Studies in health technology and informatics
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2018
Caring for Carers of People with Dementia: A Protocol for Harnessing Innovation Through Deploying Leading Edge Technologies to Enable Virtual Support Groups and Services.
In rural Australia, knowledge and utilisation of support by informal carers is lacking. During the caregiving period, socioemotional support from family and friends plays an important role in sustaining caregiving activities. Post-care, these social networks facilitate adjustment to role change and dealing with grief. ⋯ A mixed methods repeated measures randomized wait list design will be used to evaluate the project. The primary outcomes are self-efficacy, quality of life, and mental health. Secondary outcomes are perceived social support and user satisfaction with the technology, and intention to continue VC interaction.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2018
Telehealth: A Game Changer - Closing the Gap in Remote Indigenous Health in Three Remote Homeland Communities in the Laynhapuy Homelands, East Arnhem, Northern Australia.
Benefits of telehealth have been demonstrated both internationally and through local assessments. Early diagnosis and treatment, reduced costs associated with patient travel, minimized time spent away from community and providing improved patient and staff satisfaction are key drivers for using telehealth. Uptake of telehealth in the NT has been limited, for a variety of reasons including inadequate broadband access. ⋯ Early identification and decision making of malignancies can facilitate earlier intervention with better prognosis for the patient. Through collaboration, this program has demonstrated the value of uncontended and unlimited internet access in implementing telehealth. The question was: Is high quality internet required to improve service delivery? The service recognises the value and now relies heavily on this service and is committed to improving connectivity and implementing telehealth in more of their communities.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2018
Mapping of Health Care Providers for People with Rare Diseases - From Vision to Implementation.
se-atlas - the health service information platform for rare diseases - is part of the German National Action Plan for People with Rare Diseases. The website www.se-atlas.de provides an overview of health care providers and support groups focusing on rare diseases in Germany. Since the start of se-atlas in 2013, several strategies are being developed and evaluated. This paper gives an overview about the expectations and visions for se-atlas at the beginning of the project, the challenges and lessons learned within the project period and how se-atlas is implemented today.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2018
Does Point-of-Care Testing Impact Length of Stay in Emergency Departments (EDs)?: A Before and After Study of 26 Rural and Remote EDs.
The implementation of Point-of-Care Testing (PoCT) services across rural and remote emergency departments (EDs) by NSW Health Pathology has the potential to significantly improve timely access to results for certain types of pathology laboratory tests and help to deliver timely patient care. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the implementation of PoCT on the length of stay (LOS) of patients in rural and remote EDs. A total of 3808 patients with a circulatory system illness were treated and discharged at any one of 22 rural and remote EDs during the study period. ⋯ Although average ED LOS was 11 minutes shorter in the post-PoCT period, the impact of PoCT on ED LOS was not conclusive after considering other important clinical factors (p=0.07). This study is the one of the few to examine changes in LOS following the introduction of PoCT in EDs in Australia. The study also identified areas where more robust methods could be applied in the future as the quality of PoCT data improves to further assess the potential effects of this technology on practice and outcomes.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2018
ReviewReflection on Mobile Applications for Blood Pressure Management: A Systematic Review on Potential Effects and Initiatives.
Ischemic heart disease and stroke have been considered as the first global leading cause of death in last decades [1]. Blood pressure (BP) management is one of the easiest ways suggested for preventing and controlling cardiovascular diseases before the patient develops complications and death-following outcomes. Appearance of technology advancements in the health system has motivated researchers and health providers to study its different aspects and applications in order to improve disease prevention and management. Following these efforts, mobile health (mHealth) technologies were presented to provide people with fast and easier-to-use services. Although there are some unsolved challenges, these technologies have become popular among many people. As an important part of mHealth, mobile applications (apps) have been the focused subject of many studies in the last decade. The objective of this systematic review is to assess the potential effects of mobile apps designed for BP management by scrutinizing the related studies. ⋯ Most of the studies had emphasized positive effects of mobile apps in BP management. However, there is a necessity for performing further investigations due to the identified issues in this study such as low number of participants and limited intervention period in randomized controlled trials, and interventions limited to only hypertensive or high-risked individual.