Health Policy and Technology

Individual Factors That Affect Laypeople's Understanding of Definitions of Medical Jargon
Levy DA, Jordan HS, Lalor JP, Smirnova JK, Hu W, Liu W and Yu H
Patients have difficulty understanding medical jargon in electronic health record (EHR) notes. Lay definitions can improve patient comprehension, which is the goal of the NoteAid project. We assess whether the NoteAid definitions are understandable to laypeople and whether understandability differs with respect to layperson characteristics.
"Following the data": perceptions of and willingness to use clinical decision support tools to inform HIV care among Haitian clinicians
Secor AM, Justafort J, Torrilus C, Honoré J, Kiche S, Sandifer TK, Beima-Sofie K, Wagner AD, Pintye J and Puttkammer N
Clinical decision support (CDS) tools can support HIV care, including through case tracking, treatment and medication monitoring, and promoting provider compliance with care guidelines. There has been limited research into the technical, organizational, and behavioral factors that impact perceptions of and willingness to use CDS tools at scale in resource-limited settings, including in Haiti.
Acceptability of Gynecologic e-Health Modalities by Hispanic/Latina Women of Reproductive Age
Alvarado A, Ramos-Echevarría P, Cotto-Vázquez AC, Núñez-González S, Nieves-Vázquez CI, Sierra CR, Más-Vayas L, Soto-Soto DM, Llorens A, Bell C, Roy A and Flores I
Electronic health (e-Health) modalities effectively address healthcare access limitations; however, there are limited data on their adoption by Hispanic/Latina women who are disproportionally affected by health disparities.
Partisan self-identification predicts attitudes of South Dakota nurses toward COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers
Viskupič F and Wiltse DL
Nurses are at greater risk of infection from COVID-19. However, mistrust of the vaccine exists even among this group. In the United States, the government implemented a vaccine mandate for health care workers to increase vaccination rates. This study investigated the drivers of nurses' attitudes toward the mandate.
The impact of COVID-19 on primary care accessibility and the role of telehealth for patients with chronic conditions
Boxley C, Dixit R, Adams K, Anderson R, Ratwani RM and Booker E
The objective of this study is to quantify how long patients took to complete their rescheduled primary care appointment pre-pandemic (2019) and during an initial pandemic period (2020). In doing so, the study evaluates telehealth's role in helping primary care patients - particularly in patients with chronic conditions - withstand COVID's significant disruption in care.
Digital Health Applications (DiHA): Approaches to develop a reimbursement process for the statutory health insurance in Austria
Goetz G, Jeindl R, Panteli D, Busse R and Wild C
To elaborate a concept for implementing digital health applications (DiHA), including prioritisation criteria (PC) for the Austrian context and an overview of available prioritised DiHAs.
Why should I vaccinate? The role of mindfulness and health-protective behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic
Rufai OH, Chu J, Sayibu M, Shahani R, Amosun TS, Lugu BK, Gonlepa MK and Cherisol MP
Health maintenance of the general public through vaccination is a significant component of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to examine the perception of Nigerians toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Methods: Informed by the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), 793 Nigerian participants completed a cross-sectional self-administered online survey to assess: (1) their perception of COVID-19 based on fear-mongering information on social media (2) the potential relationship between threat perception, efficacy, and fear associated with the COVID-19 vaccine, vaccine hesitancy, and attitudes toward the decision to uptake the vaccine using structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, and (3) we further employed the use of the hierarchical regression analysis to test the moderating effect of mindful critical thinking between vaccine hesitancy and attitudes toward vaccines.
Employing digital technologies for effective governance: Taiwan's experience in COVID-19 prevention
Chen CW and Wei JC
In the digital era, it is important to harness digital technologies to implement effective governance. This paper aims to propose a conceptual framework for the digital governance roadmap. It mainly is the meaningful integration of digital technologies into drafting policy accompanied with comprehensive planning and flexible strategy for better governance. The high-quality, timely, and reliable database is one of the key digital infrastructures for the meaningful employment of digital technologies.
Cryptocurrency as a new method for participant compensation in research
Garett R, Emish M and Young SD
Public health research relies heavily on participant involvement. Investigators have examined factors that affect participation and found that altruism enables engagement. At the same time, time commitment, family concerns, multiple follow-up visits, and potential adverse events are barriers to engagement. Thus, investigators may need to find new methods to attract and motivate participants to participate, including new compensation methods. As cryptocurrency is being increasingly used and accepted to pay and reimburse people for work activities, this currency should be similarly explored as an option for research participants to attempt to incentivize them to participate in studies and offer new possibilities for study reimbursement. This paper explores the potential use of cryptocurrency as a form of compensation in public health research studies and discusses the pros and cons of its use. Although few studies have used cryptocurrency to compensate participants, cryptocurrency may be used as a reward for various research tasks, including filling out surveys, participating in in-depth interviews or focus groups, and/or completing interventions. Using cryptocurrencies to compensate participants in health-related studies can provide benefits such as anonymity, security, and convenience. However, it also poses potential challenges, including volatility, legal and regulatory challenges, and the risk of hacking and fraud. Researchers must carefully weigh the benefits against the potential downsides before using them as a compensation method in health-related studies.
Home Pulse Oximetry Monitoring during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Assessment of Patient Engagement and Compliance
Wilkerson RG, Annous Y, Farhy E, Hurst J and Smedley AD
Patients with suspected COVID-19 remain at risk for clinical deterioration after discharge and may benefit from home oxygen saturation (SpO) monitoring using portable pulse oximeter devices. Our study aims to evaluate patient engagement and compliance with a home SpO monitoring program.
Factors influencing user acceptance of weight management apps among Chinese obese individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic
Qu S, Zhou M, Kong N and Campy KS
During the COVID-19 epidemic, the number of obesities increased rapidly in China. Weight management apps have potential value in controlling obesity.
Effect of vaccination patterns and vaccination rates on the spread and mortality of the COVID-19 pandemic
Chen YT
Acquiring herd immunity through vaccination is the best way to curb the COVID-19 infection. Many countries have attempted to reach the herd immunity threshold as early as possible since the commencement of vaccination at the end of 2020. The purpose of this study is to (1) examine whether the pattern of vaccination rates affects the spread of COVID-19 and the consequent mortality and (2) investigate the level of cumulative vaccination rates that can begin to have an impact on reducing the spread and mortality of the pandemic.
The lessons of COVID-19 pandemic for communicable diseases surveillance system in Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Hamalaw SA, Bayati AH, Babakir-Mina M, Kiani MM and Takian A
This study aimed to determine the opportunities of and barriers to communicable diseases surveillance system (CDSS) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the extent to which the disease integrated into the CDSS in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Changes in healthcare use by age groups of patients and locations of healthcare institutions after the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea: Analyzing healthcare big data
Park YT, Lee HJ, Choi H and Lee J
The COVID-19 pandemic affected healthcare use globally. However, there have been few studies examining how it affected age-specific healthcare use by patients as related to the locations of healthcare institutions. We explore changes in healthcare use while focusing on age-specific patient groups and facility locations after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of diagnostic imaging examinations in the Brazilian unified healthcare system (SUS)
Bonacossa de Almeida CE, Harbron RW, Valle Bahia PR and Murta Dovales AC
To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volumes of use of diagnostic imaging examinations in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), the only healthcare provider for approximately 160 million people.
Integrating Mind, Body, and Technology: Building Virtual Psychosocial Programs for Medical Populations
Grunberg VA and Vranceanu AM
Is telerehabilitation a top priority for the Bulgarian healthcare system in the post COVID-19 era?
Papathanasiou J, Petrov I, Kashilska Y, Kostov K and Dzhafer N
: COVID-19 Incidence and hospitalization during the delta surge were inversely related to vaccination coverage - correction of a calculation error
Lo E
Reply to comment on "COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization during the delta surge were inversely related to vaccination coverage"
Harris JE
Emerging role of artificial intelligence in global health care
Alhussain G, Kelly A, O'Flaherty EI, Quinn DP and Flaherty GT
Preliminary User Evaluation of a Physical Activity Smartphone App for Older Adults
Schepens Niemiec SL, Wagas R, Vigen CLP, Blanchard J, Barber SJ and Schoenhals A
Mobile health (mHealth) delivered through smartphone apps is a viable means of improving health behaviors. Technologies can be strengthened and made more age-inclusive by involving older adults as co-designers, resulting in more accessible and effective products. This study's purpose is to describe preliminary acceptability and feasibility of a physical activity (PA) app tailored to underactive older people.