 Your new post is loading...
Your new post is loading...
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
While the US debates the value of the modality, a South Korean survey finds that patients like to use audio-only telehealth platforms to connect with their care provider - but their providers aren’t so sure. While telehealth is not legally allowed in South Korea, the Ministry of Health and Welfare temporarily permitted its use due to hospital closures at the start of the pandemic. Between February 24 and March 7, 2020, 6,840 patients used audio-based telehealth. Researchers sent surveys to patients and providers alike to gauge their satisfaction with the telehealth platform, which includes landline telephones and online services without video. They asked questions about ease-of-use, interaction quality, reliability, satisfaction, and future use. Around 87 % of patients reported that they were satisfied with their provider interaction and felt they could effectively express their feelings during an audio-only telehealth visit. Most patients (87.1 %) also responded that their telehealth visit was just as reliable as an in-person visit would have been. Meanwhile, the providers’ opinions differed drastically. Less than 10 % of doctors and nurses were satisfied with their ability to interact with patients through an audio-only telehealth visit compared to in-person visits (7.3 % and 9 %, respectively). Only 14 % of providers felt that the visits were as reliable as an in-person visit. Patients and providers also had differing opinions on the convenience of telehealth. Nearly 80 % of patients were satisfied with the convenience of telehealth and found it easy to use. Providers were not as satisfied, with only 38.2 % of doctors and 30 percent of nurses reporting that they found telehealth convenient. Overall, providers felt the negatives outweighed the positives for audio-only telehealth. While 85.8 % of the doctors and nurses agreed that telehealth is appropriate for emergency situations such as a pandemic, only 27.7 said it would be appropriate at all times. In contrast, 40 % of the doctors and nurses surveyed said telehealth would be appropriate if it involved an audio-visual platform, saying it would be easier to fully examine and diagnose a patient’s condition. read more at https://mhealthintelligence.com/news/audio-only-telehealth-has-its-fans-patients-and-its-critics-providers
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
Purdue University engineers have developed a method to transform existing cloth items into battery-free wearables resistant to laundry. These smart clothes are powered wirelessly through a flexible, silk-based coil sewn on the textile. In the near future, all your clothes will become smart. These smart clothes will outperform conventional passive garments, thanks to their miniaturized electronic circuits and sensors, which will allow you to seamlessly communicate with your phone, computer, car and other machines. This smart clothing will not only make you more productive but also check on your health status and even call for help if you suffer an accident. The reason why this smart clothing is not all over your closet yet is that the fabrication of this smart clothing is quite challenging, as clothes need to be periodically washed and electronics despise water. Purdue engineers have developed a new spray/sewing method to transform any conventional cloth items into battery-free wearables that can be cleaned in the washing machine. "By spray-coating smart clothes with highly hydrophobic molecules, we are able to render them repellent to water, oil and mud," said Ramses Martinez, an assistant professor in Purdue's School of Industrial Engineering and in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering in Purdue's College of Engineering. "These smart clothes are almost impossible to stain and can be used underwater and washed in conventional washing machines without damaging the electronic components sewn on their surface." read the study at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.106155 read the original and unedited version of the article at https://phys.org/news/2021-06-wearables-future-washable-smart-powered.html
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
In this seventh installment in Healthcare IT News' feature series, Health IT Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Era, A CIO, a CMIO and two IT directors offer readers what they've discovered since the pandemic response has reshaped health system priorities. They share what they've learned during the past year and discuss how they're applying these lessons to improve their organizations. The increased importance of data and analytics Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic has catapulted the importance of data analytics and data in general, For example, the data analytics team at Sanford Health designed an algorithm to sort and pull relevant data from the records of more than 100,000 patients who had been diagnosed with COVID-19, identifying those at highest risk of complications from the virus. More, more, more patient engagement For Averill of St. Luke's Regional Healthcare System, the impact of patient engagement using patient portal communication, virtual visits and digital appointment-scheduling provided a big lesson. They also expanded the amount of clinical information sent in real time to the portal since delivering in-person results wasn't possible. When telehealth is not up to par One major lesson Helio Health learned last year was that its telehealth presence was not up to par. On the other hand, the health system also learned that its teams could implement a telehealth presence fairly quickly. They had to pivot quickly to be certain their patients' critical care would not be interrupted by restrictions put in place as a result of COVID-19 Leveraging technology to further strategy Rollins of Freeman Health System said 2020 was a great year for health IT for many reasons. Many important initiatives were pushed forward and implemented in attempts to react to the ever-changing needs of our customers. Keeping strategies dynamic Another lesson Rollins has learned over the past year is that health IT and organizational strategies must leave room to adapt to the environment. Streamlined and efficient decision-making On another front, the pandemic has underscored the importance of having a structured mechanism and system in place for streamlined and efficient decision-making, Standardized processes and equipment Another lesson Helio Health has learned is the need for standardization of equipment and processes,. "The vast majority of our computers were desktop PCs," he noted. "With a grant from the FCC, we were able to standardize our outpatient facilities with Microsoft laptops, which allow us to work and provide support from anywhere. Users are able to come and go, from remote work to in-person work, easily. With a recent merger between Helio Health and two other organizations, much of the hardware from the other organizations was dissimilar to Helio Health's standards. read the details at https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/it-execs-talk-new-strategies-analytics-patient-engagement-telehealth-and-more
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical objects that can share electronic information when gathered together. They include sensors that have the ability to track information about the human body or industrial machines that transmit the production process data to the nearby sensors. The IoT is all over and is used in smart homes and even retail. It also plays a crucial role in healthcare. The Internet of Things (IoT) is changing healthcare in different ways, including improving the care patients get, better results from treatments, and reducing the costs of treatments for patients. Patients get to connect better with the healthcare providers, and their performance is also enhanced. The main benefits it has brought about to the healthcare industry include: - Real-time monitoring of patients remotely, which reduces the costs incurred during readmissions and doctor visits.
- Errors are much less likely to occur with IoT devices. The data plays an essential role in ensuring effective decision-making, and all the operations in the healthcare industry are functioning smoothly. This helps reduce the overall number of errors.
- The quality of treatment received is excellent since physicians make decisions from evidence-based information. Hence there’s complete transparency.
- Equipment and drugs are better managed. It has always been a significant challenge to manage drugs and equipment in healthcare. However, with devices being connected, the drugs and equipment are utilized and managed efficiently, which helps with cost reduction.
- Diagnosis is much faster and more accurate. A patient can be diagnosed more efficiently due to consistent remote monitoring. Real-time data is collected, and it helps with the diagnosis of a vast number of different diseases. They are diagnosed at an early stage before they worsen or even before the disease develops fully.
IoT devices are revolutionizing how healthcare is delivered and monitored. We guess that we still have only seen the tip of the iceberg. In the years to come, the question will not be if we are connected but how we will be connected and protect our privacy: digital tattoos, smartwatches, smart lenses, or smart pills being just some of the possibilities. The Internet of Things and the multitude of connected devices it offers is on a path to disrupt how healthcare is carried out. Discover how by reading the original article at https://digitalhealthcentral.com/2021/05/07/the-benefits-of-internet-of-things-in-healthcare/
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
There is a seriousness, almost an urgent kind, amongst the healthcare ecosystem to adopt digital technologies more openly as compared to the pre - covid era. Since we have always been talking about the importance of taking healthcare digital, this acceptance of digital technologies has impacted us tremendously and favourably. Plus91's Digital Health Systems have always been a few years too soon for the market, and Covid just fast-forwarded the world to use us right away. What is your take on virtual methods of providing treatment? All virtual treatment methods, whether it is TeleHealth, Remote Monitoring, Tele Pathology are very much a necessity. Covid has simply brought them into the limelight and forced the world to adopt them quickly. I believe they all benefit healthcare immensely, and thus should be adopted wholeheartedly by doctors and patients. They end up offering a wider variety of options for both and allow a far richer treatment mindset to get created in the coming years. Doctors benefit from being accessible to patients from across the globe more easily and frequently for both offering care as well as 2nd/3rd opinions. This helps them acquire experience on a wider range of patients besides the ones that come to them purely due to geographical viability. Patients benefit a lot as they can access doctors more easily, and also get doctors who may be in a different part of the world from them who are experts at dealing with a specific condition without having to bear the cost of travel. What impact do you want to create in the medical field? I want to make healthcare more holistic, error-free, and open. I believe in the distant future we will be able to address the whole issue of disease and mankind will be completely focused on health from the wellness perspective rather than a treatment perspective. And I want to be an integral part of that change. read the whole interview at : https://www.eatmy.news/2021/04/nrip-nihalani-i-want-to-make-healthcare.html
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
As healthcare providers battle an increasing influx of patients and dwindling inventory – including critical personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies like masks, ventilators, and hospital beds – they are relying more heavily on their digital tools and applications than ever before. Prior to this recent pandemic, research shows that 84 percent of people have experienced problems with digital services in the last year. In the middle of a global health crisis, there’s no tolerance for bad performance when it’s a matter of a patients’ health. To improve these experiences, health IT professionals must leverage AI and machine learning to pinpoint the moment digital issues arise and automatically remediate issues. This saves IT teams time and resources that could be spent creating new services that will further improve the patient and doctor’s experience during the crisis. Digital strategies that HealthIT leaders must consider to support healthcare professionals regardless of where and when they are providing care. - Real-time analytics and monitoring
- Remote monitoring
Read the entire article at https://hitconsultant.net/2020/05/20/digital-strategies-healthit-must-prioritize-during-covid-19/#.Xvhd1JMzZPt
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
Incorporating persuasive design concepts into primary care electronic health records (EHRs) increased same-day data entry by 10 percent per physician, demonstrating the potential for persuasive design to change data entry behavior, a study published in JMIR Human Factors revealed. Persuasive design is a way of developing technology to influence behavior by leveraging social processes. Healthcare stakeholders have primarily focused on using persuasive design in consumer-facing mobile apps to improve outcomes, but there are few examples of using persuasive design to influence clinician behavior. In primary care settings, providers often face barriers to entering data into EHRs in a timely manner. Data entry tasks often take a long time, and users may feel as if completing documentation is a lower priority than seeing patients or finishing other tasks. “Persuasive design is a viable approach for designing and encouraging behavior change and could support effective data capture in the field of medical informatics. There may be opportunities to continue improving this approach, and further work is required to perfect and test additional designs,” the team concluded. read the original unedited article at https://healthitanalytics.com/news/persuasive-ehr-workflow-design-increased-same-day-data-entry-by-10
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
A new project launched by Penn Medicine last week will take on the monumental task of EHR usability. Impatient with the current progress of electronic health records (EHRs), one of the nation’s foremost academic medical centers is taking matters into its own hands. Last week, Penn Medicine—which operates as the health system under the University of Pennsylvania—launched a new initiative aimed at transforming EHRs into “more streamlined, interactive, smarter tools.” That effort will focus primarily on what David Asch, M.D., the executive director of the Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation, calls “the middle space” between EHRs and clinical productivity. “It’s about the creation of some middleware that takes the EHR products created by large companies and creates interfaces that are better,” he told FierceHealthcare. “It might ultimately be absorbed by those [EHR] companies, but I don’t think we can wait. I don’t think we should force clinicians to move to the EHR when we can be a part of the solution to help bring the EHR to them.” Part of Penn Medicine’s effort is a focus on using EHRs not just as an administrative or documentation tool, but also pushing it into the care delivery arena. That involves shaking up the traditional health system approach that says clinicians simply need more education to unlock the unused functionality of EHRs. The notion that clinicians need help becoming the “master of the EHR” often rubs them the wrong way, Asch says. more at https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/tech/penn-medicine-s-new-transformation-project-middle-space-ehrs-and-clinicians
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
Suki, the artificial intelligence (AI) voice assistant for healthcare professionals, launched in May to praise from health-tech innovators who hoped “Alexa for doctors” might slash electronic health record (EHR) documentation time.
If the company’s early numbers are any indication, that wish might come true.
Suki said recently that doctors who use the digital assistant have seen a 70 percent drop in time spent writing and filing medical notes. That figure is 10 percentage points better than the preliminary results of Suki’s pilot. The finding could prove powerful, as research has suggested that physicians burn almost two hours in the EHR for every hour of patient interaction. Suki has processed more than 12,000 patient encounters in the real world, handling 1,000 per week, according to the company. This steady stream of real-world data is poised to strengthen the technology’s machine-learning algorithm, which was trained on 250,000 patient encounters before it went live.
So far, Suki has integrated with three EHR systems. The company said that number is slated to rise.
Using voice commands, the technology pens a “clinically accurate” note that it then sends to a doctor’s EHR system.
Over the past several years, innovators across healthcare have advocated for a clinical voice assistant. But the challenges are many, from precise listening and documentation to satisfying cybersecurity concerns.
Although a clinical AI assistant might be far off for many providers and health systems, Suki and similar technologies could help solve a mounting problem in medicine: physician burnout.
Time spent in the EHR has been linked to physician burnout. On the conference circuit and in the opinion pages, doctor after doctor describes the stresses of medical note documentation — and how these demands eat up time and detract from care delivery.
Can Suki help improve workflows? It seems so. But can it go a step beyond and help physicians overcome burnout? Maybe. The answer to that question will depend on adoption rates and how Suki performs at scale.
Will Suki become a part of the clinic of tomorrow? Lets wait and see read the unedited story at https://www.hcanews.com/news/alexa-for-doctors-claims-70-percent-reduction-in-ehr-time
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
Nutrition evaluation and intervention in hospitalized pediatric patients is critical, because undernutrition negatively impacts physical and cognitive development, wound healing, immune function, mortality, and quality of life. Multiple, validated pediatric nutrition screening tools are available, yet no consensus on the ideal tool exists. Generally, the aims of the nutrition screening process are identification of current nutrition status and determination of a need for further nutrition assessment and intervention. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has developed what it says is the first automated pediatric malnutrition screening tool using EHR data. In this study the tool was used to analyze anthropometric measurements in the hospital’s Epic EHR—including body mass index, height, length and weight—for inpatients in the pediatric oncology unit at CHOP for a little more than a year, representing about 2,100 hospitalizations. Researchers used software to take note of changes in the anthropometric measurements to assess each hospitalized patient’s risk of malnutrition. For those pediatric cancer patients determined to be at risk, the automated program categorized their risk as either mild, moderate or severe. In the study, 47 percent were classified as at mild risk, 24 percent as moderate risk and 29 percent as severe—consistent with clinical experience and other research. In addition, the overall prevalence of malnutrition was determined to be 42 percent for the study period, which was also consistent with previous studies. “This test study demonstrates the feasibility of using EHR data to create an automated screening tool for malnutrition in pediatric inpatients, Further research is needed to formally assess this screening tool, but it has the potential to identify at-risk patients in the early stages of malnutrition, so we can intervene quickly. In addition, this tool could be implemented to screen all pediatric patients for malnutrition, because it uses data common to all electronic medical records.” ref: https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/chop-uses-ehr-data-to-identify-cancer-patients-for-malnutrition study: https://jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(18)30974-2/abstract
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
Every year, more than 3 million people in Europe experience a heart attack. For half of them, this is not the first time. Most of these recurrent heart attacks can be prevented by improving the lifestyle after the first heart attack, for which patients are often offered cardiac rehabilitation. These programs consist of exercise and lifestyle recommendations. Cardiac rehabilitation is provided at specialized centers.
According to estimates, if all cardiac patients were to undergo cardiac rehabilitation, the mortality from myocardial infarctions could fall by 26 percent and hospital admissions by more than 30 percent. Despite these benefits, less than half of cardiac patients receive cardiac rehabilitation. This lack of participation is mainly due the distance to the cardiac rehabilitation centers, which patients experience as being too far. There are also many objections to the limited possibilities for taking an individualized program.
Research has shown that an internet-based rehabilitation program can achieve the same results as rehabilitation at a center. An e-health application for cardiac rehabilitation could therefore eliminate many obstacles for patients. However, such an application is not yet available. With Eurostar funding of € 1.9 million, a European consortium of researchers and companies will create CaRe, a mobile platform for cardiac rehabilitation. Maria Hopman is creating this e-health program for cardiac rehabilitation together with a consortium of Danish and Swiss companies. Starting in 2021, the program will be available for physiotherapists and hospitals in Europe. more at https://www.radboudumc.nl/en/news/2018/major-grant-for-development-of-e-health-program-for-cardiac-rehabilitation
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
This fortnight, in the spirit of the #NHITWeek ,as expected a lot of curations were based around the Uses of Automation and Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare. Here are our top 5 insights by our experts on the stories from the past fortnight. mHealth platforms are helping healthcare providers with Quick Access to Decision Support Resources insight by Nrip Nihalani Well how surprising! Collective human intelligence still works :) As I been posting in my articles, speaking at my talks and offering my $0.02 in my insights, for all the talk of AI and Deep Learning, I feel technology’s best use in healthcare is in automation of processes and improving communication and collaboration between care teams. And such studies show that we have lots to gain by building better tools to help clinicians communicate and collaborate better. Someday , AI “may” replace human intelligence, but not today and not anytime soon. Proposing a Transactional Model of eHealth Literacy: Concept Analysis insight by Nrip Nihalani eHealth literacy is the ability of internet users to locate, evaluate, and act upon web-based health information. The result of this study identifies that the role of “communication” in eHealth literacy remains underdeveloped. Current frameworks and technologies do not account for physical and cognitive processing abilities necessary for multiway transactions. A study of the Consumption(access by patients) patterns of a majority of patient education resources will be interesting. It may shed light on this underdevelopment being required or not. more at https://medium.com/@plus91/healthcare-technology-insights-for-oct-1st-oct-14th-2018-8505bbd81fd9
|
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
Scientists propose a modeling framework that could predict how antibiotic resistance will evolve in response to different drug combinations. A new framework may suggest which drug combinations would speed up, slow down, or even reverse antibiotic resistance. The research could help doctors optimize the choice, timing, dose, and sequence of antibiotics used to treat common infections in order to help halt the growing threat of antibiotic resistance to modern medicine. “Drug combinations are a particularly promising approach for slowing resistance, but the evolutionary impacts of combination therapy remain difficult to predict, especially in a clinical setting,” says Erida Gjini, a researcher at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, and first author of the paper in eLife. read more at https://www.futurity.org/antibiotic-resistance-drug-combinations-2605182-2/
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
Electronic health records are overloading outpatient docs with info in "disparate files and folders rather than presenting comprehensive, actionable data in a context that gives meaning," say researchers in a VA-funded study A primary care physician may care for 2,500 or more patients in a given year, and many of their patient encounters may last only 20 minutes – much of which is often spent at a computer with a back turned to the patient. It's become a truism by now that electronic health records are often viewed askance by primary care docs, many of whom see them as detrimental to the patient encounter. A new report from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University details just how outpatient EHRs are often failing the physicians who use them. Why it matters
EHRs "are not rising to the challenges faced by primary care physicians because EHRs have not been designed or tailored to their specific needs," The report draws on eight years of close study of EHR use patterns to argue for wider acceptance of "human factor approach for the design or redesign of EHR user interfaces." many EHRs as currently configured make it too difficult for primary care docs to do their job in a streamlined and efficacious manner – requiring navigation through multiple screens and tabs to find basic information, increasing redundancy and decreasing efficiency. Something as simple as auto-save – a default capability for most online shopping, for instance – is missing from many EHR systems. Roots of the problem The study traces the roots of the challenge to the fact that many EHRs were initially designed for specialists and hospitals – without much attention to the specific needs of primary care physicians. For Primary care physicians, effective decision-making is grounded in perception and comprehension of a patient's dynamic situation." For example, they note, an outpatient doc's choice to stop a patient's use of a particular medication will usually be informed by trends in that patient's blood pressure or cholesterol numbers, or other medications taken over the course of a month – all holistic information with implications for the patient's future health trajectory, but data that isn't always readily seen on a single EHR screen. Technology needs to adapt to humans' needs, abilities, and limitations in healthcare delivery as it has in other domains. EHRs should be redesigned to improve situational awareness for busy primary care physicians and support their tasks including reviewing patient information, care coordination, and shared decision-making." read more at https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/regenstrief-study-shows-ehrs-underperforming-primary-care
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
Researchers investigating the benefits of 3D printing technology found it can deliver significant improvements to the running of hospitals. The research, which compared the drawbacks and advantages of using 3D printing technology in hospitals, has been published in the International Journal of Operations and Production Management. The study revealed that introducing such technology into hospitals could help alleviate many of the strains the UK healthcare system and healthcare systems worldwide face. Boosting surgery success rates - 3D printing makes it possible for surgical teams to print 3D models based on an individual patient’s surgical needs, providing more detailed and exact information for the surgeon to plan and practice the surgery, minimising the risk of error or unexpected complications. - the use of 3D printed anatomical models was useful when communicating the details of the surgery with the patient, helping to increase their confidence in the procedure. Speeding up patient recovery time - significant reduction in post-surgery complications, patient recovery times and the need for subsequent hospital appointments or treatments. Speeding up procedures - provide surgeons with custom-built tools for each procedure, with the findings revealing that surgeries with durations of four to eight hours were reduced by 1.5 to 2.5 hours when patient-specific instruments were used. - could also make surgeries less invasive (for example, removing less bone or tissue) - result in less associated risks for the patient (for example, by requiring less anaesthesia). Real-life training opportunities - enables trainee surgeons to familiarise themselves with the steps to take in complex surgeries by practicing their skills on examples that accurately replicate real patient problems, and with greater variety. Careful consideration required Despite the research showing strong and clear benefits of using 3D printing, Dr Chaudhuri and his fellow researchers urge careful consideration for the financial costs. 3D printing is a significant financial investment for hospitals to make. In order to determine whether such an investment is worthwhile, the researchers have also developed a framework to aid hospital decision-makers in determining the return on investment for their particular institution. read the study at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344956611_Accepted_for_publication_in_International_Journal_of_Operations_and_Production_Management_Should_hospitals_invest_in_customised_on-demand_3D_printing_for_surgeries read more at https://www.healtheuropa.eu/3d-printing-technology-boosts-hospital-efficiency-and-eases-pressures/108544/
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
As researchers learn more about the brain, it has become clear that responsive neurostimulation is becoming increasingly effective at probing neural circuit function and treating neuropsychiatric disorders, such as epilepsy and Parkinson's disease. But current approaches to designing a fully implantable and biocompatible device able to make such interventions have major limitations: their resolution isn't high enough and most require large, bulky components that make implantation difficult with risk of complications. A Columbia Engineering team led by Dion Khodagholy has come up with a new approach that shows great promise to improve such devices. Building on their earlier work to develop smaller, more efficient conformable bioelectronic transistors and materials, the researchers orchestrated their devices to create high performance implantable circuits that allow reading and manipulation of brain circuits. Their multiplex-then-amplify (MTA) system requires only one amplifier per multiplexer, in contrast to current approaches that need an equal number of amplifiers as number of channels. The team built the MTA device and then confirmed its functionality by developing a fully implantable, responsive embedded system that can acquire—in real time—individual neural action potentials using conformable conducting polymer-based electrodes. It can accomplish this with low-latency arbitrary waveform stimulation and local data storage—all within a miniaturized (approximately the size of a quarter) physical footprint. Khodagholy collaborated on the study, published today by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), with Jennifer N. Gelinas, Department of Neurology and the Institute for Genomic Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. read more at https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-05-neuroelectronic-brain-circuits.html
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
Previous work has specifically described the potential for using telemedicine in disasters and public health emergencies. No telemedicine program can be created overnight, but U.S. health systems that have already implemented telemedical innovations can leverage them for the response to Covid-19. A central strategy for health care surge control is “forward triage” — the sorting of patients before they arrive in the emergency department (ED). Direct-to-consumer (or on-demand) telemedicine, a 21st-century approach to forward triage that allows patients to be efficiently screened, is both patient-centered and conducive to self-quarantine, and it protects patients, clinicians, and the community from exposure. It can allow physicians and patients to communicate 24/7, using smartphones or webcam-enabled computers. Respiratory symptoms — which may be early signs of Covid-19 — are among the conditions most commonly evaluated with this approach. Health care providers can easily obtain detailed travel and exposure histories. Automated screening algorithms can be built into the intake process, and local epidemiologic information can be used to standardize screening and practice patterns across providers. Much medical decision making is cognitive, and telemedicine can provide rapid access to subspecialists who aren’t immediately available in person. Recognizing that patients prioritize convenient and inexpensive care, Duffy and Lee recently asked whether in-person visits should become the second, third, or even last option for meeting patient needs read the original article at https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMp2003539
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
In recent times, researchers have increasing found that the power of computers and artificial intelligence is enabling more accurate diagnosis of a patient's current heart health and can provide an accurate projection of future heart health, potential treatments and disease prevention In a paper published in the European Heart Journal, researchers from King's College London, show how linking computer and statistical models can improve clinical decisions relating to the heart. The research team is lead by Dr. Pablo Lamata. In his statement he said that "We found that making appropriate clinical decisions is not only about data, but how to combine data with the knowledge that we have built up through years of research." The Digital Twin The team have coined the phrase the Digital Twin to describe this integration of the two models, a computerised version of our heart which represents human physiology and individual data. "The Digital Twin will shift treatment selection from being based on the state of the patient today to optimising the state of the patient tomorrow, The idea is that the electronic health record will be growing into a more detailed description of what we could call a digital avatar, a digital representation of how the heart is working. This could mean that a trip to the doctor's office could be a more digital experience. " Mechanistic models see researchers applying the laws of physics and maths to simulate how the heart will behave. Statistical models require researchers to look at past data to see how the heart will behave in similar conditions and infer how it will do it over time. Models can pinpoint the most valuable piece of diagnostic data and can also reliably infer biomarkers that cannot be directly measured or that require invasive procedures. "It's like the weather: understanding better how it works, helps us to predict it. And with the heart, models will also help us to predict how better or worse it will get if we interfere with it." read the original unedited article at https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-digital-heart-future-health.html
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
The leading digital health narrative emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic has been the rise of telehealth and live video consultations as a reliable modality for delivering care. But have other, younger health-delivery technologies been enjoying a similar rise in adoption? For virtual reality, the answer appears to be yes – with some caveats. Healthcare VR programs and startups have had to navigate several unexpected roadblocks as a result of the outbreak, leading to a number of in-hospital deployments and research projects being sidelined or modified. Others have stayed the course or even flourished, with at-home and remote-care deployments in particular finding little need to slow down. The broader healthcare industry's recent ideological shift toward digital health technologies has stakeholders of all kinds anticipating a long-term boost to the adoption of VR for care. "Everyone is talking about telemedicine as sort of the solution to overcoming the physical barriers between patients and their providers, and there's no doubt that's taken off in a big way ... but there still are very important limitations to that that VR can help overcome," "It is an opportunity for VR to shine right now – if we can figure out how best to do it." read the original unedited article at https://www.mobihealthnews.com/news/depth-despite-some-hiccups-covid-19-vrs-time-shine
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
Data from electronic health records (EHR) can be used to create an automated screening tool for malnutrition in paediatric hospital inpatients, according to work by a US team of clinicians, dietitians, and researchers. The system developed by Charles Phillips of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and colleagues provides daily alerts to healthcare providers so they can quickly intervene with appropriate treatment. "Undernutrition is extremely common in children with cancer - the population we studied in this project," explains Phillips, who is a paediatric oncologist at the hospital. "There is currently no universal, standardized approach to nutrition screening for children in hospitals, and our project is the first fully automated pediatric malnutrition screen using EHR data." The multidisciplinary team published details of their approach in the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics. The team analysed EHR data from inpatients at the hospital's 54-bed paediatric oncology unit for late 2016 to early 2018, which covered around 2100 hospital admissions. The anthropometric measurements in the EHR included height, length, weight and body mass index. The researchers used software to take note of changes in those measurements, and used criteria issued by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, to evaluate each patient's risk of malnutrition based on the ongoing measurements and the EHR data. For each child that the screening program determined to be at risk of under-nutrution, the software would apply a flag of mild, moderate, or severe, and then automatically send an email to the clinicians on the ward giving them each patient's name, medical record number, unit, and malnutrition severity level, as well as other data. In the patient cohort, the researchers' automated screen calculated the overall prevalence of malnutrition at 42 percent for the entire period of study. This was consistent with the range expected from previous studies where up to about 65 percent for inpatient paediatric oncology patients is observed). Overall severity levels for malnutrition were 47 percent in the mild category, 24 percent moderate and 29 percent severe; again, consistent with other research and clinical experience. link to the study paper: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2018.07.014 Read the original unedited article at http://www.spectroscopynow.com/details/ezine/16652cf45e1/Paediatric-malnutrion-EHRs-offer-automated-warnings.html?tzcheck=1
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
In its State of the Market 2018 report, HIMSS Analytics outlined nationwide adoption of major health IT trends. The report detailed market insights related to blockchain, cloud computing, EHRs, precision medicine and telehealth, among other health IT segments. Here are 5 highlights from the report: 1. Blockchain. The plurality of hospitals (45.3 percent) are still learning about blockchain and have not deployed any related programs. However, 55 percent said it is "somewhat likely" they complete a blockchain proof-of-concept or pilot in the next 24 months, followed by 17 percent of whom said it was "very likely." 2. Cloud. The majority of hospitals (65 percent) said they currently use the cloud or cloud services. Reasons for adopting cloud services included concerns with disaster recovery (37 percent), lack of internal IT expertise on site (25 percent) and IT maintenance costs (25 percent). 3. EHRs. EHRs have achieved almost universal hospital adoption; however, interoperability continues to present a core challenge. Only 2 percent of hospitals are on a single vendor at all affiliated practices, and nearly three-quarters of hospitals said they deal with more than 10 disparate outpatient vendors. 4. Precision medicine. Hospitals tended to cite lack of funding, technological or clinical expertise as barriers to adopting precision medicine, although nearly half of hospitals (45 percent) said they plan to expand their existing programs. 5. Telehealth. Telehealth adoption has reached 50 percent at U.S. hospitals. Moving forward, 55 percent of hospitals said they are "unsure" if they have plans to invest in telehealth services in the next 24 months, followed by 27 percent that said they do. more at https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/himss-analytics-the-state-of-blockchain-cloud-ehr-adoption-more.html
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
After 3 years as head of IBM’s health division, Deborah DiSanzo is leaving her role. A company spokesman said that DiSanzo will no longer lead IBM Watson Health, the Cambridge-based division that has pitched the company’s famed artificial intelligence capabilities as solutions for a myriad of health challenges, like treating cancer and analyzing medical images. Even as it has heavily advertised the potential of Watson Health, IBM has not met lofty expectations in some areas. Its flagship cancer software, which used artificial intelligence to recommend courses of treatment, has been ridiculed by some doctors inside and outside of the company. And it has struggled to integrate different technologies from other businesses it has acquired, laying off employees in the process. more at https://www.statnews.com/2018/10/19/head-of-ibm-watson-health-leaving-post/
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
Estonia and Finland have signed an agreement which will allow Finns to purchase prescription medication in Estonia via e-prescriptions by the end of December. Estonians will receive reciprocal rights in 2019. The two countries hope that the deal will set a precedent other EU members will follow. In an interview with Euractiv, Estonian Health Minister Riina Sikkut said that it is common practice for healthcare professionals in Estonia to use the e-health system to exchange patient medical records. “But it is also important for people who have a need for healthcare services abroad to have his or her health data available to a doctor, nurse or a pharmacist so that they could also provide quality healthcare services and continuity of care,” said Ms Sikkut. One concern which has prevented such agreements gaining traction before now is that digital prescriptions being available EU-wide could lead to medical tourism. “When Finnish digital prescriptions become valid in Estonia, pharmaceutical drugs can only be bought here by the person to whom the drug is prescribed,” Kaidi Kelt, chief executive of Benu Pharmacies in Estonia, told Baltic News Services (BNS). She added that the possibility of medical tourism can thus be ruled out, stating that a person cannot collect all of their acquaintances’ prescriptions and make regular trips to Estonia simply to buy pharmaceutical drugs in bulk. “Pharmaceutical drugs vary in their price and there is no reason to presume that everything is always cheaper in Estonia,” explains Ms Kelt. “All European pharmacists are keeping an eye on us. The success of this project between Estonia and Finland could pave the way for implementing cross-border digital prescriptions in other EU states as well.” Estonia also wants to be one of the first to implement the exchange of patient history, as part of the EU’s e-Health Digital Service Infrastructure (eHDSI) project. read more at https://emerging-europe.com/news/estonia-and-finland-sign-trailblazing-medication-deal/
|
|
Scooped by
nrip
|
- The world's largest technology companies have all hired well-known cardiologists.
- Heart disease and high blood pressure affect a large number of people, are well-understood, and there's evidence that consumer products can help.
Big Silicon Valley companies have often competed for talent with specialized skills, like expertise in artificial intelligence or trendy new programming languages. Now they're competing for heart doctors. Apple, Alphabet, and Amazon have all hired well-known cardiologists. This might just be a coincidence. Cardiologists tend to be well educated and hard working, and big tech companies have a track record of recruiting such people. In recent years, all of these companies have started to invest in products and devices that are targeted to millions of people who could benefit by tracking their heart health. Apple's smartwatch now includes an electrocardiogram, which can detect heart rhythm irregularities. Verily's study watch, which is designed for clinical trial research, also tracks heart rate and heart rhythm, and it's doing a lot of work in chronic disease management. So the more likely explanation is that tech companies are interested in health care, and they have all come to the conclusion that cardiology should be an early (if not initial) target. Here's why. It's a huge potential market Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the world, and strokes are among the leading causes of death. And that's not all that cardiologists treat. "Our scope covers other common disease such as high blood pressure, which impacts about a third of people in the U.S. — 75 million Americans — as well as lipid and cholesterol disorders," said Dr. Mo Elshazly, a cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. Many cardiologists are also experts in nutrition and exercise science, which impacts a huge number of people who are committed to staying healthy. That's useful for the teams within the largest tech companies that are more focused on wellness and fitness applications, rather than on health and medical. Alphabet has Google Fit. Apple has a fitness group for its Apple Watch. And Amazon is looking at health and wellness applications for its Alexa voice assistant. It's well-studied Cardiology is among the most-studied fields in medicine, meaning there's already a lot of evidence to understand the root causes of heart disease, as well as how to prevent it. That's attractive for tech companies, which tend to base their development decisions on data. Their consumer products are already making a difference Let's take Apple, as an example. The company launched its first Apple Watch model with a heart rate sensor, never expecting that people would use it to discover they were pregnant, at risk for a heart attack or experiencing a dangerous irregular heart rhythm. But as people began sharing examples of how the Apple Watch saved their life, the company started to invest heavily in the science and technology to drive more of these stories. A lot of that work culminated in the first-ever clearance for a heart rhythm sensor called an ECG for Apple Watch earlier in the summer. read more at https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/17/what-every-tech-company-needs-a-cardiologist.html
|
