the Efficiency and Quality of Healthcare Delivery

2012 ◽  
pp. 714-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Shi ◽  
Sudhindra Upadhyaya ◽  
Ergin Erdem
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Health Information Exchange ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Quality Of Healthcare ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Right

In healthcare industry, providers, patients, and all other stakeholders must have the right information at the right time for achieving efficient and cost effective services. Exchange of information between the heterogeneous system entities plays a critical role. Health information exchange (HIE) is not only a process of transmitting data, but also a platform for streamlining operations to improve healthcare delivery in a secure manner. In this chapter, we present a comprehensive view of electronic health record (EHR) systems and HIE by presenting their architecture, benefits, challenges, and other related issues. While providing information on the current state of EHR/HIE applications, we also discuss advanced issues and secondary uses of HIE implementations, and shed some light on the future research in this area by highlighting the challenges and potentials.

Health Infonomics

2010 ◽  
pp. 217-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Mackert ◽  
Pamela Whitten ◽  
Bree Holtz
Keyword(s):  
Health Informatics ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Economic Aspects ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Acquisition Management ◽  
New Applications

Researchers are currently challenged to document the economic aspects of information across an array of contexts. While some lessons can be applied generally, certain contexts present unique challenges for researchers interested in the acquisition, management, and use of information. Health is one such field currently undergoing a revolution driven by new applications of information-based technologies and services. This chapter provides background on health informatics and current issues as health informatics impacts the provision of health in doctors’ offices, shifts the provision of healthcare services into patients’ homes, and presents new opportunities to address public health concerns. An outline of a future research agenda in health informatics and a look at the prospect of health informatics applications provides the necessary foundation for focused work on the economic impact of this information-driven transformation in healthcare delivery.

scholarly journals Transforming health: Introduction of new management structure at secondary healthcare of Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
N A Chaudary ◽  
MN Navid Tahir ◽  
G Mubin
Keyword(s):  
Public Awareness ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Quality Of Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Smooth Transition ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
District Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Administrators

Abstract While public awareness on health issues is increasing, it has become more significant for the public funded health sector to retain the trust of its patients. It is specifically important in a country like Pakistan where the burden of patients in terms of number is compounded by recurring diseases outbreaks. Recent evidence shows that well-thought management systems can ease the pressure on provision of health services to a larger extent than previously anticipated. To address the managerial challenges of secondary care hospitals, health policy planners of the Punjab (Pakistan) had introduced a New Management Structures (NMS) 'team of non-clinical management graduates' under the Revamping Program of District & Tehsil Headquarter D/THQ hospitals in 2016. After 3 years of execution, a study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of this initiative. 24 in-depth interviews were conducted with the relevant stakeholders and 10 FGDs were conducted with the NMS teams. Thematic analysis & field observations were used to facilitate the presentation of results. The findings show that NMS teams have ensured greater efficiency in management operations of hospitals. Most of the research participants were appreciated for their skills and dedication to work. The hospital and district Health administrators were satisfied with the concept and need of NMS in healthcare system. They claimed that the need for NMS was justified and the intervention has significantly contributed to address the shortcomings inherent in the old management system. However, few stakeholders highlighted the need for further capacity building and robust service structure of NMS teams. The NMS initiative across all secondary hospitals of Punjab has improved the overall quality of healthcare service delivery in D/THQ Hospitals. It can be safely concluded that a specialized workforce in form of NMS is vital in ensuring smooth transition and up-gradation of hospitals under the revamping project Key messages Healthcare delivery is moving towards more specialized skills in terms of both healthcare services and management. NMS is vital in ensuring smooth transition and up-gradation of D/THQ hospitals.

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