Beyond Mobile Health Apps

In a recent Next Avenue story, we examined the ubiquity of mobile health apps. Now, our focus shifts to a more expansive view about digital health technologies and on how these technologies are not only playing out today, but what their impact will be in the future.

The full Forbes article can be viewed at this link.  

Telemedicine and Infectious Diseases Practice: A Leap Forward or a Step Back?

Infectious Diseases (ID) specialists pride themselves on performing a thorough history and physical exam, and developing a comprehensive diagnosis and management plan. A timely question is whether this tradition is at risk from the coming wave of telemedicine in clinical practice? It would not be if ID specialists embrace the changes ahead and leverage new technologies to enhance the efficiency and reach of their clinical practices. In this report, we highlight the opportunities and challenges offered by telemedicine for ID practice.

The full article can be downloaded below.  

Theories Predicting End-User Acceptance of Telemedicine Use: Systematic Review

Only a few telemedicine applications have made their way into regular care. One reason is the lack of acceptance of telemedicine by potential end users.

The aim of this systematic review was to identify theoretical predictors that influence the acceptance of telemedicine.

An electronic search was conducted in PubMed and PsycINFO in June 2018 and supplemented by a hand search. Articles were identified using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. In total, two reviewers independently assessed the title, abstract, and full-text screening and then individually performed a quality assessment of all included studies.

Out of 5917 potentially relevant titles (duplicates excluded), 24 studies were included. The Axis Tool for quality assessment of cross-sectional studies revealed a high risk of bias for all studies except for one study. The most commonly used models were the Technology Acceptance Model (n=11) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (n=9). The main significant predictors of acceptance were perceived usefulness (n=11), social influences (n=6), and attitude (n=6). The results show a superiority of technology acceptance versus original behavioral models.

The main finding of this review is the applicability of technology acceptance models and theories on telemedicine adoption. Characteristics of the technology, such as its usefulness, as well as attributes of the individual, such as his or her need for social support, inform end-user acceptance. Therefore, in the future, requirements of the target group and the group’s social environment should already be taken into account when planning telemedicine applications. The results support the importance of theory-guided user-centered design approaches to telemedicine development.

The full article can be downloaded below.  

Trends in Individuals’ Access, Viewing and Use of Online Medical Records and Other Technology for Health Needs: 2017-2018 

The access, exchange, and use of electronic health information is essential for individuals to better manage their health care needs and share information with their providers and caregivers. Many hospitals and physicians possess capabilities that enable patients to view and download their health information. However, additional steps are needed to make health information more accessible and useful to individuals. A majority of individuals have smartphones and use applications (apps) to help them manage various tasks. The 21st Century Cures Act emphasizes the importance of making patient health information more easily accessible and the need for greater education regarding patients’ rights to access their health information. This data brief uses the Health Information Trends Survey (HINTS), a nationally representative survey, to assess individuals’ access, viewing and use of their online medical records, and the use of smartphone health apps and other electronic devices in 2017 and 2018.

The full data brief can be downloaded below.  

How Conversational AI Could Remake Health Care

One of the most pressing problems the United States faces is a shortage of access to health care. Some California politicians are trying to fix this with legislation that would improve access. While many are looking to policy to fix the problem, they should not overlook the role that emerging technologies can play in both managing health care and treating common conditions and diseases.

One of the places this is happening is the personal health care market, which includes family physicians and urgent care clinics, among other facilities. The adoption of "conversational artificial intelligence (AI)" by health care providers is part of a larger overall trend that will see the AI health care market rapidly expand in the coming years. Accenture predicts these changes could save the health care industry $150 billion a year by 2026.

Conversational AI offers a natural and intuitive method of communicating with customers. Traditional voice recognition systems are static. Customers need to navigate multiple menus and options and usually end up pressing zero for an agent. A conversational AI system starts with a question and then routes the customer to the right answer or solution, eliminating the wait and frustration. It's almost no different than talking to an empathetic person.

From faster claims to better management of chronic conditions, conversational AI could reinvent the global standard of health care. It could also help the industry save money and resources by ensuring that visits to emergency departments are only for severe or life-threatening conditions. 

The full Forbes article can be viewed at this link.  

Social Media in Primary Care

Social media has become a standard part of the day for the majority of people in the United States, and reciprocally has become an effective platform and tool for patient engagement within health care. This review provides context for its place in patient education, communication, and treatment, combined with a review of general operational and ethical principles for social media platforms within a primary care practice.

The full article can be downloaded below.  

Role of Artificial Intelligence within the Telehealth Domain

This paper provides a discussion about the potential scope of applicability of Artificial Intelligence methods within the telehealth domain. These methods are focussed on clinical needs and provide some insight to current directions, based on reports of recent advances.

Examples of telehealth innovations involving Artificial Intelligence to support or supplement remote health care delivery were identified from recent literature by the authors, on the basis of expert knowledge. Observations from the examples were synthesized to yield an overview of contemporary directions for the perceived role of Artificial Intelligence in telehealth.

Two major focus areas for related contemporary directions were established. These were first, quality improvement for existing clinical practice and service delivery, and second, the development and support of new models of care. Case studies from each focus area have been chosen for illustration purposes.

Examples of the role of Artificial Intelligence in delivery of health care remotely include use of tele-assessment, tele-diagnosis, tele-interactions, and tele-monitoring. Further developments of underlying algorithms and validation of methods will be required for wider adoption. Certain key social and ethical considerations also need consideration more generally in the health system, as Artificial-Intelligence-enabled-telehealth becomes more commonplace.

The full article can be downloaded below.  

2019 HEALTHCARE PROGNOSIS

For the third year running, our smart friends from across the healthcare industry helped us take the pulse of the health IT sector. Our respondents have correctly called both the survival of the Affordable Care Act (even without bugging Justice Roberts’ chambers) and the lack of tangible progress in drug pricing. This year, we re-checked on startup health, technology adoption and regulatory issues while also taking a look at new topics including blockchain and diversity.

The full Venrock findings can be found at this link.  

Recommendations on Digital Interventions for Health System Strengthening

A key challenge is to ensure that all people enjoy the benefits of digital technologies for everyone. We must make sure that innovation and technology helps to reduce the inequities in our world, instead of becoming another reason people are left behind. Countries must be guided by evidence to establish sustainable harmonized digital systems, not seduced by every new gadget.

That’s what this guideline is all about.

At the Seventy-First World Health Assembly, WHO’s Member States asked us to develop a global strategy on digital health. This first WHO guideline establishes recommendations on digital interventions for health system strengthening and synthesizes the evidence for the most important and effective digital technologies.

The nature of digital technologies is that they are evolving rapidly; so will this guideline. As new technologies emerge, new evidence will be used to refine and expand on these recommendations. WHO is significantly enhancing its work in digital health to ensure we provide our Member States with the most up-to-date evidence and advice to enable countries to make the smartest investments and achieve the biggest gains in health. Ultimately, digital technologies are not ends in themselves; they are vital tools to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.

The full guideline from the World Health Organization can be downloaded below.  

The use of information and communication technology in healthcare to improve participation in everyday life: a scoping review

The increase in use of everyday information and communication technologies can lead to the need for health professionals to incorporate technology use competencies in practice. Information and communication technologies has the potential to improve participation in daily life among people with disability. The aim was to review and describe evidence of the use of information and communication technology, including mobile technology, for improving participation in everyday life. A secondary aim was to describe how study outcomes were related to participation. A scoping review methodology was used to identify studies through databases as MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library. Thereafter, the studies were screened and assessed for inclusion. Eleven studies were included. The most commonly used technology were videoconferencing and the telephone. Ten of the 11 studies reported a change in participation in everyday life. Participation was mainly described as involvement in a life situation or related to activities of daily living. Delivering an intervention to improve participation through information and communication technology can be a valid option in rehabilitation. There is a need to measure and describe the intervention and its outcomes in relation to a definition of participation in future studies.

The full article can be downloaded below.