scholarly journals FAIR Practices in Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 246-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjam van Reisen ◽  
Mia Stokmans ◽  
Munyaradzi Mawere ◽  
Mariam Basajja ◽  
Antony Otieno Ong'ayo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Provider ◽  
Context Specificity ◽  
Great Zimbabwe ◽  
Explicit Recognition ◽  
Fair Principles

This article investigates expansion of the Internet of FAIR Data and Services (IFDS) to Africa, through the three GO FAIR pillars: GO CHANGE, GO BUILD and GO TRAIN. Introduction of the IFDS in Africa has a focus on digital health. Two examples of introducing FAIR are compared: a regional initiative for digital health by governments in the East Africa Community (EAC) and an initiative by a local health provider (Solidarmed) in collaboration with Great Zimbabwe University in Zimbabwe. The obstacles to introducing FAIR are identified as underrepresentation of data from Africa in IFDS at this moment, the lack of explicit recognition of situational context of research in FAIR at present and the lack of acceptability of FAIR as a foreign and European invention which affects acceptance. It is envisaged that FAIR has an important contribution to solve fragmentation in digital health in Africa, and that any obstacles concerning African participation, context relevance and acceptance of IFDS need to be removed. This will require involvement of African researchers and ICT-developers so that it is driven by local ownership. Assessment of ecological validity in FAIR principles would ensure that the context specificity of research is reflected in the FAIR principles. This will help enhance the acceptance of the FAIR Guidelines in Africa and will help strengthen digital health research and services.

scholarly journals Celebrating 20 Years of Open Access and Innovation at JMIR Publications

10.2196/17578 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. e17578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunther Eysenbach
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Scholarly Publishing ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Publishing World ◽  
20Th Anniversary ◽  
Access Model

In this 20th anniversary theme issue, we are celebrating how JMIR Publications, an innovative publisher deeply rooted in academia and created by scientists for scientists, pioneered the open access model, is advancing digital health research, is disrupting the scholarly publishing world, and is helping to empower patients. All this has been made possible by the disintermediating power of the internet. And we are not done innovating: Our new series of “superjournals,” called JMIRx, will provide a glimpse into what we see as the future and end goal in scholarly publishing: open science. In this model, the vast majority of papers will be published on preprint servers first, with “overlay” journals then competing to peer review and publish peer-reviewed “versions of record” of the best papers.

scholarly journals Assessing and piloting interoperability for population health research

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
F Estupiñán-Romero ◽  
J Gonzalez-García ◽  
E Bernal-Delgado
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Population Health ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Network Architecture ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Health Data ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Technical Solution ◽  
Privacy And Security

Abstract Issue/problem Interoperability is paramount when reusing health data from multiple data sources and becomes vital when the scope is cross-national. We aimed at piloting interoperability solutions building on three case studies relevant to population health research. Interoperability lies on four pillars; so: a) Legal frame (i.e., compliance with the GDPR, privacy- and security-by-design, and ethical standards); b) Organizational structure (e.g., availability and access to digital health data and governance of health information systems); c) Semantic developments (e.g., existence of metadata, availability of standards, data quality issues, coherence between data models and research purposes); and, d) Technical environment (e.g., how well documented are data processes, which are the dependencies linked to software components or alignment to standards). Results We have developed a federated research network architecture with 10 hubs each from a different country. This architecture has implied: a) the design of the data model that address the research questions; b) developing, distributing and deploying scripts for data extraction, transformation and analysis; and, c) retrieving the shared results for comparison or pooled meta-analysis. Lessons The development of a federated architecture for population health research is a technical solution that allows full compliance with interoperability pillars. The deployment of this type of solution where data remain in house under the governance and legal requirements of the data owners, and scripts for data extraction and analysis are shared across hubs, requires the implementation of capacity building measures. Key messages Population health research will benefit from the development of federated architectures that provide solutions to interoperability challenges. Case studies conducted within InfAct are providing valuable lessons to advance the design of a future pan-European research infrastructure.

scholarly journals Health Information Provided by Retail Health Food Outlets

2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 767-771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaclyn Calder ◽  
Robert Issenman ◽  
Ruth Cawdron
Keyword(s):  
Information Sources ◽  
Nutritional Supplements ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Research Assistant ◽  
Health Food ◽  
Herbal Supplements ◽  
Alternative Health ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Source Of Information

Alternative health practices have become increasingly popular in recent years. Many patients visit specific complementary practitioners, while others attempt to educate themselves, trusting advice from employees at local health food stores or the Internet. Thirty-two retail health food stores were surveyed on the nature of the information provided by their staff. A research assistant visited the stores and presented as the mother of a child in whom Crohn’s disease had been diagnosed. Seventy-two per cent (23 of 32) of store employees offered advice, such as to take nutritional and herbal supplements. Of the 23 stores where recommendations were made, 15 (65%) based their recommendation on a source of information. Fourteen of the 15 stores using information sources used the same reference book. This had a significant impact on the recommendations; the use of nutritional supplements was favoured. In conclusion, retail health food stores are not as inconsistent as hypothesized, although there are many variances in the types of supplements recommended for the same chronic disease.

scholarly journals Implementation: The Next Giant Hurdle to Clinical Transformation With Digital Health

10.2196/16259 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. e16259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine Buis
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Internet Research ◽  
Clinical Implementation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Barriers To Implementation ◽  
Clinical Transformation

Clinical implementation of digital health is a major hurdle to overcome in the coming years. Considering the role of the Journal of Medical Internet Research in the past 20 years and looking toward the journal’s future, this viewpoint acknowledges the vision of medicine and the role that digital health plays in that vision. It also highlights barriers to implementation of digital health as an obstacle to achieving that vision. In particular, this paper focuses on how digital health research must start looking toward implementation as an area of inquiry and the role that the Journal of Medical Internet Research and its' sister journals from JMIR Publications can play in this process.

scholarly journals Development, Feasibility, Acceptability, and Utility of an Expressive Speech-Enabled Digital Health Agent to Deliver Online, Brief Motivational Interviewing for Alcohol Misuse: Descriptive Study

10.2196/25837 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. e25837
Author(s):  
Maya Boustani ◽  
Stephanie Lunn ◽  
Ubbo Visser ◽  
Christine Lisetti
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Health Intervention ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Conversational Agents ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Expressive Speech ◽  
3 Dimensional ◽  
Behavioral Health Intervention

Background Digital health agents — embodied conversational agents designed specifically for health interventions — provide a promising alternative or supplement to behavioral health services by reducing barriers to access to care. Objective Our goals were to (1) develop an expressive, speech-enabled digital health agent operating in a 3-dimensional virtual environment to deliver a brief behavioral health intervention over the internet to reduce alcohol use and to (2) understand its acceptability, feasibility, and utility with its end users. Methods We developed an expressive, speech-enabled digital health agent with facial expressions and body gestures operating in a 3-dimensional virtual office and able to deliver a brief behavioral health intervention over the internet to reduce alcohol use. We then asked 51 alcohol users to report on the digital health agent acceptability, feasibility, and utility. Results The developed digital health agent uses speech recognition and a model of empathetic verbal and nonverbal behaviors to engage the user, and its performance enabled it to successfully deliver a brief behavioral health intervention over the internet to reduce alcohol use. Descriptive statistics indicated that participants had overwhelmingly positive experiences with the digital health agent, including engagement with the technology, acceptance, perceived utility, and intent to use the technology. Illustrative qualitative quotes provided further insight about the potential reach and impact of digital health agents in behavioral health care. Conclusions Web-delivered interventions delivered by expressive, speech-enabled digital health agents may provide an exciting complement or alternative to traditional one-on-one treatment. They may be especially helpful for hard-to-reach communities with behavioral workforce shortages.

The Political Economy of Digital Health

2019 ◽  
pp. 281-292
Author(s):  
Gina Neff
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Personal Data ◽  
Social Equity ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
The Political ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Telecommunications Companies ◽  
Silver Bullet

The Internet and digital media are increasingly seen as having enormous potential for solving problems facing healthcare systems. This chapter traces emerging “digital health” uses and applications, focusing on the political economy of data. For many people, the ability to access their own data through social media and connect with people with similar conditions holds enormous potential to empower them and improve healthcare decisions. For researchers, digital health tools present new forms of always-on data that may lead to major discoveries. Technology and telecommunications companies hope their customers? data can answer key health questions or encourage healthier behavior. At the same time, Gina Neff argues that digital health raises policy and social equity concerns regarding sensitive personal data, and runs a risk of being seen as a sort of silver bullet instead of mere technological solutionism.

scholarly journals A retrospective analysis of NIH-funded digital health research using social media platforms

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 205520761990108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille Nebeker ◽  
Sarah E. Dunseath ◽  
Rubi Linares-Orozco
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Retrospective Analysis ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Social Media Platforms

The Impact of Web 2.0 on the Doctor-Patient Relationship

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Lo ◽  
Lindsay Parham
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Electronic Medical Records ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Office Visits ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
The Impact ◽  
E Mail ◽  
Stimulus Package

The hypothetical case of Mr. Jenkins illustrates innovations in digital health information technology that may profoundly change medical care and the doctorpatient relationship. The Internet contains enormous amounts of health information, and about threequarters of Internet users look online for health information. 1 Sometimes patients bring information they found on the Internet to their physicians. Physicians and patients can also now communicate by e-mail rather than by telephone or office visits, although these e-mail communications may not be integrated into the patient’s medical record. Furthermore, electronic medical records are slowly being adopted, particularly in hospitals and large integrated health systems. Funding to promote the adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs) has been included in the 2009 federal stimulus package under the Obama Administration.

scholarly journals Implementation: The Next Giant Hurdle to Clinical Transformation With Digital Health (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine Buis
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Internet Research ◽  
Clinical Implementation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Barriers To Implementation ◽  
Clinical Transformation

UNSTRUCTURED Clinical implementation of digital health is a major hurdle to overcome in the coming years. Considering the role of the Journal of Medical Internet Research in the past 20 years and looking toward the journal’s future, this Viewpoint acknowledges the vision of medicine and the role that digital health plays in that vision and highlights barriers to implementation of digital health as an obstacle to achieving that vision. In particular, this paper focuses on how digital health research must start looking toward implementation as an area of inquiry and the role that the Journal of Medical Internet Research can play in this process.

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