Week 2: Digital Health Technologies

Week 2 notes

What is the Government of Canada’s definition of “eHealth”?

Term used to describe the application and communication technologies in the health sector

What is WHO’s definition of “eHealth”?

The use of information & communication technologies for health

What is Gunther Evsenbach’s definition of “eHealth”?

An emerging field in the intersection of medical information, public health & business, referring to health services and information delivered or enhanced through the Internet and related technologies

What are the 3 prominent domains of eHealth according to Shaw et al.?

1. Health in our Hands
2. Interacting for Health
3. Data Enabling Health

What do we mean by “health in our hands”?

The use of eHealth technologies to monitor, track, & information health

What do we mean by “interacting for health”?

The use of technologies to communicate between stakeholders in health

What do we mean by “data enabling health”?

The collection, management, and use/application of health data sources

What is Canada Health Infoway?

An independent, not-for-profit organization that helps to improve the health of Canadians by working to accelerate the development, adoption, and effective use of digital health solutions

When was Canada Health Infoway established?

2001

What is Canada health infoway’s vision?

Healthier Canadians through innovative digital health solutions

What is “digital health”?

The use of information technology/electronic communication tools, services & processes to deliver health care services or facilitate better health

What are “electronic health records” (EHR)?

A secure, integrated collection of a person’s encounters with the healthcare system that provides a comprehensive digital view of a patient’s health history

What are components of an EHR?

* Laboratory information systems
* Diagnostic imaging repositories
* Drug information systems
* Telehealth
* Privacy
* Clinical interoperability
* Public health surveillance
* Registries

What is “mHealth”?

Medical & public health practice supported by mobile devices

Who is the author of the “promise, growth & reality of mobile health” article?

Roess, 2017

As of 2017, how many wireless communication subscribers were there and how many were in low-and middle-income countries?

5 billion wireless communication subscribers, with more 70% in those countries

According to Roess’ article, how many mHealth tools or apps were there?

1200

According to Roess’ article, what is mHealth designed to do?

* Improve data collection
* Deliver health education messages
* Promote real-time remote monitoring of patients
* Improve health care delivery

What are apps?

Software applications that enable programs to run on smartphones

Who is the author of the “fitness apps” article?

Martin et al., 2015

What is the percentage of children & adolescents who are obsese?

18% of children aged 6-11 and 21% of adolescents

What was the purpose of Martin et al.’s study?

Introduce and highly 4 fitness/skill-based apps that can be used during phys ed. and at home to motivate students and their families to engage in regular physical activity

What were the 4 apps introduced in Martin et al.’s study?

1. Ubersense
2. Seven
3. Fitocracy
4. Zombies Run

What was the main feature of ubersense?

Provides visual feedback and analysis

What was the main feature of seven?

Has 10 different full-body or body specific workouts that each last 7 minutes

What was the main feature of fitocracy?

Provides coaching for physical activity & nutrition and a large database of exercise programs

What was the main feature of Zombies Run?

A running application that tracks distance, pace, time & heart rate while users participate in a story set in the zombie apocalypse

What was the conclusion drawn from Martin et al.’s study?

Finding innovative ways to engage students in participating in daily physical activity and sports is essential, with fitness & sports apps being one strategy to do so

Who is the author “using mobile apps to promote a healthy lifestyle” article?

Dute el al., 2016

What was the aim of Dute et al.’s study?

Explore how mobile apps can contribute to the promotion of healthy nutrition, physical activity, and prevention of overweight in adolescents & students

What method was used to conduct Dute et al.’s study?

A meta-analysis

When were studies included into Dute et al.’s meta-analysis?

1. The primary component of the intervention involves an app
2. The intervention targets healthy nutrition, physical activity, or overweight prevention
3. The target group included adolescents or students

What is the “theory of planned behavior”?

Theory that describes 3 factors which have an influence on an individual’s intention to perform a given behavior

What are the 3 factors described in the theory of planned behavior?

1. Attitude
2. Subjective norm
3. perceived behavioral control

What is the “transtheoretical model”?

Model that assesses an individual’s readiness to adopt a new, healthier behavior. It also described strategies to guide the individual through the stages of change

What is Abraham & Michie’s taxonomy of behavior change techniques?

A taxonomy of 26 generally applicable behavior change techniques

What were the conclusions of Dute et al.’s study?

Limited research is available on apps as a tool for health promotion for adolescents, but they seem to be promising

What are some examples of mHealth tools?

* Personal digital assistants (PDAs)
* Patient monitoring devices
* Nonprogrammable mobile phones
* Tablet & laptop computers
* Mobile apps

What are current trends in mHealth app development?

1. Self-management
2. Cognition improvement
3. Skills training
4. Social support
5. Symptom tracking
6. Passive data collection

What are some pros of mHealth?

* Convenient
* Anonymous
* An introduction to care
* Low cost
* Allows service to more people
* Provides 24 hour service
* Consistent
* Objective data collection

What are cons of mHealth?

* Not always effective
* Privacy issues
* Regulation issues
* Overselling
* Guidance

What are the 4 main requirements for wearable health devices?

1. Low power consumption
2. Reliability
3. Security
4. Comfort & ergonomics

What are the 5 traditional vital signs?

1. Heart rate
2. Blood pressure
3. Respiratory rate
4. Blood oxygen saturation
5. Body temperature

What is telehealth?

The use of telecommunications & virtual technology to deliver health care outside of traditional health care facilities

Who is the author of the “beyond techno-utopia” article?

Lupton, 2014