Healthcare Informatics Research最新文献

Objectives: The spread of misinformation through the internet can lead to dangerous behavioral changes and erode trust in reliable sources, especially during public health crises like coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To combat this issue, innovative strategies that leverage information technology are essential. This study focused on developing and evaluating a mobile application (app), COVID-Iran, aimed at countering COVID-19 misinformation by delivering accurate, reliable, and credible information.

Methods: The development of the app involved a multi-step, user-centered approach that integrated qualitative expert consultations with quantitative survey research to pinpoint and validate key features. The app was initially prototyped using Enterprise Architect software and subsequently developed using Android Studio and MySQL. We conducted a usability evaluation using the System Usability Scale (SUS), where participants engaged in various tasks related to information seeking, self-assessment, and health management. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS version 19.

Results: The findings revealed a high usability level (SUS score of 81.35), with participants reporting ease of use and learnability. The app effectively countered misinformation by providing access to trusted sources and evidence-based counterarguments. User feedback emphasized the app's strengths in clarity, accuracy, trustworthiness, and its comprehensive approach. Plans for future improvements include the integration of artificial intelligence to deliver personalized content.

Conclusions: Despite limitations such as the small sample size and potential self-selection bias, this study highlights the significant potential of mHealth apps to provide reliable health information and combat misinformation.

Objectives: This study was conducted to develop a mobile application for digital health coaching to support self-management in older adults with multiple chronic conditions. Additionally, the usability of this application was evaluated.

Methods: The HAHA2022 mobile application was developed through a multidisciplinary team approach, incorporating digital health coaching strategies targeting community-dwelling older adults with multiple chronic conditions. Usability was assessed with the Korean version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale. The usability tests involved eight expert panel members and 10 older adults (mean age, 74 ± 3 years; 90% women) from one senior welfare center.

Results: HAHA2022 is an Android-based mobile application that is also integrated into wearable devices to track physical activity. It features an age-friendly design and includes five main menus: Home, Action Plan, Education, Health Log, and Community. The average overall usability test scores-covering engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information-were 4.27 of 5 for the expert panel and 4.53 of 5 for the older adults.

Conclusions: The HAHA2022 application was developed to improve self-management among communitydwelling older adults with multiple chronic conditions. Usability tests indicate that the application is highly acceptable and feasible for use by this population. Consequently, HAHA2022 is anticipated to be widely implemented. Nonetheless, further research is required to confirm its effectiveness through digital health intervention.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of implementing OpenNotes in Korea. It involved developing and evaluating the Open-CHA service, which provides clinical summary information to patients diagnosed with craniofacial deformities and their caregivers following outpatient visits.

Methods: The study included 109 patients diagnosed with craniofacial deformities, along with their caregivers. The Open-CHA service was developed by referencing OpenNotes and involved a user needs assessment, a pilot test, and an evaluation of its effectiveness. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the paired t-test.

Results: Short message service templates for the Open-CHA service based on a user needs assessment conducted with patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. These templates were refined and improved following a pilot test. After the implementation of the Open-CHA service, most participants evaluated OpenNotes positively. Additionally, there were observed increases in health knowledge and efficacy in patient-physician interactions. A statistically significant improvement in mobile health literacy was also confirmed.

Conclusions: The implementation of the Open-CHA service significantly enhanced mobile health literacy among patients with craniofacial deformities and their caregivers, indicating positive outcomes for the potential adoption of OpenNotes in Korea. This suggests that introducing OpenNotes into the Korean healthcare system is appropriate.

Objectives: Health students' ability to utilize technology effectively is vital for improving the quality of future healthcare services. Relevant digital health education must be comprehensively integrated into training programs, continuing professional development activities, and school curricula to keep them current. This study investigated the most effective digital health approaches to enhance health students' cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills, thereby preparing them for the workforce.

Methods: A literature review was conducted by searching for articles from 2013 to 2023 in PubMed, Science Direct, ERIC, and Scopus. The search used the PICO model, focusing on experimental studies and digital learning.

Results: The review identified 26 studies, categorizing digital education methods into platform-based (46.2%), tools-based (30.7%), and training-based approaches (23.1%). Participants included health students (57.7%), healthcare professionals (34.6%), and a combination of both (7.7%). The content materials primarily targeted curriculum objectives (65.4%) and clinical applications (34.6%). The outcomes, classified according to Bloom's taxonomy, were divided into cognitive (84.6%), affective (76.9%), and psychomotor (46.1%) domains.

Conclusions: Digital health education benefits from a variety of approaches. A platformbased approach is recommended for delivering theoretical and methodological materials, a tools-based approach for simulations, and a training-based approach for practical skills to enhance the cognitive domain. Both platform-based and trainingbased approaches are advised to improve the affective and psychomotor dimensions of learning. This study underscores the importance of an integrated digital learning system in health educational institutions to prepare students for evolving health systems and to improve learning outcomes and skill transfer.

Objectives: Disorders of amino acid metabolism fall under the category of inborn errors of metabolism that can be managed with a protein-restricted diet. However, adherence to such a diet often poses challenges, leading to low treatment engagement. Consequently, there is a pressing need for new resources to aid in dietary self-monitoring. The goal is to develop and implement "AminoApp," an application tailored for dietary self-monitoring in patients with inborn errors of metabolism who are on a low-protein diet.

Methods: The design and development of the application adhered to the user-centered design method. This approach emphasizes active participation and collaboration between users and designers/researchers throughout all stages of product development, including requirement gathering, prototype development, and evaluation. Usability was evaluated using the System Usability Scale, which has been validated in Portuguese.

Results: The application's features include a food diary, a food consultation area, exam records, a recipe calculator, and reports on diet composition and metabolic control. The usability test included four patients on a low-protein diet, three caregivers, and three healthcare professionals. The average usability score was 84.9, with averages of 77.5 for patients, 85.8 for caregivers, and 91.6 for professionals, indicating that the application is user-friendly.

Conclusions: AminoApp is the first application developed in Brazil designed to assist in managing inborn errors of metabolism that require a protein-restricted diet. It was found to be easy to use, and the initial results are promising. Further research is necessary to evaluate the impact of the application on metabolic control and treatment adherence.

Objectives: Pain is a common side effect of cancer that negatively impacts biopsychosocial well-being and quality of life. There has been increasing interest in using digital game interventions for managing pain in cancer patients. The present study aimed to consolidate and summarize knowledge regarding the role of games in reducing pain among cancer patients and enhancing their overall quality of life.

Methods: We reviewed studies published between 2000 and April 8, 2023, from databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The focus was on determining the impact of health games on pain management in cancer patients.

Results: An initial search identified 2,544 studies, which were narrowed down to 10 relevant articles after removing duplicates and assessing quality. These studies examined the use of mobile and computer games across various types of cancer, including both pediatric and adult cases. The findings indicate that digital games, particularly those utilizing virtual reality technologies, can diminish pain and anxiety while enhancing treatment outcomes. Overall, the application of these technologies has the potential to improve cancer treatment.

Conclusions: Digital game interventions empower cancer patients by fostering effective communication and patient-centered approaches, which enhance perceptions, outcomes, and overall well-being. These games provide real-time feedback and facilitate interaction with healthcare professionals, which promotes self-management and boosts patient motivation and adherence to treatment protocols. As personalized educational platforms, they increase engagement through educational resources and symptom tracking, while also encouraging physical activity. Furthermore, they act as distraction tools during painful procedures, presenting new research opportunities in pain management and enhancing overall quality of life.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of vaccine logistics management information systems at public health facilities in Amhara Region, Ethiopia.

Methods: An institution-based concurrent explanatory mixed design was used at public health facilities in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. In total, 102 health facilities were selected using the multi-stage, stratified, random-sampling proportionate-to-size method. Data were collected using a structured data abstraction checklist from vaccine logistics management information system records. Additionally, experiences of Expanded Program for Immunization focal persons were gathered through interviewer-administered questionnaires.

Results: Among the 102 health facilities surveyed, 99 (97.1%) provided vaccination services during the study period. On the day of the visit, the average availability and utilization rates of 15 vaccine logistics management information system forms were 44.1% and 40.5%, respectively. The mean inventory accuracy for tracer vaccines stood at 58.3% ± 45.1%. The overall average accuracy percentages for urban and rural vaccine request form reports were 73.4% and 69.6%, respectively.

Conclusions: The performance of vaccine logistics management information systems in these public health facilities was suboptimal. Key issues identified include inconsistent use of recording forms, shortages of reporting forms, lack of digitalization, poor data quality, and a shortage of qualified staff. These findings underscore the urgent need for standardization of the vaccine logistics management information system and enhancement of data quality.

Objectives: This study evaluated the efficacy of integrating a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) model and a large language model (LLM) to improve the accuracy of drug name mapping across international vocabularies.

Methods: Drug ingredient names were translated into English using the Japanese Accepted Names for Pharmaceuticals. Drug concepts were extracted from the standard vocabulary of OHDSI, and the accuracy of mappings between translated terms and RxNorm was assessed by vector similarity, using the BioBERT-generated embedded vectors as the baseline. Subsequently, we developed LLMs with RAG that distinguished the final candidates from the baseline. We assessed the efficacy of the LLM with RAG in candidate selection by comparing it with conventional methods based on vector similarity.

Results: The evaluation metrics demonstrated the superior performance of the combined LLM + RAG over traditional vector similarity methods. Notably, the hit rates of the Mixtral 8x7b and GPT-3.5 models exceeded 90%, significantly outperforming the baseline rate of 64% across stratified groups of PO drugs, injections, and all interventions. Furthermore, the r-precision metric, which measures the alignment between model judgment and human evaluation, revealed a notable improvement in LLM performance, ranging from 41% to 50% compared to the baseline of 23%.

Conclusions: Integrating an RAG and an LLM outperformed conventional string comparison and embedding vector similarity techniques, offering a more refined approach to global drug information mapping.

Objectives: The National Health Insurance (Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional or JKN) mobile application represents an administrative transformation of health social insurance in Indonesia. The application's user base has quadrupled in the past 2 years. The study aimed to evaluate the usability and user experience of the JKN mobile application in Indonesia.

Methods: The study administered an online survey featuring the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire alongside a user experience assessment. The survey was disseminated via social media and garnered responses from 370 participants. The variables examined included usability and user experience, specifically focusing on attractiveness, perspicuity, efficiency, dependability, stimulation, and novelty. Data analysis was performed descriptively, and the results were benchmarked.

Results: The JKN mobile application had an average SUS score of 60.9 ± 13.47 (adjective rating "good," Grade "F," acceptability rating of "low marginal," and a percentile range of 34). User experience testing yielded the following results: attractiveness (1.09 ± 1.09), perspicuity (1.05 ± 1.17), efficiency (1.07 ± 1.20), dependability (1.03 ± 1.12), stimulation (0.88 ± 1.20), and novel-ty (0.58 ± 1.09). The benchmark for the JKN mobile application placed the user experience in the "below average" category.

Conclusions: The evaluation of the usability and user experience of the JKN mobile application was generally positive. However, there is a need to improve the usability and all parameters of the user experience. Broader-scale research is needed to explore the factors that influence usage and user experience to promote the adoption of the JKN application and increase user satisfaction.