scholarly journals Digital Health Sensing for Personalized Dermatology

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (15) ◽  
pp. 3426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pier Spinazze ◽  
Alex Bottle ◽  
Josip Car

The rapid evolution of technology, sensors and personal digital devices offers an opportunity to acquire health related data seamlessly, unobtrusively and in real time. In this opinion piece, we discuss the relevance and opportunities for using digital sensing in dermatology, taking eczema as an exemplar.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Grande ◽  
Xochitl Luna Marti ◽  
Raina M Merchant ◽  
David A Asch ◽  
Abby Dolan ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND In 2020, the number of internet users surpassed 4.6 billion. Individuals who create and share digital data can leave a trail of information about their habits and preferences that collectively generate a digital footprint. Studies have shown that digital footprints can reveal important information regarding an individual’s health status, ranging from diet and exercise to depression. Uses of digital applications have accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic where public health organizations have utilized technology to reduce the burden of transmission, ultimately leading to policy discussions about digital health privacy. Though US consumers report feeling concerned about the way their personal data is used, they continue to use digital technologies. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to understand the extent to which consumers recognize possible health applications of their digital data and identify their most salient concerns around digital health privacy. METHODS We conducted semistructured interviews with a diverse national sample of US adults from November 2018 to January 2019. Participants were recruited from the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, a nationally representative panel. Participants were asked to reflect on their own use of digital technology, rate various sources of digital information, and consider several hypothetical scenarios with varying sources and health-related applications of personal digital information. RESULTS The final cohort included a diverse national sample of 45 US consumers. Participants were generally unaware what consumer digital data might reveal about their health. They also revealed limited knowledge of current data collection and aggregation practices. When responding to specific scenarios with health-related applications of data, they had difficulty weighing the benefits and harms but expressed a desire for privacy protection. They saw benefits in using digital data to improve health, but wanted limits to health programs’ use of consumer digital data. CONCLUSIONS Current privacy restrictions on health-related data are premised on the notion that these data are derived only from medical encounters. Given that an increasing amount of health-related data is derived from digital footprints in consumer settings, our findings suggest the need for greater transparency of data collection and uses, and broader health privacy protections.


Author(s):  
Yogesh Kumar ◽  
Anumalla Sandeep Satyanarayana ◽  
Ankit Kumar ◽  
Vikas Sharma

With the rapid evolution of technology, almost every business is now online connecting them to the widest and narrow corners of the world. Therefore, instead of physical security, their online security is a pivotal concern the business which all depends on the web applications security. Web application attacks and their risks have become normal since past many years, and the security of web applications has received increased attentions at present. Many attacks work on real time and mostly prevention mechanisms focus on prevention and detection of these attacks on the web applications. This research focuses on giving attention to the top 10 threats that organizations need to know and to ensure the web applications are protected from these risks and attacks.


Impact ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (8) ◽  
pp. 4-5
Author(s):  
Lucy Annette

Three expert roundtables took place as part of DigitalHealthEurope (DHE), with discussions surrounding health data sharing and use. In the first roundtable, the implementation of GDPR was explored and the experts delved into possible remaining challenges associated with understanding the way in which health related data may be used. Legal issues and the importance of data protection and citizen protection were discussed, as was the need for more human resources regarding data protection, which could be rectified by the provision of education in this area. The introduction of a new EU body responsible for data legislative needs was an idea that was put forward. Next, the law as an enabler of data use was discussed, along with the protection of citizens and data. It was highlighted that in order for the full potential of digital health to be realised, data literacy and skills are paramount. The experts also discussed how data can be used to protect citizens, without compromising a right to privacy, as well as the importance of generating the right data to ensure that it can be used to protect citizens' health and wellness. A further topic of discussion was how the development of a range of skills among data stakeholders would lead to the better use of data and that this would have a positive impact on health and wellness.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Irene Clark ◽  
Matthew Driller

BACKGROUND Wearable fitness trackers are becoming increasingly affordable and accessible making them an alluring tool for mHealth interventions and strategies. Research to date has focused primarily on issues of efficacy, accuracy and acceptability with equivocal conclusions, yet little is known about how individuals interpret and make sense of their personalized data in relationship to health. This knowledge could elaborate on existing understandings of user experience and enhance the design and implementation of mHealth initiatives involving self-tracking technology. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of how university students respond to and interpret personalized data generated by wearable activity-trackers in relation to health. METHODS Data were collected through four focus groups (N=26) with university students in New Zealand who voluntarily wore a Fitbit for 7 days for a separate research study. Focus group questions sought to explore how students engaged with and made sense of their digital data in relationship to health and physical activity and their perceptions of the value of the Fitbit. RESULTS Findings suggest wearing an activity tracker can prompt both positive and negative emotional responses that influence interpretation of data and have implications for behavior change. Results also show that data interpretation is highly dependent on contextual factors and that meanings of health are highly individual. Participants suggested that the knowledge gained through self-tracking was not sufficient to prompt behavior change, and that further support around navigating barriers to physical activity was needed. CONCLUSIONS Acknowledging the emotional responses evoked by digital data may enhance the design of future mHealth initiatives involving self-tracking technologies. Providing guidance and support around data interpretation may also help maximize the usefulness of these technologies, as the meanings of health-related data appear to be contingent upon the context in which it is generated and interpreted.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Christine Suver ◽  
Ellen Kuwana

The use of digital health technologies is changing the ways people monitor and manage their health and well-being. There is increasing interest in using wearables and smartphone health apps to collect health-related data, a domain within digital health referred to as mHealth. Wearables and health apps can continuously monitor metrics such as physical activity, sleep, and heart rate, to name a few. These mHealth data can supplement the measures taken by healthcare professionals during regular doctor’s visits, with mHealth having the advantage of a much greater frequency of collection. But what are the privacy considerations with mHealth? This paper explores global data privacy protections, enumerates principles to guide regulations, discusses the tension between anonymity and data utility, and proposes ways to improve how we as a society talk about and safeguard data privacy. We include brief discussions about inadvertent or unintended consequences of digital data collection and the trade-off between privacy and public health interests, such as is illustrated by COVID-19 contract tracing apps. This paper concludes by offering suggestions for consideration about improving privacy and confidentiality notices.


10.2196/29395 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. e29395
Author(s):  
David Grande ◽  
Xochitl Luna Marti ◽  
Raina M Merchant ◽  
David A Asch ◽  
Abby Dolan ◽  
...  

Background In 2020, the number of internet users surpassed 4.6 billion. Individuals who create and share digital data can leave a trail of information about their habits and preferences that collectively generate a digital footprint. Studies have shown that digital footprints can reveal important information regarding an individual’s health status, ranging from diet and exercise to depression. Uses of digital applications have accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic where public health organizations have utilized technology to reduce the burden of transmission, ultimately leading to policy discussions about digital health privacy. Though US consumers report feeling concerned about the way their personal data is used, they continue to use digital technologies. Objective This study aimed to understand the extent to which consumers recognize possible health applications of their digital data and identify their most salient concerns around digital health privacy. Methods We conducted semistructured interviews with a diverse national sample of US adults from November 2018 to January 2019. Participants were recruited from the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, a nationally representative panel. Participants were asked to reflect on their own use of digital technology, rate various sources of digital information, and consider several hypothetical scenarios with varying sources and health-related applications of personal digital information. Results The final cohort included a diverse national sample of 45 US consumers. Participants were generally unaware what consumer digital data might reveal about their health. They also revealed limited knowledge of current data collection and aggregation practices. When responding to specific scenarios with health-related applications of data, they had difficulty weighing the benefits and harms but expressed a desire for privacy protection. They saw benefits in using digital data to improve health, but wanted limits to health programs’ use of consumer digital data. Conclusions Current privacy restrictions on health-related data are premised on the notion that these data are derived only from medical encounters. Given that an increasing amount of health-related data is derived from digital footprints in consumer settings, our findings suggest the need for greater transparency of data collection and uses, and broader health privacy protections.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
William E. Hammond ◽  
Vivian L. West ◽  
David Borland ◽  
Igor Akushevich ◽  
Eugenia M. Heinz

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3572
Author(s):  
Lavinia-Maria Pop ◽  
Magdalena Iorga ◽  
Iulia-Diana Muraru ◽  
Florin-Dumitru Petrariu

A busy schedule and demanding tasks challenge medical students to adjust their lifestyle and dietary habits. The aim of this study was to identify dietary habits and health-related behaviours among students. A number of 403 students (80.40% female, aged M = 21.21 ± 4.56) enrolled in a medical university provided answers to a questionnaire constructed especially for this research, which was divided into three parts: the first part collected socio-demographic, anthropometric, and medical data; the second part inquired about dietary habits, lifestyle, sleep, physical activity, water intake, and use of alcohol and cigarettes; and the third part collected information about nutrition-related data and the consumption of fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, fish, and sweets. Data were analysed using SPSS v24. Students usually slept M = 6.71 ± 1.52 h/day, and one-third had self-imposed diet restrictions to control their weight. For both genders, the most important meal was lunch, and one-third of students had breakfast each morning. On average, the students consumed 1.64 ± 0.88 l of water per day and had 220 min of physical activity per week. Data about the consumption of fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, fish, sweets, fast food, coffee, tea, alcohol, or carbohydrate drinks were presented. The results of our study proved that medical students have knowledge about how to maintain a healthy life and they practice it, which is important for their subsequent professional life.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Akash Gupta ◽  
Adnan Al-Anbuky

Hip fracture incidence is life-threatening and has an impact on the person’s physical functionality and their ability to live independently. Proper rehabilitation with a set program can play a significant role in recovering the person’s physical mobility, boosting their quality of life, reducing adverse clinical outcomes, and shortening hospital stays. The Internet of Things (IoT), with advancements in digital health, could be leveraged to enhance the backup intelligence used in the rehabilitation process and provide transparent coordination and information about movement during activities among relevant parties. This paper presents a post-operative hip fracture rehabilitation model that clarifies the involved rehabilitation process, its associated events, and the main physical movements of interest across all stages of care. To support this model, the paper proposes an IoT-enabled movement monitoring system architecture. The architecture reflects the key operational functionalities required to monitor patients in real time and throughout the rehabilitation process. The approach was tested incrementally on ten healthy subjects, particularly for factors relevant to the recognition and tracking of movements of interest. The analysis reflects the significance of personalization and the significance of a one-minute history of data in monitoring the real-time behavior. This paper also looks at the impact of edge computing at the gateway and a wearable sensor edge on system performance. The approach provides a solution for an architecture that balances system performance with remote monitoring functional requirements.


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