JMIR Form Res
September 2024
Background: The occurrence of exacerbations has major effects on the health of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Monitoring devices that measure (vital) parameters hold promise for timely identification and treatment of exacerbations. Stakeholders' perspectives on the use of monitoring devices are of importance for the successful development and implementation of a device.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Profound scientific evaluation of novel digital health technologies (DHTs) is key to enhance successful development and implementation. As such, we previously developed the eHealth evaluation cycle. The eHealth evaluation cycle contains 5 consecutive study phases: conceptual, development, feasibility, effectiveness, and implementation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis focus group study explored the needs, preferences and beliefs of adults with seasonal allergic rhinitis regarding their self-management practices, and related information use and needs. Four focus groups were held, two online and two on location. The 20 participants (11 women); = 39.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Of Review: Home monitoring is one of the methods of using telemedical technologies aimed to provide care at home and maintain a connection between patients and healthcare providers. The purpose of this review is to describe recent advancements in the use of home monitoring for the care and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.
Recent Findings: Recent studies focused on remote monitoring for patients with COPD proved the positive effect of home monitoring interventions on the frequency of exacerbations and unscheduled healthcare visits, duration of patients' physical activity, proved sensitivity and overall specificity of such interventions and highlighted the effectiveness of self-management.
Background: Working with eHealth requires health care organizations to make structural changes in the way they work. Organizational structure and process must be adjusted to provide high-quality care. This study is a follow-up study of a systematic literature review on optimally organizing hybrid health care (eHealth and face to face) using the Donabedian Structure-Process-Outcome (SPO) framework to translate the findings into a modus operandi for health care organizations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A total of 8 Dutch university hospitals are at the forefront of contributing meaningfully to a future-proof health care system. To stimulate nationwide collaboration and knowledge-sharing on the topic of evidence-based eHealth, the Dutch university hospitals joined forces from 2016 to 2019 with the first Citrien Fund (CF) program eHealth; 29 eHealth projects with various subjects and themes were selected, supported, and evaluated. To determine the accomplishment of the 10 deliverables for the CF program eHealth and to contribute to the theory and practice of formative evaluation of eHealth in general, a comprehensive evaluation was deemed essential.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Dutch standard diabetes care is generally protocol-driven. However, considering that general practices wish to tailor diabetes care to individual patients and encourage self-management, particularly in light of current COVID-19 related constraints, protocols and other barriers may hinder implementation. The impact of dispensing with protocol and implementation of self-management interventions on patient monitoring and experiences are not known.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhysical inactivity is already present among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) of mild or moderate airflow obstruction. Most previous studies that reported on determinants of physical activity in COPD included patients with severe COPD. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore which patient characteristics were related with physical activity in COPD patients with mild or moderate airflow obstruction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Given the pressure on modern healthcare systems, eHealth can offer valuable opportunities. However, understanding the potential and challenges of eHealth in daily practice can be challenging for many general practitioners (GPs) and their staff.
Objectives: To critically appraise five widely used eHealth applications, in relation to safe, evidence-based and high-quality eHealth.
Background: Hospitalization for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with poor prognosis. eHealth interventions might improve outcomes and decrease costs.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an eHealth program on COPD hospitalizations and exacerbations.
Background: Structured primary diabetes care within a collectively supported setting is associated with better monitoring of biomedical and lifestyle-related target indicators amongst people with type 2 diabetes and with better HbA1c levels. Whether socioeconomic status affects the delivery of care in terms of monitoring and its association with HbA1c levels within this approach, is unclear. This study aims to understand whether, within a structured care approach, (1) socioeconomic categories differ concerning diabetes monitoring as recommended; (2) socioeconomic status modifies the association between monitoring as recommended and HbA1c.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Despite the increase in use and high expectations of digital health solutions, scientific evidence about the effectiveness of electronic health (eHealth) and other aspects such as usability and accuracy is lagging behind. eHealth solutions are complex interventions, which require a wide array of evaluation approaches that are capable of answering the many different questions that arise during the consecutive study phases of eHealth development and implementation. However, evaluators seem to struggle in choosing suitable evaluation approaches in relation to a specific study phase.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Education is essential to the integration of eHealth into primary care, but eHealth is not yet embedded in medical education.
Objectives: In this opinion article, we aim to support organisers of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and teachers delivering medical vocational training by providing recommendations for eHealth education. First, we describe is required to help primary care professionals and trainees learn about eHealth.
Background: The cluster randomized controlled trial on (cost-)effectiveness of integrated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management in primary care (RECODE) showed that integrated disease management (IDM) in primary care had no effect on quality of life (QOL) in COPD patients compared with usual care (guideline-supported non-programmatic care). It is possible that only a subset of COPD patients in primary care benefit from IDM. We therefore examined which patients benefit from IDM, and whether patient characteristics predict clinical improvement over time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
April 2020
University student years are a particularly influential period, during which time students may adopt negative behaviours that set the precedent for health outcomes in later years. This study utilised a newly digitised health survey implemented during health screening at a university in Singapore to capture student health data. The aim of this study was to analyze the health status of this Asian university student population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMJ Open
April 2020
Objective: Whether care group participation by general practitioners improves delivery of diabetes care is unknown. Using 'monitoring of biomedical and lifestyle target indicators as recommended by professional guidelines' as an operationalisation for quality of care, we explored whether (1) in new practices monitoring as recommended improved a year after initial care group participation (aim 1); (2) new practices and experienced practices differed regarding monitoring (aim 2).
Design: Observational, real-life cohort study.
Background: EHealth solutions are envisaged to contribute significantly to a sustainable healthcare system. Between 2016 and 2018 the eight Dutch University Medical Centers (UMCs) received Dutch Government's funding to undertake research into the clinical impact, cost-effectiveness and ethical consideration of eHealth. The UMCs collaborated within the consortium 'Citrien fund (CF) program eHealth' and found that, in order to increase the value of eHealth in routine care, a national vision on eHealth developed by the UMCs was warranted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFeHealth promises to increase self-management and personalised medicine and improve cost-effectiveness in primary care. Paired with these promises are ethical implications, as eHealth will affect patients' and primary care professionals' (PCPs) experiences, values, norms, and relationships. We argue what ethical implications related to the impact of eHealth on four vital aspects of primary care could (and should) be anticipated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrimary care is challenged to provide high quality, accessible and affordable care for an increasingly ageing, complex, and multimorbid population. To counter these challenges, primary care professionals need to take up new and innovative practices, including eHealth. eHealth applications hold the promise to overcome some difficulties encountered in the care of people with complex medical and social needs in primary care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Integrated disease management with self-management for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is effective to improve clinical outcomes. eHealth can improve patients' involvement to be able to accept and maintain a healthier lifestyle. Eventhough there is mixed evidence of the impact of eHealth on quality of life (QoL) in different settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Understanding context and how this can be systematically assessed and incorporated is crucial to successful implementation. We describe how context has been assessed (including exploration or evaluation) in Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) implementation research projects focused on improving health in people with or at risk of chronic disease and how contextual lessons were incorporated into the intervention or the implementation process.
Methods: Using a web-based semi-structured questionnaire, we conducted a cross-sectional survey to collect quantitative and qualitative data across GACD projects (n = 20) focusing on hypertension, diabetes and lung diseases.