scholarly journals 2537

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (S1) ◽  
pp. 41-42
Author(s):  
Sonya Makhni ◽  
Daniel Tuchman ◽  
Farah Fasihuddin ◽  
Jason Rogers ◽  
Ashish Atreja

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: To assess the usability and adoption of RxUniverse, a novel platform that enables health care providers to directly disseminate proven, evidence-based mobile health apps to patients. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Among 5 pilot clinical sites, 40 physicians and front-line providers consisting of medical assistants and receptionists were trained on the RxUniverse platform. They were instructed on the platform’s purpose, were shown a demonstration of the functionality, and were observed in a trial process of prescribing an app. Specific implementation plans were designed with the help of the clinic staff in order to best fit in with their present workflows. The well-validated System Usability Score (SUS) was used to assess the usability of the platform. Prescriptions of 100 relevant app prescriptions within a 8-week pilot period was set as the adoption goal. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Within the pilot period, greater than 2000 apps were prescribed across all users. Of the 40 providers trained on the RxUniverse platform, 26 prescribed >5 apps during the trial period. Of these 26 individuals, 18 prescribed >20 apps, 14 prescribed >50 apps, and 5 prescribed >80 apps; 58% of users reported frequent use (weekly or daily) of the platform. In total, 19 responses were received for the SUS survey. The RxUniverse platform received a usability score of 82%. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: As the pace of innovation continues to accelerate, health care providers will need to quickly integrate new digital-based tools into their workflows, and patients will need to be able to easily and readily access these tools. RxUniverse provides the necessary mechanisms, user-friendly interface, and EHR integration functionality to accomplish this. The total number of apps prescribed surpassed 2000, which far exceeded the initial target of 100 apps. The platform also scored an 82% on the SUS, which is considered an “A” by industry standards. By comparison, other health apps considered to have to be in the highest-rating groups have reported scores of 77.5% and an overall average of 68% among all systems. These outcomes demonstrate the high adoption and usability of the RxUniverse platform, an important platform that can be used to prescribe the latest technologies directly to patients.

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (03) ◽  
pp. 518-524
Author(s):  
GHULAM SARWAR ◽  
FARIDA MANZUR ◽  
IMTIAZ HAMID

Objectives: (1) To determine the mode of services being rendered and practices done by the health care providers of the study area. (2) To identify various socio-demographic factors about the health care providers. A health care provider provides preventive, curative, rehabilitative and spiritual health services to the community. Health care is being provided by not only the registered and qualified doctors, but also by non-qualified non-registered and inexperienced persons in Pakistan. Methodology: A total of 57 health care providers from the union council 42 area in district Faisalabad were included. A pre-tested questionnaire to know about the services and practices of the individuals was served upon them to collect the relevant data. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Union council 42 area in district Faisalabad. Period: 2008. Results: Out of 57, 30 (52.63%) were males and 27 (47.37%) were females. Most of them, 18 (31.6%) were above 49 years of age. 51 (89.47%) were practicing in the private; whereas, only 2(3.51%) in the public sector. Most of the individuals, 21 (36.8%) were LHW and only 2(3.5%) were doctors or medical assistants; 3(5.3%) were dispensers, 9(15.8%) were hakeems and 7 (12.3%) homeopaths. Most of them, 40(70.2%) were matriculates and 14(24.6%) graduates. Only 20 (35.1%) were having certificates and 11(19.3%) were diploma holders. Further, only 2(11.76%) out of 57 were registered with PM&DC and Punjab Medical Faculty. 30 (52.6%) individuals were rendering curative and only 5 (8.8%) preventive services. None of the health care providers was rendering laboratory, x-ray or ultrasound services. Most of the individuals, 36 (63.2%) were practicing allopathy and 7(12.3%) homeopathy way of treatment. Further, most of the professionals, 45 (78.95%) were not doing any surgery. As regards sterilization, the most 8(66.7%) were practicing boiling of instruments. Most of them 47 (82.45%) were giving injections to the patients, however, using disposable syringes, and 27(57.4%) were disposing of the syringes by cutting the needles to dump. 20 (42.55%) were referring their patients to DHQ Hospital and 47 (82.46%) were keeping the record. Conclusions: Qualified medical professionals were scarce in the locality. However, allopathic system of medicine was being widely practiced. Only LHWs were providing curative services with proper training to deliver first aid services.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leming Zhou ◽  
Bambang Parmanto ◽  
James Joshi

BACKGROUND The widespread application of technologies such as electronic health record systems, mobile health apps, and telemedicine platforms, has made it easy for health care providers to collect relevant data and deliver health care regimens. While efficacious, these new technologies also pose serious security and privacy challenges. OBJECTIVE The training program described here aims at preparing well-informed health information security and privacy professionals with enhanced course materials and various approaches. METHODS A new educational track has been built within a health informatics graduate program. Several existing graduate courses have been enhanced with new security and privacy modules. New labs and seminars have been created, and students are being encouraged to participate in research projects and obtain real-world experience from industry partners. Students in this track receive both theoretical education and hands-on practice. Evaluations have been performed on this new track by conducting multiple surveys on a sample of students. RESULTS We have succeeded in creating a new security track and developing a pertinent curriculum. The newly created security materials have been implemented in multiple courses. Our evaluation indicated that students (N=72) believed that receiving security and privacy training was important for health professionals, the provided security contents were interesting, and having the enhanced security and privacy training in this program was beneficial for their future career. CONCLUSIONS The security and privacy education for health information professionals in this new security track has been significantly enhanced.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-38
Author(s):  
Alissa D. Koski ◽  
Ellie Mirzabagi ◽  
Patience Cofie ◽  
Vandana Tripathi

PURPOSE: Uterotonic drugs, administered immediately after delivery, can prevent postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). As programs expand uterotonic access in settings of high maternal mortality, it is important to understand why and how these drugs are currently used. This qualitative study aimed to describe Ghanaian health care providers’ and community members’ knowledge, perceptions, and practices of uterotonic usage at or near labor and delivery.METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted in 3 districts with 185 physicians, medical assistants, midwives, nurses, new mothers, mothers aged 50 years and older, traditional birth attendants, and chemists.FINDINGS: Providers described using misoprostol most commonly for labor induction, oxytocin for labor augmentation and PPH prevention, and ergometrine for PPH treatment. Unsafe practices and knowledge gaps were identified regarding labor augmentation and uterotonic storage. Community members reported experience with uterotonics in facility deliveries. Community-based use of pharmaceutical uterotonics was rarely reported, except misoprostol for pregnancy termination; however, community members described use of herbal medicines for intended uterotonic effect. Across respondent categories, uterotonics were more commonly associated with accelerating delivery than PPH prevention.CONCLUSION: Programs promoting facility childbirth and/or uterotonic coverage at home births should consider these underlying patterns of use and encourage safe practices through provider and community engagement.


10.2196/15301 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. e15301
Author(s):  
Ma'n H Zawati ◽  
Michael Lang

Over the past decade, smartphone technology has become increasingly sophisticated and ubiquitous. Modern smartphones, now owned by more than three quarters of Canadians and 94% of millennials, perform an array of functions that are potentially useful in the health care context, such as tracking fitness data, enabling health record sharing, and providing user-friendly platforms for disease management. Approximately half of smartphone users have downloaded at least one health app, and clinicians are increasingly using them in their practice. However, despite widespread use, there is little evidence that supports their safety and efficacy. Few apps have been independently evaluated and many lack basic patient protections such as privacy policies. In this context, the demand for the regulation of mobile health apps has increased. Against this backdrop, regulators, including Health Canada, have begun to propose regulating the use of smartphones in health care. In this viewpoint, we respond to Health Canada’s recent proposal to regulate smartphone use in Canada according to a risk-based model. We argue that although Health Canada’s recent proposed approach is promising, it may require complementary regulation and oversight.


Author(s):  
Jordi Miró ◽  
Pere Llorens-Vernet

BACKGROUND In recent years, the considerable increase in the number of mobile health apps has made healthcare more accessible and affordable for all. However, the exponential growth in mHealth solutions has occurred with almost no control or regulation of any kind. Despite some recent initiatives, there is still no specific regulation procedure, accreditation system or standards to help the development of the apps, mitigate risks or guarantee quality. OBJECTIVE The main aim of this study is to provide a set of standards for mobile health-related apps on the basis of what is available from guidelines, frameworks, and standards in the field of health app development. METHODS To identify the most important criteria, we used three strategies. First, we conducted a systematic review of all the studies published on health-related apps. Second, we searched for health-app recommendations on the websites of professional organizations. Finally, we looked for standards governing the development of software for medical devices on the specialized webs of regulatory organizations. Then, we compiled the criteria we had identified and determined which of them could be regarded as essential, recommendable or desirable. RESULTS We identified a total of 168 criteria from the systematic review, 282 criteria from published guidelines, and 53 criteria from the standards of medical devices. These criteria were then grouped and subsumed under 8 categories, which included 36 important criteria for health apps. Of these 7 were considered to be essential, 18 recommendable, and 11 desirable. The more essential criteria an mHealth application has, the greater its quality. CONCLUSIONS This set of standards can be easily used by health care providers, developers, patients and other stakeholders, both to guide the development of mHealth related apps and to measure the quality of an mHealth app.


2017 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 1263-1268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nitin Agarwal ◽  
Sumana S. Kommana ◽  
David R. Hansberry ◽  
Ahmed I. Kashkoush ◽  
Robert M. Friedlander ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE Closing the knowledge gap that exists between patients and health care providers is essential and is facilitated by easy access to patient education materials. Although such information has the potential to be an effective resource, it must be written in a user-friendly and understandable manner, especially when such material pertains to specialized and highly technical fields such as neurological surgery. The authors evaluated the accessibility, usability, and reliability of current educational resources provided by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Healthwise, and the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). METHODS Online neurosurgical patient education information provided by AANS, Healthwise, and NINDS was evaluated using the LIDA scale, a website quality assessment tool, by medical professionals and nonmedical professionals. A high achieving score is regarded as 90% or greater using the LIDA scale. RESULTS Accessibility scores were 76.7% (AANS), 83.3% (Healthwise), and 75.0% (NINDS). Average usability scores for the AANS, Healthwise, and NINDS were 73.3%, 82.6%, and 82.9%, respectively, when evaluated by medical professionals and 78.5%, 80.7%, and 75.9%, respectively, for nonmedical professionals, respectively. Average reliability scores were 58.5%, 53.3%, 72.6%, respectively, for medical professionals and 70.4%, 66.7%, and 78.5%, respectively, for nonmedical professionals when evaluating the AANS, Healthwise, and NINDS websites. CONCLUSIONS Although organizations like AANS, Healthwise, and NINDS should be commended for their ongoing commitment to provide health care–oriented materials, modification of this material is suggested to improve the patient education value.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ma'n H Zawati ◽  
Michael Lang

UNSTRUCTURED Over the past decade, smartphone technology has become increasingly sophisticated and ubiquitous. Modern smartphones, now owned by more than three quarters of Canadians and 94% of millennials, perform an array of functions that are potentially useful in the health care context, such as tracking fitness data, enabling health record sharing, and providing user-friendly platforms for disease management. Approximately half of smartphone users have downloaded at least one health app, and clinicians are increasingly using them in their practice. However, despite widespread use, there is little evidence that supports their safety and efficacy. Few apps have been independently evaluated and many lack basic patient protections such as privacy policies. In this context, the demand for the regulation of mobile health apps has increased. Against this backdrop, regulators, including Health Canada, have begun to propose regulating the use of smartphones in health care. In this viewpoint, we respond to Health Canada’s recent proposal to regulate smartphone use in Canada according to a risk-based model. We argue that although Health Canada’s recent proposed approach is promising, it may require complementary regulation and oversight.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Luo ◽  
Shelley White-Means

BACKGROUND The successful management of diabetes is a chronic endeavor. It involves a whole host of factors ranging from a consistent patient-provider relationship to regular physical activity. Not all patients with diabetes, however, have access to the resources needed for effective disease management. Health disparities contribute to a higher frequency of diabetes development in poor and minority populations. Moreover, health care disparities limit the care these patient populations receive. Because underserved populations have little to no access to traditional means of health care, providers must explore other avenues to reach this patient group. Mobile health (mHealth) has grown significantly in the last decade. With the fast-paced adoption of cell phones across all socioeconomic groups, mobile health presents the opportunity to offer patients a low-cost way to receive health information, to communicate with providers, and to self-manage chronic conditions. It has been well established that low-income, minority populations experience several barriers to receiving basic health care including uninsurance, limited transportation, and high out-of-pocket costs. The provision of health care via mobile devices may have the potential to address such health disparities. Little is known about the effectiveness of using mobile health and smartphone applications (apps) in underserved populations to help with diabetes management. Knowledge of these patients’ interest in using mobile apps to augment their home self-management may have use in future implementations. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to examine the perception of and willingness to use diabetes mobile health apps on smartphones in patients with limited access to primary care providers. METHODS This study used purposive sampling to select patients for personal interviews. The study was conducted at a general hospital located in a part of town with predominate minority and low-income residency, as well as the highest diabetes prevalence rates. Semi-structured interviews were conducted according to McNamara’s interview staging. A total of 15 interviews were collected and coded by the researcher according to the interpretative phenomenological analysis framework. An independent committee reviewed all interview transcripts and coding to verify trustworthiness of collection and analysis. RESULTS The data produced 7 clusters related to smartphone app use and mHealth, each highlighting a component of the patient experience, which supported 3 overarching themes. The themes are as follows: despite limited knowledge about health apps and varying phone use patterns, patients were all willing to try at least one diabetes-related app; apps functions should be individualized to meet each patient’s needs for maximum benefit; and barriers to app use were varied but commonly included knowledge and technological challenges and security issues. CONCLUSIONS Personal interviews of this underserved patient population demonstrated an interest in and willingness to try mobile health apps, despite limited knowledge about the technology. Responses indicate that tailoring app choices to individual needs, instead of choosing a multi-functional one-size-fits-all app, would provide the most benefit for at-home diabetes self-management. Smartphone apps may serve as a viable low-cost resource for patients with diabetes who have limited access to traditional health care providers.


Author(s):  
Tavga Ahmed Aziz ◽  
Renas Raouf Hama Amin ◽  
Zheen Aorahman Ahmed ◽  
Hazhan Jalal Sleman ◽  
Bahez Hassan Aziz

  Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the occupational health hazards that face health care providers in Sulaimani City. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted utilizing quantitative data collection methods. It involved 159 respondents including Physicians, Pharmacists, Medical assistants, Laboratory Instructors and Nurses who worked in 8 major health facilities in Sulaimani city, Kurdistan region, Iraq. Results: Nurses were the most susceptible group to sharp related injuries 13.84%, cuts and wounds 10.69% than the others and they were more experiencing verbal abuse in the workplace 15%. Laboratory instructors represent the most exposed group to contaminated specimens/biohazards 17.6% and blood borne pathogens 13.84, while the physicians represent the most prone group to acquire infectious diseases 15.1% and both the physicians and the nurses were equally exposed to airborne diseases 11.32%. Furthermore, physicians were the most group that suffered from work related stress 13.8%; and medical assistants were the most susceptible to radiation 3.1%. Meanwhile, Laboratory instructors were the most exposed group to physical distress 15.1%, falls 5%, unsafe staffing 13.8%, chemical spills 8.8% and noise 5.4%. Conclusion: Healthcare providers in these settings experienced various types of occupational hazards in their workplaces, which became a dominant issue among the health care providers. Interventions should be established to alleviate these hazards.  


1999 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-203
Author(s):  
Kendra Carlson

The Supreme Court of California held, in Delaney v. Baker, 82 Cal. Rptr. 2d 610 (1999), that the heightened remedies available under the Elder Abuse Act (Act), Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code, §§ 15657,15657.2 (West 1998), apply to health care providers who engage in reckless neglect of an elder adult. The court interpreted two sections of the Act: (1) section 15657, which provides for enhanced remedies for reckless neglect; and (2) section 15657.2, which limits recovery for actions based on “professional negligence.” The court held that reckless neglect is distinct from professional negligence and therefore the restrictions on remedies against health care providers for professional negligence are inapplicable.Kay Delaney sued Meadowood, a skilled nursing facility (SNF), after a resident, her mother, died. Evidence at trial indicated that Rose Wallien, the decedent, was left lying in her own urine and feces for extended periods of time and had stage I11 and IV pressure sores on her ankles, feet, and buttocks at the time of her death.


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