Optimizing Player Management Processes in Sports: Translating Lessons from Healthcare Process Improvements to Sports

Typical player management processes focus on managing an athlete’s physical, physiological, psychological, technical and tactical preparation and performance. Current literature illustrates limited attempts to optimize such processes in sports. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the application of Business Process Management (BPM) in healthcare (a service industry resembling sports) and formulate a model to optimize data driven player management processes in professional sports. A systematic review, adhering to PRISMA framework was conducted on articles extracted from seven databases, focused on using BPM to digitally optimize patient related healthcare processes. Literature reviews by authors was the main mode of healthcare process identification for BPM interventions. Interviews with process owners followed by process modelling were common modes of process discovery. Stakeholder and value-based analysis highlighted potential optimization areas. In most articles, details on process redesign strategies were not explicitly provided. New digital system developments and implementation of Business Process Management Systems were common. Optimized processes were evaluated using usability assessments and pre-post statistical analysis of key process performance indicators. However, the scientific rigor of most experiments designed for such latter evaluations were suboptimal. From the findings, a stepwise approach to optimize data driven player management processes in professional sports has been proposed.

How is and how should healthcare for people with multiple sclerosis in Germany be designed?–The rationale and protocol for the mixed-methods study Multiple Sclerosis–Patient-Oriented Care in Lower Saxony (MS-PoV)

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system in Europe, often causing severe physical, cognitive and emotional impairments. Currently, it is unclear whether the healthcare provisions of people with MS (PwMS) are in line with the recommendations for treatment based on guidelines or patients’ needs. The main objectives of the study are as follows: (a) to investigate how well PwMS are treated; and (b) to develop a needs-oriented, patient-centred care model. Methods This mixed-methods study focuses on adult PwMS living in Lower Saxony, a federal state in Germany. The qualitative study comprises focus groups with PwMS, physicians and people involved in the healthcare process as well as a future workshop. The quantitative study comprises a cross-sectional online survey and addresses the patient-relevant outcomes and needs, as previously determined by literature searches and focus groups. It will be administered to all PwMS who are insured by the statutory health insurance company involved in the project (n~7,000). The survey data will be linked to the longitudinal secondary data from the statutory health insurance company and data from the German MS registry where available. The linked and single data sources will be statistically analysed. Discussion By comprehensively comparing the current healthcare provisions with the needs and requirements of PwMS, the strengths and weaknesses of the overall healthcare process and provision of assistive devices can be identified. The barriers and facilitators of the health service providers and their impact on daily life will be explored (qualitative analyses). Reliable recommendations for improvements will be given based on a study population drawn from the largest statutory health insurance company in Lower Saxony (quantitative analyses). However, the inherent advantages and limitations of the qualitative and quantitative research approaches need to be considered. Trial registration The study is registered at German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00021741.

Mobile 5P-Medicine Approach for Cardiovascular Patients

Medicine is heading towards personalized care based on individual situations and conditions. With smartphones and increasingly miniaturized wearable devices, the sensors available on these devices can perform long-term continuous monitoring of several user health-related parameters, making them a powerful tool for a new medicine approach for these patients. Our proposed system, described in this article, aims to develop innovative solutions based on artificial intelligence techniques to empower patients with cardiovascular disease. These solutions will realize a novel 5P (Predictive, Preventive, Participatory, Personalized, and Precision) medicine approach by providing patients with personalized plans for treatment and increasing their ability for self-monitoring. Such capabilities will be derived by learning algorithms from physiological data and behavioral information, collected using wearables and smart devices worn by patients with health conditions. Further, developing an innovative system of smart algorithms will also focus on providing monitoring techniques, predicting extreme events, generating alarms with varying health parameters, and offering opportunities to maintain active engagement of patients in the healthcare process by promoting the adoption of healthy behaviors and well-being outcomes. The multiple features of this future system will increase the quality of life for cardiovascular diseases patients and provide seamless contact with a healthcare professional.

Digital Health and the Climate Change: Introductory key concepts and Research Topics

Starting with telemedicine movement 50 years ago, digital health has been changing slowly the healthcare paradigm since. Now with COVID-19 Epidemics has raise the bar and pushed for digital health across the healthcare services. Likewise, public Health should be more engaged on studying future impacts of climate change on health care and look for the opportunities that digital health can bring. At the same time, European Public Health should propose new models for healthy living in the line with sustainable circular economy. Digital health is about health service delivery but it is much more about patients' behaviour and participation in the healthcare process. Digitalization is enabling a change in the role of patients in the healthcare value chain, moreover considering the new European strategy of Health Data Space combined with the European Green Deal. We will present a set of European and American case studies already showing the positive impact of digital health in mitigating climate crises factors, by reducing transportation and materials costs and improving health professionals efficiency, among others. An overview of the recent trends will be discussed and links to public health will be addressed. A special attention will be drawn to a digital public health framework to tackle the climate change future's public health threats.

‘One feels somewhere that one is insignificant in that system’ – older multimorbid patients’ between lifeworld and system in healthcare

Background When older multimorbid people are acutely hospitalized, continuity of care is a fundamental goal in the healthcare process. However, some acute hospitalized older multimorbid patients do not experience continuity of care. This phenomenon is explored using the theoretical framework of Jürgen Habermas “Theory of communicative action”. Methods Acutely hospitalized patients over the age of 65 with two or more chronic conditions and who received home care services were invited to participate in two interviews: one at the emergency department and the other 4–12 weeks after discharge. These interviews formed the basis for an evaluation of patient experience of continuity of care, and the content of the interviews was analyzed using a structured matrix. Results Fifteen patients participated with seven patients evaluated to have continuity of care in their healthcare process. Eight patients were evaluated as not having experienced continuity of care in their healthcare process. The categories from the matrix highlighted a healthcare system that interfered with a patient’s lifeworld with a lack of communication, different expectations, frustration regarding care, strained relations to health care providers and feelings of being objectified. Conclusions We conclude that mutual understanding based on communicative action is essential when it comes to patients’ experiences of continuity of care. Our results justify improving the mutual understanding between patients and professionals in transition between healthcare sectors. Future research should target whether an enhanced focus on communicative action and mutual understanding in particular between non-healthcare professionals and patients will improve the patients’ perception of continuity of care.

Fine-Grained Simplification of Medical Documents

Easy access to medical and health information for children, foreigners and patients is an important issue for the modern society and research. Indeed, misunderstanding of medical and health information by patients may have a negative impact on their healthcare process and health. Even if several simplification guidelines exist, they are difficult to use by medical experts (i.e. lack of time, difficulty to respect the criteria). Existing simplification systems mainly address some lexical or syntactic transformations. We propose to combine lexical and syntactic simplifications within one rule-based system and to make the process fine-grained thanks to a better control of the grammaticality of sentences.

How to specify healthcare process improvements collaboratively using rapid, remote consensus-building: a framework and a case study of its application

Background Practical methods for facilitating process improvement are needed to support high quality, safe care. How best to specify (identify and define) process improvements – the changes that need to be made in a healthcare process – remains a key question. Methods for doing so collaboratively, rapidly and remotely offer much potential, but are under-developed. We propose an approach for engaging diverse stakeholders remotely in a consensus-building exercise to help specify improvements in a healthcare process, and we illustrate the approach in a case study. Methods Organised in a five-step framework, our proposed approach is informed by a participatory ethos, crowdsourcing and consensus-building methods: (1) define scope and objective of the process improvement; (2) produce a draft or prototype of the proposed process improvement specification; (3) identify participant recruitment strategy; (4) design and conduct a remote consensus-building exercise; (5) produce a final specification of the process improvement in light of learning from the exercise. We tested the approach in a case study that sought to specify process improvements for the management of obstetric emergencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a brief video showing a process for managing a post-partum haemorrhage in women with COVID-19 to elicit recommendations on how the process could be improved. Two Delphi rounds were then conducted to reach consensus. Results We gathered views from 105 participants, with a background in maternity care (n = 36), infection prevention and control (n = 17), or human factors (n = 52). The participants initially generated 818 recommendations for how to improve the process illustrated in the video, which we synthesised into a set of 22 recommendations. The consensus-building exercise yielded a final set of 16 recommendations. These were used to inform the specification of process improvements for managing the obstetric emergency and develop supporting resources, including an updated video. Conclusions The proposed methodological approach enabled the expertise and ingenuity of diverse stakeholders to be captured and mobilised to specify process improvements in an area of pressing service need. This approach has the potential to address current challenges in process improvement, but will require further evaluation.

MediCare System – A social media platform for Iraq environment

During the mobile technology's global expansion, the widespread use of internet-enabled smartphones on all countries and especially in Asia Minor/Iraqi community has increased dramatically, as mobile applications became a key area of interest among physicians and patients in this society. Also, there are applications available that help healthcare providers, but these applications have limited possibilities and don’t have communication, monitoring, or other functions of healthcare. Physicians and patients turn to social media applications in the healthcare process. If we speak about Asia Minor, especially Iraq there are very few applications and related research that facilitates electronic health. Therefore, due to the conditions and requirements of the Iraqi health environment a healthcare solution called "MediCare" system that provides a medical social platform that facilitates interaction between hospitals, clinics, physicians, and patients has been developed. In this paper we present the implementation of the MediCare system together with its general architecture.