scholarly journals Digital Health Innovation: Exploring Adoption of COVID-19 Digital Contact Tracing Apps

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shavneet Sharma ◽  
Gurmeet Singh ◽  
Rashmini Sharma ◽  
Paul Jones ◽  
Sascha Kraus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Digital Health ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Health Innovation

“PHONE-CONNECT” - A Pilot Program Prescribing Phones to Address Digital Health Equity Needs in the COVID-19 Era (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gill Kazevman ◽  
Marck Mercado ◽  
Jennifer Hulme ◽  
Andrea Somers
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Health Care Intervention ◽  
Care Intervention

UNSTRUCTURED Vulnerable populations have been identified as having higher infection rates and poorer COVID-19 related outcomes, likely due to their inability to readily access primary care, follow public health directives and adhere to self-isolation guidelines. As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many health care services have adopted new digital solutions, relying on phone and internet connectivity. Yet, persons who are digitally inaccessible, such as those struggling with poverty or homelessness, are often unable to utilize these services. In response to this newly highlighted social disparity known as “digital health inequity”, emergency physicians at the University Health Network, Toronto, initiated a program called “PHONE CONNECT”. This novel approach attempts to improve patients’ access to health care, information and social services, as well as improve their ability to adhere to public health directives (social isolation and contact tracing). While similar programs addressing the same emerging issues have been recently described in the media, this is the first time phones are provided as a health care intervention in an emergency department. This innovative ED point-of-care intervention may have a significant impact on improving the health outcomes for vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic, and even beyond it.

scholarly journals A Digital Health Innovation to Prevent Relapse and Support Recovery in Youth Receiving Specialized Services for First-Episode Psychosis: Protocol for a Pilot Pre-Post, Mixed Methods Study of Horyzons-Canada (Phase 2) (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shalini Lal ◽  
John F Gleeson ◽  
Simon D'Alfonso ◽  
Geraldine Etienne ◽  
Ridha Joober ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Funding Agency ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Health Innovation ◽  
Potential Efficacy ◽  
Episode Psychosis ◽  
Support Recovery

BACKGROUND Psychotic disorders are among the most disabling of all mental disorders. The first-episode psychosis (FEP) often occurs during adolescence or young adulthood. Young people experiencing FEP often face multiple barriers in accessing a comprehensive range of psychosocial services, which have predominantly been delivered in person. New models of service delivery that are accessible, sustainable, and engaging are needed to support recovery in youth diagnosed with FEP. OBJECTIVE In this paper, we describe a protocol to implement and evaluate the acceptability, safety, and potential efficacy of an online psychosocial therapeutic intervention designed to sustain recovery and prevent relapses in young adults diagnosed with FEP. This intervention was originally developed and tested in Australia and has been adapted for implementation and evaluation in Canada and is called Horyzons-Canada (HoryzonsCa). METHODS This cohort study is implemented in a single-center and applies a pre-post mixed methods (qualitative-quantitative convergent) design. The study involves recruiting 20 participants from a specialized early intervention program for psychosis located in Montreal, Canada and providing them with access to the HoryzonsCa intervention for 8 weeks. Data collection includes interview-based psychometric measures, self-reports, focus groups, and interviews. RESULTS This study received funding from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (United States), the Quebec Health Research Funding Agency (Canada), and the Canada Research Chairs Program. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Board of the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal on April 11, 2018 (#IUSMD 17-54). Data were collected from August 16, 2018, to April 29, 2019, and a final sample of 20 individuals participated in the baseline and follow-up interviews, among which 9 participated in the focus groups. Data analysis and reporting are in process. The results of the study will be submitted for publication in 2021. CONCLUSIONS This study will provide preliminary evidence on the acceptability, safety, and potential efficacy of using a digital health innovation adapted for the Canadian context to deliver specialized mental health services to youth diagnosed with FEP. CLINICALTRIAL ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN43182105; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN43182105 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR1-10.2196/28141

scholarly journals Challenges for non-technical implementation of digital proximity tracing: early experiences from Switzerland (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktor von Wyl
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Resource Competition ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Early Experiences ◽  
Multiple Challenges ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
Communication Needs

BACKGROUND Several countries have released digital proximity tracing (DPT) apps in addition to manual contact tracing (MCT) to combat the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic. The goal of DPT is to notify app users about proximity exposures to persons infected with Sars-CoV-2 so that they can self-quarantine. However, early press reports from Switzerland suggest multiple challenges for non-technical DPT implementation. OBJECTIVE Using media articles published during the first three months after the DPT app launch to describe non-technical implementation challenges reported by different stakeholders and to map these reports to the four constructs of normalization process theory (NPT), a framework to develop and evaluate complex digital health interventions. METHODS A Swiss media database was searched for articles on the Swiss DPT app (SwissCovid) published in German or French between 04.07.2020 and 03.10.2020. Topics were extracted manually from articles that were deemed pertinent in a structured process. Extracted topics were mapped to NPT constructs. RESULTS Out of 94 articles deemed pertinent and selected for closer inspection, 38 provided unique information on implementation challenges. These challenges included unclear DPT benefits, which affected commitment and raised fears among different health system actors regarding resource competition with established pandemic mitigation measures. Moreover, media reports indicated process interface challenges such as delays or unclear responsibilities in the notification cascade, as well as misunderstandings and unmet communication needs from certain health system actors. Finally, some reports suggested misaligned incentives, not only for app usage by the public but also for process engagement by other actors in the app notification cascade. These challenges mapped well to the four constructs of NPT. CONCLUSIONS Early experiences from one of the first adopters of DPT indicate that non-technical implementation challenges warrant attention. The detected implementation challenges fit well into the framework of NPT, which seems well suited to guide the development and evaluation of complex DPT interventions.

A Pharmaco-cybernetics Approach to Designing an Oncology Drug Interaction Database for Clinical Practice

2021 ◽  
pp. 169-227
Keyword(s):  
Drug Interaction ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
User Feedback ◽  
Clinical Usefulness ◽  
Health Innovation ◽  
Interaction Database ◽  
Oncology Practice

This chapter describes how OncoRx-MI, a pharmaco-informatics platform for detecting chemotherapy interactions, was designed through a pharmaco-cybernetics approach targeting the 5 activities of the digital health innovation process. This is the first database of its kind that is able to provide interaction information for anticancer drugs and chemotherapy regimen cocktails. In order to identify the gap and determine the usefulness of this database in clinical oncology practice, the quality of online anticancer drug interactions was assessed, and the perceptions of oncology practitioners were sought. The results showed that the accuracy of drug interaction content and the clinical usefulness of the database was highly regarded by these practitioners. In addition, evidence of its relevance and credibility was demonstrated through user feedback on the database.

Digital Health Innovation Ecosystems

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria Ejehiohen Iyawa ◽  
Marlien Herselman ◽  
Adele Botha
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Innovation Ecosystem ◽  
Health Innovation ◽  
Innovation Ecosystems ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Key Participants

The purpose of this paper was to identify key participants, benefits, and challenges of a digital health innovation ecosystem in Namibia. The paper also aimed to identify strategies for implementing digital health innovation ecosystems in Namibia. This is a qualitative study that adopted semi-structured interviews in meeting the objectives of the study. The findings suggest that implementing digital health innovation ecosystems within the Namibian context will result in better processes of delivering healthcare services to patients. However, implementing such an ecosystem would require resources from both academic and governmental organizations. The need for skilled experts for managing the ecosystem would also be required. Hence, adopting the guidelines for implementing a digital health innovation ecosystem in developing countries, the study proposed guidelines which would make a digital health innovation ecosystem work for the Namibian context. The findings of this study can be used by healthcare managers within the Namibian context.

scholarly journals Identifying and Overcoming Policy-Level Barriers to the Implementation of Digital Health Innovation: Qualitative Study

10.2196/14994 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. e14994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Desveaux ◽  
Charlene Soobiah ◽  
R Sacha Bhatia ◽  
James Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Qualitative Description ◽  
System Level ◽  
Health Innovation ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The Government

Background High-level policy barriers impede widespread adoption for even the most well-positioned innovations. Most of the work in this field assumes rather than analyzes the driving forces of health innovation. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the challenges and opportunities experienced by health system stakeholders in the implementation of digital health innovation in Ontario. Objective The aim of this study was to explore the challenges and opportunities experienced by health system stakeholders in the implementation of digital health innovation in Ontario. Methods We completed semistructured interviews with 10 members of senior leadership across key organizations that are engaged in health care–related digital health activities. Data were analyzed using qualitative description. Results A total of 6 key policy priorities emerged, including the need for (1) a system-level definition of innovation, (2) a clear overarching mission, and (3) clearly defined organizational roles. Operationally, there is a need to (4) standardize processes, (5) shift the emphasis to change management, and (6) align funding structures. Conclusions These findings emphasize the critical role of the government in developing a vision and creating the foundation upon which innovation activities will be modeled.

scholarly journals Understanding On-Campus Interactions With a Semiautomated, Barcode-Based Platform to Augment COVID-19 Contact Tracing: App Development and Usage

10.2196/24275 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. e24275
Author(s):  
Thomas Foster Scherr ◽  
Austin N Hardcastle ◽  
Carson Paige Moore ◽  
Jenna Maria DeSousa ◽  
David Wilson Wright
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
University Campus ◽  
App Development ◽  
Self Assessments ◽  
Development And Validation ◽  
Vanderbilt University

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has forced drastic changes to daily life, from the implementation of stay-at-home orders to mandating facial coverings and limiting in-person gatherings. While the relaxation of these control measures has varied geographically, it is widely agreed that contact tracing efforts will play a major role in the successful reopening of businesses and schools. As the volume of positive cases has increased in the United States, it has become clear that there is room for digital health interventions to assist in contact tracing. Objective The goal of this study was to evaluate the use of a mobile-friendly app designed to supplement manual COVID-19 contact tracing efforts on a university campus. Here, we present the results of a development and validation study centered around the use of the MyCOVIDKey app on the Vanderbilt University campus during the summer of 2020. Methods We performed a 6-week pilot study in the Stevenson Center Science and Engineering Complex on Vanderbilt University’s campus in Nashville, TN. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and staff >18 years who worked in Stevenson Center and had access to a mobile phone were eligible to register for a MyCOVIDKey account. All users were encouraged to complete regular self-assessments of COVID-19 risk and to key in to sites by scanning a location-specific barcode. Results Between June 17, 2020, and July 29, 2020, 45 unique participants created MyCOVIDKey accounts. These users performed 227 self-assessments and 1410 key-ins. Self-assessments were performed by 89% (n=40) of users, 71% (n=32) of users keyed in, and 48 unique locations (of 71 possible locations) were visited. Overall, 89% (202/227) of assessments were determined to be low risk (ie, asymptomatic with no known exposures), and these assessments yielded a CLEAR status. The remaining self-assessments received a status of NOT CLEAR, indicating either risk of exposure or symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 (7.5% [n=17] and 3.5% [n=8] of self-assessments indicated moderate and high risk, respectively). These 25 instances came from 8 unique users, and in 19 of these instances, the at-risk user keyed in to a location on campus. Conclusions Digital contact tracing tools may be useful in assisting organizations to identify persons at risk of COVID-19 through contact tracing, or in locating places that may need to be cleaned or disinfected after being visited by an index case. Incentives to continue the use of such tools can improve uptake, and their continued usage increases utility to both organizational and public health efforts. Parameters of digital tools, including MyCOVIDKey, should ideally be optimized to supplement existing contact tracing efforts. These tools represent a critical addition to manual contact tracing efforts during reopening and sustained regular activity.

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