Innovative Health Technologies Research Articles

Innovative approaches and health technologies as part of the vocational training of aspirants of the II master's level of higher education

The attitude of higher education aspirants of the II master's level to the use of innovative approaches and health technologies in physical education of higher education institutes is considered in the article. The system of higher education needs constant improvement, which is specified to the increase in requirements for the future specialists’ vocational training, in particular masters of education in the field of physical education and sports. At this time, the introduction of innovative approaches to the training process of higher education aspirants in the field of physical education and sports is relevant and necessary. It will allow future specialists to meet the needs of modern society, to be confident, more flexible in the system of training of higher education aspirants of a pedagogical profile, to have a sufficient level of adaptation to the fast-changing requirements of the world labor market, to be mobile to changing directions of the pedagogical activity, and to have the opportunity to choose new modern professions that arise with the advent of new sports. The analysis of the results of the research shows that respondents consider the decisive motive for higher education to have the possibility of employment in higher education institutions; young professionals note the need to reform the existing system of physical education in higher education institutions, offering for this the widespread use of innovative technologies and the exchange of international experience; point out the desirability of complementing the process of practical training of masters with combined and dance innovations and modern unconventional motor activity such as mixed martial arts (MMA), TRX and CrossFit; note the preparedness to introduce innovative technologies in their future professional activity. The main barriers to the introduction of innovative approaches and health technologies in the process of physical education of higher education institutions, according to aspirants, are excess of document circulation, reporting, and insufficient funding. The analysis of the questionnaire shows the need to modernize the modern system of physical education in higher education institutions through the use of innovative approaches and health technologies.

Keeping the power on to home medical devices.

Advances in digital health technologies have revolutionised home medical care. Yet many home medical devices (HMEDs, which includes devices referred to as 'life support equipment') rely upon a stable and resilient electricity supply. For users of HMEDs, interruptions to electricity supply can compromise treatment, well-being or survival. This paper addresses a challenge critical to the continued innovation in digital health technologies: the reliable supply of electricity. We bridge the current gap between electricity networks and digital health technologies through a novel method for the remote detection of the phase (that is, which part of the network that each house is connected to), in order to eliminate avoidable interruptions to supply for HMED users. We present an unsupervised phase identification algorithm capable of remote phase detection at scale, and without transformer data. This method translates data insights into actionable energy provision for HMED users and other vulnerable customers, enables more accurate management and planning, and improves electricity reliability which is critical for HMED users and the continued advances in digital health technologies.

Regulating innovative health technologies: dialectics, dialogics, and the case of faecal microbiota transplants

ABSTRACT This paper interrogates the common characterisation of innovative health technologies ‘leading’, while law and regulation ‘lag’ behind. We analysed the case of faecal microbiota transplants (FMT), an innovative procedure whose regulatory status remains in flux worldwide. We searched the literature for papers that described the regulation of FMT, and coded these according to a simple analytic framework. We identified 21 relevant papers. To date, no jurisdiction has implemented FMT-specific regulation. Instead, FMT is dealt with under a range of approaches, which include fitting it within existing regulation, and the use of ‘soft’ law. We found that metaphor, or argument by analogy, played a central role in delineating the potential regulatory options. We also found the relationship between innovation and regulation to be more ‘dialogic’ than oppositional, dialectical, or akin to a race. These findings underscore the importance of case-by-case investigation to determine the applicability of general narratives about law and regulation to specific instances of innovative technologies.

Innovative Healthcare Technologies in Otorhinolarnygological Practice in Sub-Saharan Africa: Strategies for Accelerated Uptake

Healthcare innovations are geared towards greater patient comfort, improved diagnosis and better treatment outcomes. Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) has witnessed many technological innovations become a core aspect of daily practice. Sub-Saharan Africa is currently lagging behind the rest of the world in both development and uptake of innovative health technologies. This paper aims to examine these innovations in otorhinolaryngology as well as the challenges and routes to their timely deployment in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A literature review was conducted on papers retrieved from Google scholar and Pubmed. Several factors have hampered practitioners in SSA from fully leveraging new technologies. By applying political, legal, economic, educational and scientific strategies these practitioners may adopt safe, effective, home-grown adaptations of emerging technologies for accelerated uptake.

Models of Governance for Innovation in Medicine and Health Research.

Personalised medicine, digital innovations, and neuro-technologies all offer significant potential benefit for human health and welfare, but also raise complex governance challenges. A variety of approaches have been adopted in the governance of innovative medicines and health technologies, including risk assessment, ethics and self-governance. Recently anticipatory or 'upstream' modes of governance have garnered favour. Anticipatory regulation demands a closer relationship between regulators and innovators, to shape the trajectories of the technology. In the EU context, responsible research and innovation has emerged as a key mechanism of governance. This is linked but distinct from a human rights governance which has the advantage of exerting both legal and moral force. What is needed in the healthcare context are governance models which ensure human rights considerations are taken into account from the earliest stages of innovation, to maximise the likelihood that developments are from the outset beneficial and oriented towards protecting ethical values.

The diffusion of innovative diabetes technologies as a fundamental cause of social inequalities in health. The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study, Norway.

This study investigates patterns of adoption and diffusion of innovative health technologies by socioeconomic status (SES) in order to assess the extent to which these technologies may be a fundamental cause of health-related inequalities. Quantitative analyses examined SES-based inequalities in the adoption and diffusion of diabetes technologies. Diabetes data from three panels of the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT), Norway, were combined with income and education data. Cross-sectional and longitudinal regression analyses were used to examine relevant inequalities. Cross-sectional analyses suggest often present SES-based gradients in the adoption of diabetes technologies, favouring high-SES groups. Statistically significant differences (p≤0.05) were most often present when technologies were new. In a cohort followed from 1984 to 1997, high SES individuals were more likely to adopt insulin injection technologies but, due to modest sample sizes, these inequalities were not statistically significant after adjusting for age, gender, and duration of illness. Moreover, compared to low SES individuals, high SES individuals are more active users of diabetes technologies. Results suggest that SES-based variations in access and use of innovative health technologies could act as a mechanism through which inequalities are reproduced. This study provides a discussion of mechanisms and a methodological foundation for further investigation.

A Model for Priority Setting in Health Technology Innovation Policy

Health Technology Assessment focuses on equal appraisal of health technologies introduced into the market. This has made regulators and the governance of innovation reactive and dependent on the initiatives innovators take for technology development, thus making it supply driven. The policy makers’ role has become one of appraising technologies that are already developed rather than guiding the development agenda. This severely limits the possibility to ensure that health technologies sufficiently address major issues such as burden of disease, trade deficit and health inequalities. It places governments outside of the actor arena that co-shapes technologies in the early stages, restricting the involvement to facilitating scale up or not. It makes it hard to achieve health technology governance practices that maximally contribute to ensure technological developments that actually address public concerns. What is the potential of frameworks for changing this dynamics and how can evidence shape technology development agenda’s without falling into the traps of regulator lock-in or social engineering? The methodology presented in this study takes first but important steps towards an evidence based framework for priority setting to guide innovations, particularly in health and social sectors

Future development of artificial organs related with cutting edge emerging technology and their regulatory assessment: PMDA's perspective.

Future development of innovative artificial organs is closely related with cutting edge emerging technology. These technologies include brain machine or computer interface, organs made by three dimensional bioprinting, organs designed from induced-pluripotent stem cell for personalized tissue or organ, and xenotransplantation. To bridge the gap between scientific innovation and regulatory product review, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency of Japan (PMDA) started the science board to discuss about the new scientific topics regarding medical products including medical device and regenerative products with external experts since 2012. Topics which PMDA raised for science board included cellular and tissue-based products from iPS cells, artificial intelligence and genome editing technology. In addition, PMDA started the horizon scanning to identify a new cutting edge technology which could potentially lead to innovative health technology or product, which has a strong impact on clinical medicine. Although the effectiveness and safety of the medical products must be reasonably assured before clinical use, PMDA introduced Sakigake review assignment (a review partner of device development) and conditional approval system to balance between pre-market and post-market evaluation.

Brain health INnovation Diplomacy: a model binding diverse disciplines to manage the promise and perils of technological innovation.

Brain health diplomacy aims to influence the global policy environment for brain health (i.e. dementia, depression, and other mind/brain disorders) and bridges the disciplines of global brain health, international affairs, management, law, and economics. Determinants of brain health include educational attainment, diet, access to health care, physical activity, social support, and environmental exposures, as well as chronic brain disorders and treatment. Global challenges associated with these determinants include large-scale conflicts and consequent mass migration, chemical contaminants, air quality, socioeconomic status, climate change, and global population aging. Given the rapidly advancing technological innovations impacting brain health, it is paramount to optimize the benefits and mitigate the drawbacks of such technologies. We propose a working model of Brain health INnovation Diplomacy (BIND). We prepared a selective review using literature searches of studies pertaining to brain health technological innovation and diplomacy. BIND aims to improve global brain health outcomes by leveraging technological innovation, entrepreneurship, and innovation diplomacy. It acknowledges the key role that technology, entrepreneurship, and digitization play and will increasingly play in the future of brain health for individuals and societies alike. It strengthens the positive role of novel solutions, recognizes and works to manage both real and potential risks of digital platforms. It is recognition of the political, ethical, cultural, and economic influences that brain health technological innovation and entrepreneurship can have. By creating a framework for BIND, we can use this to ensure a systematic model for the use of technology to optimize brain health.

The Global Museum: natural history collections and the future of evolutionary science and public education.

Natural history museums are unique spaces for interdisciplinary research and educational innovation. Through extensive exhibits and public programming and by hosting rich communities of amateurs, students, and researchers at all stages of their careers, they can provide a place-based window to focus on integration of science and discovery, as well as a locus for community engagement. At the same time, like a synthesis radio telescope, when joined together through emerging digital resources, the global community of museums (the ‘Global Museum’) is more than the sum of its parts, allowing insights and answers to diverse biological, environmental, and societal questions at the global scale, across eons of time, and spanning vast diversity across the Tree of Life. We argue that, whereas natural history collections and museums began with a focus on describing the diversity and peculiarities of species on Earth, they are now increasingly leveraged in new ways that significantly expand their impact and relevance. These new directions include the possibility to ask new, often interdisciplinary questions in basic and applied science, such as in biomimetic design, and by contributing to solutions to climate change, global health and food security challenges. As institutions, they have long been incubators for cutting-edge research in biology while simultaneously providing core infrastructure for research on present and future societal needs. Here we explore how the intersection between pressing issues in environmental and human health and rapid technological innovation have reinforced the relevance of museum collections. We do this by providing examples as food for thought for both the broader academic community and museum scientists on the evolving role of museums. We also identify challenges to the realization of the full potential of natural history collections and the Global Museum to science and society and discuss the critical need to grow these collections. We then focus on mapping and modelling of museum data (including place-based approaches and discovery), and explore the main projects, platforms and databases enabling this growth. Finally, we aim to improve relevant protocols for the long-term storage of specimens and tissues, ensuring proper connection with tomorrow’s technologies and hence further increasing the relevance of natural history museums.

Cell phone and technology use by octogenarians.

INTRODUCTION Many countries, including New Zealand, have an aging population and new technologies such as cell phones may be useful for older people. AIM To examine cell phone and technology use by octogenarians. METHODS Te Puawaitanga O Nga Tapuwae Kia Ora Tonu- Life and Living in Advanced Age: A Cohort Study In New Zealand (LILACs NZ) cohort study data of Māori (aged 80-90 years, 11-year age band) and non-Māori (aged 85 years, 1-year age band) followed for 3 years was used to describe the prevalence among study participants of the use of the internet, cell phones and watching pay-per-view television. Association of these activities with living arrangement, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive respiratory disease and participants' cognition were examined. RESULTS Technology use was relatively low among study octogenarians. Fewer Māori used cell phones and the internet (16% and 6%) than non-Māori (30% and 19%). Māori participants supported only by a pension were less likely to use cell phones than Māori with more income. More men watched pay-per-view television (e.g. SKY) than women. Living alone and having chronic lung disease were associated with not watching pay-per-view television. Participants who used the internet had higher cognition scores than others. Non-Māori women were less likely to watch pay-per-view television and non-Māori on a pension only were less likely to watch pay-per-view television than people on a higher income. Participants who lived alone were less likely to watch pay-per-view. CONCLUSION Relatively low use of technology may limit potential for health technology innovation for people of advanced age. Socioeconomic and ethnic disparities will amplify this.

Initial experiences with virtual reality as a tool for observation in needs-driven health technology innovation

The Stanford University Biodesign Innovation Fellowship teaches a needs-based methodology for the innovation of health technologies. This involves the direct observation of patient care in a variety of settings, ranging...

Annals Graphic Medicine - Broken Speech

Web Exclusives7 January 2020Annals Graphic Medicine - Broken SpeechFREECharlotte A. Wu, MD, Kimberly R. Myers, MA, PhD, Zoe S. Schein, MA, and Molly Osborne, MD, PhDCharlotte A. Wu, MDSearch for more papers by this author, Kimberly R. Myers, MA, PhDSearch for more papers by this author, Zoe S. Schein, MASearch for more papers by this author, and Molly Osborne, MD, PhDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/G19-0004 SectionsAboutVisual AbstractPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Download figure Download PowerPoint Download figure Download PowerPoint Download figure Download PowerPoint Download figure Download PowerPoint Download figure Download PowerPoint Download figure Download PowerPoint Comments0 CommentsSign In to Submit A Comment Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Disclosures: The authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=G19-0004.Author/Illustrator Information: Charlotte A. Wu, MD, is an internal medicine physician and founder of Harness Health Partners, a health care consultancy focused on health system and technology innovation. She is passionate about leveraging visual storytelling and graphic medicine to improve the health of communities through increased engagement and education of patients, families, learners, and interdisciplinary care teams. Kimberly R. Myers, MA, PhD, is Professor of Humanities and Medicine and Distinguished Educator at Penn State College of Medicine, where she founded and hosts the Penn State Hershey Physician Writers Group. Her primary scholarly interests are medical education, pathography, and graphic medicine. Zoe S. Schein, MA, is a freelance illustrator, writer, and educator in Boston. Schein's artistic work emphasizes visual storytelling and narrative, with particular emphasis on comics, integrated graphic essays, pen-and-ink illustration, and printmaking. View more of Schein's work at www.zoeschein.com. Molly Osborne, MD, PhD, is Professor of Medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University and heads the Integrated Ethics Program at the VA Portland Health Care System. She recognizes the importance of graphic medicine as a teaching tool for intensive care unit end-of-life care and palliative care across all professions.This article was published at Annals.org on 24 December 2019. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 7 January 2020Volume 172, Issue 1Page: W29-W35KeywordsConflicts of interestDisclosureHealth careHealth information technologyIntensive care unitsMedical educationPalliative carePrevention, policy, and public health ePublished: 24 December 2019 Issue Published: 7 January 2020 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2019 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...

Early patient access to health technologies: Is innovation needed for early management?

The question of early patient access to innovative health technologies arises from the assumption that, once a certain level of effectiveness or efficiency is achieved, waiting for mainstream coverage would represent a loss of opportunity for patients or for the community. This was the premise on which the round table based its dialogue. Early access is understood as the funding of a technology that comes within this field and is CE-marked but has not yet attained "mainstream" coverage. There are several early access schemes in France ("forfait innovation", early coverage, exceptional coverage, RIHN). This round table was an opportunity to establish mapping, extended to devices not dedicated to early access but which could nevertheless provide some patients with access to non-mainstreamed technologies (Article 51, ETAPES experiments, DGOS call for projects, local schemes). It is an initial step that would need to be further developed and complemented by the dissemination of common communication materials available to all, including patients. The existing schemes are in fact still poorly known. Consideration would also have to be given to the advisability of developing these schemes in order to adapt them to the new European requirements. More generally, early access schemes must be integrated into an ecosystem that is conducive for their relevance: consideration of procedures associated with medical devices benefiting from early access; short time frames of examination; patient information. Finally, the round table proposes the creation of a new early access scheme, complementary to those that exist and that would be positioned, after CE marking, between the "forfait innovation" and mainstreaming: PRESTO (Prise En charge Sécurisée et Temporaire de technologies innOvantes) (secure and temporary coverage for innovative technologies).

Round hole, square peg: a discourse analysis of social inequalities and the political legitimization of health technology in Norway

BackgroundAs research increasingly investigates the impacts of technological innovations in health on social inequalities, political discourse often promotes development and adoption, limiting an understanding of unintended consequences. This study aimed to investigate national public health policy discourse focusing on innovative health technology and social inequalities, from a Norwegian context.MethodsThe analysis relies on a perspective inspired by critical discourse analysis using central State documents typically influential in the lawmaking procedure.ResultsThe results and discussion focus on three major discourse strands: 1) ‘technologies discourse’ (types of technologies), 2) ‘responsibility discourse’ (who has responsibility for health and technology), 3) ‘legitimization discourse’ (how technologies are legitimized).ConclusionsResults suggest that despite an overt political imperative for reducing social inequalities, the Norwegian national discourse gives little attention to the potential for these innovations to unintentionally (re) produce social inequalities. Instead, it is characterized by neoliberal undertones, individualizing and commercializing public health and promoting pro-innovation ideology.

Understanding the Adoption and Diffusion of a Telemonitoring Solution in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Qualitative Study.

BackgroundWomen with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) require regular follow-ups and overall management to normalize maternal blood glucose and improve pregnancy outcomes. With the advancements made in the digital field, telemedicine is gaining popularity over traditional health care approaches in different medical fields. As for GDM, telemonitoring solutions seem to improve women’s quality of life and enhance self-management.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to understand, from patients’ and health care professionals’ (HCPs) perspectives, what drives the adoption and diffusion of a telemonitoring solution (myDiabby) in a context where telemonitoring activities are still not compensated like traditional follow-ups.MethodsThe study was conducted in 12 diabetes services in France using myDiabby for monitoring and managing patients with GDM. A qualitative research approach was adopted for collecting and analyzing data. A total of 20 semistructured interviews were conducted with HCPs working in different health structures in France, and 15 semistructured interviews were conducted with patients who had been using myDiabby. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.ResultsDifferent determinants need to be taken into consideration when adopting an innovative health technology. By drawing on the diffusion of innovation theory, a set of factors associated with the technology (the relative advantages, compatibility, ease of use, testability, and observability of the telemedicine platform) has been identified as affecting the adoption and diffusion of telemonitoring solutions in French diabetes services. In addition, data analysis shows a set of environmental factors (the demographic situation of HCPs, the health care access in rural communities, and the economic and political context in France) that also influences the spread and adoption of telemonitoring systems in French hospitals.ConclusionsEven though telemonitoring activities are still not remunerated as traditional follow-ups, many French HCPs support and encourage the adoption of telemonitoring systems in GDM. As for patients, telemonitoring systems are perceived as a useful and easy way to monitor their GDM. This study contributes to recognizing the value of telemonitoring interventions in managing GDM and considering the expansion of telemonitoring to other chronic conditions.

Call for a European collaboration in the use of Real World Data in Health Technology Assessment

Abstract Issue/problem Modern patient care requires a heavy investment in innovative health technologies while at the same time it is facing a fiscal sustainability challenge in the health care system. Evidence on effectiveness of health technologies informing Health Technology Assessments (HTA) have traditionally been based on randomized control trials (RCTs). However, RCTs are expensive and the external validity is relatively low which makes it difficult to assess effectiveness and long-term outcomes in clinical practice especially in diverse populations. Description of the problem Real-World Data (RWD) studies use observational data routinely collected to gather information on the delivery and outcome of care. RWD studies cost less than RCTs and are considered to have a high external validity. Results from RWD studies are therefore a good supplement to support evidence from RCT in HTA-reports. However, RWD are not still fully used in HTA. This is partially due to concerns about data quality and accessibility. Effects/changes In order to provide a deeper insight into how health technologies are working in real-world settings across Europe, it is time to systematically including RWD in HTA. A first step should be to call for a European collaboration to map relevant sources of RWD that can be used in HTA and define the quality and main format, in which they can be analysed and used. Common legislations and guidelines regarding which RWD should be accepted as sources of information for HTA should be elaborated. Lessons Through a European collaboration, the quality and accessibility of RWD should be secured in order to use evidence from RWD studies to inform HTA on effectiveness of health technologies.

Feature: Innovative Health Technology Emerges from Rice University's Oshman Design Kitchen.

Feature: Innovative Health Technology Emerges from Rice University's Oshman Design Kitchen.

Evolutionary Algorithms in Health Technologies

Health technology research brings together complementary interdisciplinary research skills in the development of innovative health technology applications. Recent research indicates that artificial intelligence can help achieve outstanding performance for particular types of health technology applications. An evolutionary algorithm is one of the subfields of artificial intelligence, and is an effective algorithm for global optimization inspired by biological evolution. With the rapidly growing complexity of design issues, methodologies and a higher demand for quality health technology applications, the development of evolutionary computation algorithms for health has become timely and of high relevance. This Special Issue intends to bring together researchers to report the recent findings in evolutionary algorithms in health technology.

An Empirical Investigation of Health Practitioners Technology Adoption: The Mediating Role of Electronic Health

ABSTRACT Health technology innovation integration is rapidly growing in global health-care settings. However, research on factors driving technology adoption intention is limited. On this note, it has become important to investigate and understand the complex factors underpinning practitioners’ technology adoption intentions. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model and The Institutional Theory, we propose a model to empirically investigate technology adoption and its potency in driving universal health coverage, mediated by electronic health technology. We used data collected from 416 health sector practitioners to empirically test the model. Using the Structural Equation Modeling technique, the study found that perceived ease of use and relevant technology infrastructure all have significant positive relationship with universal health coverage. However, perceived usefulness, management support and adequate practitioner training were found to have negative relationship with universal health coverage. The results further revealed that perceived-ease-of-use, perceived usefulness, management support, adequate practitioner training and relevant technology infrastructure also have positive relationship with electronic health technology. Moreover, electronic health technology as a mediator was also found to have significant relationship with universal health coverage. The implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions for future research are subsequently highlighted.