Provision Of Medical Information Research Articles

A Health Mobile Application for Self-Care of Colostomy Patients

Abstract Introduction and Objective In most cases, due to the failure of nonsurgical methods in the treatment of diseases related to the colon, it is necessary to perform colostomy as the main treatment method. However, this surgery can cause a wide range of physical, social, and psychological problems in patients. Therefore, in order to prevent and treat the complications of colostomy, it is necessary to adopt measures in the field of self-care and continuous education for patients to control the complications of the disease, seek treatment, and experience improvements in their quality of life . Additionally, considering the role of mobile health (mHealth) applications in facilitating continuous and effective training, and improving self-care for these patients, the aim of the present study was to design and evaluate an mHealth application for self-care of colostomy patients. Materials and Methods In the present applied research, first the functional requirements of the software were determined considering the self-care requirements of colostomy patients. Then, the software was designed based on object-oriented analysis, and according to it, the application was coded in Java and developed in the Android Studio environment. Finally, to evaluate the software, the opinions and comments of 5 gastroenterologists and 10 adult colostomy patients in the age range between 27 and 64 years who had at least a high school diploma were used as the basis of judgment at this stage. The instruments used in the evaluation included a checklist, derived from three standard questionnaires (the System Usability Scale [SUS], the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire [MAUQ], and the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale [uMARS]) to measure the user-friendliness indicator, and a researcher-made checklist to measure the performance indicator of the various services provided. Results The services of the software developed include the provision of medical information and self-care instructions regarding colostomy surgery, as well as alerts for the user to schedule an appointment with a doctor and the time to take medications. Based on the results of the evaluation stage, the users were generally satisfied with the interface, services, and general features of the software. In general, the software was evaluated at the “acceptable” level, with a rate of 85%. Discussion and Conclusion Based on the findings of the current research, the software developed can be significantly effective in facilitating the education of colostomy patients and improving their self-care. Proper and continuous self-care and education for colostomy patients is necessary to prevent and control complications resulting from surgery and to improve their quality of life. Therefore, in addition to patients, all health care staff, organizations, and associations which support colostomy patients can also use this software to educate patients and improve the care provided to them.

An innovative mobile app for the provision of medical information and collection of safety data on exposure to medicines during pregnancy or breastfeeding: An IHI ConcePTION contribution

AbstractObjectiveTo increase the volume, quality, and comprehensiveness of pregnancy and breastfeeding reports related to medication exposure.MethodsInnovative Health Initiative (IHI) ConcePTION, in collaboration with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has developed a mobile application designed for exchange of safety information for pregnancy and breastfeeding. The users will also be able to report medication exposure during pregnancy and breastfeeding, regardless of the outcome, by answering simple questions, tailored for their level of medical knowledge.ResultsThrough the first version of the app, the users will receive trusted safety information on their medication of interest, from the Health Authority (RSS feeds, tagged for ‘pregnancy’ and ‘breastfeeding’). By using the app, women and healthcare providers will also be able to help future mothers, by reporting the events they experienced following the utilization of medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding. These will be analyzed by MHRA to further characterize the safety profiles of the medications required to be used in these situations.ConclusionCollection of pregnancy outcomes after exposure to medications during pregnancy is limited by under‐reporting and focused on reporting of harms. By developing the app, ConcePTION brings reliable safety information closer to healthcare professionals and pregnant and breastfeeding women and proposes an easy‐to‐use, general data protection regulation‐compliant, secure tool tailored for safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

(022) Utility of Artificial Intelligence in Patient Educational Materials for Men’s Sexual Health

Abstract Introduction ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) platform with expanding uses across society, including the solicitation of medical advice by patients. Traditionally, men’s health patients obtained educational information through the Urology Care Foundation (UCF) or institutional websites. Today, men are increasingly turning to social media and AI given improving technology and prevalent stigma surrounding sexual health issues. Previous studies have demonstrated the ability of ChatGPT to perform certain physician tasks, but studies of its patient-facing use are limited. Most online health educational information far exceeds the recommended American sixth grade reading level, as defined by the NIH and AMA. Hence, existing resources are largely inaccessible to large swaths of the population. In this study, we questioned whether AI holds may help improve the provision of health educational information for the public. Objective To conduct the first analysis of ChatGPT-created information regarding men’s sexual health conditions and provide statistical comparison with resources produced by UCF. Methods Frequently asked patient questions regarding erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, low testosterone, sperm retrieval, penile augmentation, and male infertility were compiled from the American Urological Association. Questions included definition of the condition, etiology, diagnostics, treatment, prognosis, and common patient concerns. Responses from UCF and ChatGPT were compared using the following validated readability formulas: Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning-Fog Index, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, Coleman-Liau Index, and Automated Readability Index. Descriptive analysis of word count, sentence length, syllable count, and word complexity was also performed. Furthermore, adjusted ChatGPT (ChatGPT-a) responses were generated by prompting the language model with the command “Explain it to me like I am in sixth grade.” Finally, all responses were further graded by two independent reviewers for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Statistical comparisons were made using Welch’s unpaired t-test. Results Readability scores are presented in Table 1. UCF was significantly more readable than ChatGPT for all six sexual medicine topics across all scoring metrics (all p<0.001). FKGL was 8.87 for UCF versus 14.83 for ChatGPT. ChatGPT responses were longer (278.3 versus 222.9 words) and included more complex words (28.1% versus 14.3%). When prompted with a command for more accessible language (ChatGPT-a), responses approached the readability of UCF across all metrics, including an average Flesch Reading Ease of 54.8 and FKGL of 9.6. UCF and ChatGPT had equal quality and accuracy on qualitative analysis. Conclusions Men’s health information provided by ChatGPT is less accessible when compared to UCF, although both platforms exceed the recommended sixth grade level. Given its sensitive nature, sexual medicine information is increasingly sought out online. Our findings indicate that AI can simplify online information to accommodate an individual user’s health literacy, but improvement in the current platform is needed. Future iterations of ChatGPT may be adapted towards the provision of medical information and trained on evidence-based literature, hence improving both readability and quality. As AI grows, providers must study this new platform to better understand and assist their patients. Disclosure No.

Comparison of large language models in management advice for melanoma: Google's AI BARD, BingAI and ChatGPT.

Large language models (LLMs) are emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technology refining research and healthcare. Their use in medicine has seen numerous recent applications. One area where LLMs have shown particular promise is in the provision of medical information and guidance to practitioners. This study aims to assess three prominent LLMs-Google's AI BARD, BingAI and ChatGPT-4 in providing management advice for melanoma by comparing their responses to current clinical guidelines and existing literature. Five questions on melanoma pathology were prompted to three LLMs. A panel of three experienced Board-certified plastic surgeons evaluated the responses for reliability using reliability matrix (Flesch Reading Ease Score, the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and the Coleman-Liau Index), suitability (modified DISCERN score) and comparing them to existing guidelines. t-Test was performed to calculate differences in mean readability and reliability scores between LLMs and p value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. The mean readability scores across three LLMs were same. ChatGPT exhibited superiority with a Flesch Reading Ease Score of 35.42 (±21.02), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 11.98 (±4.49) and Coleman-Liau Index of 12.00 (±5.10), however all of these were insignificant (p>0.05). Suitability-wise using DISCERN score, ChatGPT 58 (±6.44) significantly (p=0.04) outperformed BARD 36.2 (±34.06) and was insignificant to BingAI's 49.8 (±22.28). This study demonstrates that ChatGPT marginally outperforms BARD and BingAI in providing reliable, evidence-based clinical advice, but they still face limitations in depth and specificity. Future research should improve LLM performance by integrating specialized databases and expert knowledge to support patient-centred care.

Trends in patients' behavior for cancer care and the number of registered cancer cases in Ehime Prefecture during the coronavirus disease pandemic.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has reduced diagnosed cancer cases worldwide. This study aimed to elucidate the recovery of cancer care from the COVID-19 pandemic in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. This study collected data from the hospital-based cancer registry (HBCR) as well as the number of outpatients, medical information provision fee payments (MIP2) and second opinion patients (SOP) from the Council of Ehime Cancer Care Hospitals (ECCH). Then cancer care and patient requests for hospital transfers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were analysed. The HBCR from the ECCH comprises >80% of cancer cases in Ehime Prefecture. In 2020, the numbers of all registered cases, first-line treatment cases and cases detected by cancer screening in the HBCR decreased from those in 2018-2019. In 2021, they increased to almost the same levels as those in 2020. In contrast, the number of registered patients that changed hospitals (hospital-change cases) after first-line treatments, patients who lived outside the metropolitan area of Ehime but registered in metropolitan hospitals, MIP2 and SOP remained low in 2021 after decreasing in 2020. Furthermore, the monthly numbers of hospital-change cases, MIP2 and SOP were significantly smaller in 2021 than in 2018-2019 (Wilcoxon rank sum test). The assessed indicators suggest that the decreased patients' behavior to further cancer care had not returned to pre-pandemic levels by 2021. Hence, psychological measures in society to prevent self-restraint in patients and support for the caregivers of the patients who have some problems visiting the hospital are necessary.

Using ChatGPT in Medical Research: Current Status and Future Directions.

This review aims to evaluate the current evidence on the use of the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) in medical research, including but not limited to treatment, diagnosis, or medication provision. This review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We searched Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, and Medline to identify studies published between 2022 and 2023 that aimed to utilize ChatGPT in medical research. All identified references were stored in EndNote. We initially identified 114 articles, out of which six studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for full-text screening. Among the six studies, two focused on drug development (33.33%), two on literature review writing (33.33%), and one each on medical report improvement, provision of medical information, improving research conduct, data analysis, and personalized medicine (16.67% each). ChatGPT has the potential to revolutionize medical research in various ways. However, its accuracy, originality, academic integrity, and ethical issues must be thoroughly discussed and improved before its widespread implementation in clinical research and medical practice.

A Principles Framework for Digital Provision of Medical Information for Healthcare Professionals.

European pharmaceutical companies have a legal requirement to provide non-promotional medical information (MI) services to support healthcare professionals (HCPs) using their medicinal products. While we are seeing an increased HCP preference and expectation towards digital channels, the lack of a compliance framework relating to the provision of non-promotional MI services is a key factor complicating and compromising the ability for companies to meet this need. Meanwhile, the internet is dominated by a large volume of unregulated, easy access, and potentially low-quality information from diverse sources. The Medical Information Leaders in Europe (MILE) association is therefore proposing a framework of principles to support pharmaceutical companies with the digital provision of MI services; these relate to digital access to non-promotional, medicinal product information to support clinical decision making and patient care. The three established European national MI associations have already considered the framework and expressed their endorsement. MILE continues to invite stakeholders, including pharmaceutical companies, regulators, national industry associations and healthcare professional bodies to engage and help refine and implement this framework. This publication does not constitute legal advice; decision making and accountability remains with each pharmaceutical company.

Patients Experience with Telemedicine during COVID-19 Pandemic in a Tertiary Cancer Center in Qatar

Background: The Coronavirus-19 is an ongoing global pandemic that to date, has resulted in over 5 million deaths with more than 240 million cases worldwide. COVID-19 has caused a major burden on public health; however, it simultaneously shed the light on pre-existing gaps within current health care systems worldwide. Health care systems were burdened through both inpatient as well as outpatient settings, with a notable decline in outpatient clinic follow ups. Fortunately, many innovated solutions were being created to tackle the may barriers, one being telehealth. Telemedicine is the provision of medical information exchanged via electronic communication. This is done through a growing variety of services, such as audio or video calls, emails, and other forms of telecommunication. It is a promising means that can provide care to a selected group of patients, particularly cancer patients who are at a higher risk in comparison to the general population. It provides a safe and alternative route to combat patient care while minimizing their risk of exposure. In this study we provide insight to patients experience with telemedicine through this pandemic. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 279 (RR:85%) patients in tertiary cancer care center National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR) in Qatar. Our inclusion criteria included patients following regularly by telemedicine in outpatient clinics during COVID 19, patients aged 18 years and above, ability to complete the questionnaire over the phone and with no language barriers. We excluded patients who did not respond to the phone call after 5 attempts (at different times on different days), patients who were abroad, patients who did not consent to answer the questionnaire and patients who had expired. Data was collected through phone calls whereby a standard introductory script followed by a survey questionnaire was read by the physician to patients. We focused on patients' experience with telemedicine services amid the pandemic. This was done by using 7 questions that were scaled from 1 through 6, using a six-point Likert scoring system. It was divided into two main categories; category 1 comprised of patients' demographics and category 2 comprised of 7 questions on their feedback and satisfaction scale. Results: Over a period of 6 weeks, 297 patients were contacted over the phone to answer the survey questionnaire (Table 1). The cohort of patients included 46.1% with solid tumor malignancy, 38.4% with benign hematological conditions and 15.5% with hematological malignancies. More than 80% of patients somewhat to strongly agreed that telemedicine met their care needs, improved their confidence in their health care system, and were generally satisfied with the quality of care provided. It was evident that the level of communication through telemedicine was not compromised over the phone as 89% of patients somewhat to strongly agreed they could freely talk; 90% understood their physicians' recommendations and more than half of the patients (89%) felt they could freely communicate their concerns. Although 88% of participants were somewhat to strongly satisfied with their telemedicine experience; if given the choice most would prefer in person consultations over teleconsultations (68% vs. 32%, respectively). Having said that, 90% would still be willing to take part in future teleconsultations. Conclusions: Telemedicine is a revolutionary system that has pioneered a new era for delivering patient care. Integration of telemedicine-based care into our standard practices in the future, could potentially provide a safe health care system in addition to being time and cost-effective for health sectors and patients alike. Our study indicates an overall positive experience among patients towards the use of telemedicine. Although our data did show that patients preferred in-person visitations majority were not opposed to future teleconsultations. Cancer care providers may explore the reasoning as well as solutions for this with future studies. We as health care professionals should look to implementing patient as well as physician education so that we may expand the telehealth approach in the future. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal

Tobacco use in patients with ENT tumours: Deficits in the provision of education and smoking cessation support.

Smoking is not only one of the main risk factors for the development of most malignant and numerous benign ENT tumours but also has an important influence on therapy and prognosis. Even quitting smoking at the time of diagnosis significantly reduces mortality. Patients have a particularly strong desire to stop smoking when they are diagnosed. The present study investigated to what extent patients were aware of the relationships between smoking and the development and prognosis of tumours and how much information and smoking cessation support they were offered by physicians. A total of 194 patients (74.7% male, 62.0 ±10.6 a) with malignant primary ENT tumours, pre-cancerous tumours, Reinke's oedema and salivary gland tumours were interviewed. 22.7% were nonsmokers, 49.5% were cigarette smokers and 27.8% were ex-smokers. A total of 57.0% of the smokers said they would have quit before the onset of the disease if they had known about the association. Forty-one percent did not receive information about the association between smoking and the development of their disease, while 45.5% did not receive information about the relationship with their prognosis. The provision of information lasted less than 5min for 40.4% of the patients and more than 10min for only 13.5%. In total, 50.7% of the patients were directly requested not to smoke. A total of 7.7% received offers of smoking cessation support from otolaryngologists and 18.2% received such offers from family physicians. There is a pronounced need for improvements in the provision of medical information about the health risks associated with smoking and offers to support patient efforts to stop smoking. In particular, the appointment during which the diagnosis is communicated to the patient should be considered a 'teachable moment' that can lead to smoking cessation.

Development and Validation of the QUALI-PALLI-FAM Questionnaire for Assessing Relatives' Perception of Quality of Inpatient Palliative Care: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Survey

ContextRelatives of patients receiving palliative care are at risk for psychological and physical distress, and their perception of quality of care can influence patients' quality of life. ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to develop and validate the QUALI-PALLI-FAM questionnaire (QUAlity of PALLIative car from FAMilies' perspective) to measure families' perception of and satisfaction with palliative care. MethodsAn exploratory factor analysis was conducted, and we evaluated the questionnaire's internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha, its stability across various strata, and the correlation between the QUALI-PALLI-FAM (factors, total score, and global satisfaction) and the total score of the FAMCARE (FAMily satisfaction with CARE) questionnaire. ResultsThis multicentric prospective cross-sectional survey was conducted in seven French hospitals, namely, three palliative care units and four standard medical units with a mobile palliative care team. The questionnaire was completed by 170 relatives of patients (more than 90% of patients had advanced cancer). The final questionnaire included 14 items across three domains: organization of care and availability of caregivers, medical information provision, and confidence and involvement of relatives. Internal consistency was good for all subscales (Cronbach's α = 0.74–0.86). Our questionnaire was stable across various strata: age and gender (patients and relatives), Palliative Performance Scale scores, and care settings. The QUALI-PALLI-FAM total score was correlated with the total FAMCARE score. ConclusionThe QUALI-PALLI-FAM appears to be a valid, reliable, and well-accepted tool to explore relatives' perception of quality of inpatient palliative care and complements the QUALI-PALLI-PAT questionnaire. Further testing is required in various settings and countries.

Mapping of Knowledge Structure in the Field of Health Information Management and Technology: A Co-Word Analysis

Background and Objectives: Identifying the knowledge structure and mapping the roadmap in different areas of human knowledge can demonstrate the direction of researchers' progress for future studies. This research tries to reveal the intellectual structure of knowledge in health information management and technology, using network analysis, and science visualization tools. Material and Methods: This is an applied research which had done by co-word analysis. The population of this study consists of 35914 records indexed in Web of Science (WoS) in the period 2007-2016. For careful examination, the mentioned interval is divided into two five-year periods (2007–2011 and 2012–2016). All retrieved records in this study were incorporated into the study and no sampling was used. Results: The results indicated that in the first five-year period the co-words E-Health and Telemedicine, and in the second five-year period the co-words Computers and Medical Records had the most occurrence. The results of hierarchical clustering led to the formation of eight thematic clusters in the first period and five thematic clusters in the second period. The themes of these clusters are: text mining, personal health, health information, medical information, quality of life, medical imaging, public health, medical education, health care, feature selection, medical information provision, and simulation. Conclusion: Topics such as simulation, medical imaging, and medical information provision have received less attention from the authors. These results indicate that the research fronts have tended to focus on educational and public health issues.

COMPLIANCE TO ANTIHYPERTENSIVE MEDICATIONS IN OUTPATIENT TREATMENT PRIOR TO BE AD- MITTED TO DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, HUE UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND PHARMACY HOSPITAL

Introduction: Hypertension is a global problem with large prevalence and rapidly increasing. Hypertension is a chronic disease that causes damage to targeted organs, results in morbidity or mortality affecting the patient and the burden of public health. Effective blood pressure management helps reduce the risk of complications and reduce morbidity, bringing quality of life to patients. This demanding requires long-term, continuous treatment and combined solutions, in which compliance with drug therapy plays a very important role. Objectives: To investigate the current status of compliance with hypertension medication and the relationship between compliance to drug therapy and related factors. Methods: Cross-sectional study. The subjects included 224 hypertensive patients with a history of outpatient management who were being received treatment at the Department of Internal Medicine, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital. Results: The compliance rate for the use hypertension medication was 72.3%, corresponding to a good level of 39.1% and an average of 33.2%. The rate of poor compliance and non-compliance was 27.7%. Conclusions: Many factors, including demographic characteristics (gender, age, geography, job, education), disease-related traits (circumstance of diagnosis, duration of disease), patient knowledge of hypertension (BP, medication, diet, activities, periodic examination) and the provision of medical information (risks, treatments, reminder, health insurance), were found to be significantly associated with compliance to drug therapy. Key words: Compliance to drug therapy, hypertension, Morisky mediation adherence scale-8 (MMAS-8)

Legal Aspect of Teleradiology at Hospital in Fulfillment of Patient Right

T he geographical situation and the disparity of the radiologist distribution make access to radiology services in rural, remote and island areas unmet. The presence of teleradiology can eliminate such gaps by increasing the speed and accuracy of diagnoses through technological assistance carried out in stages through the regulation of the telemedicine pilot project. Although teleradiology is currently still limited to trials, it is necessary to consider legal aspects, such as fairness, usefulness and legal certainty to the fulfillment of patient rights. This study is sociological-juridical with explanatory research specification. This study uses primary data obtained from in-depth interview to 6 informants consisting of 1 region head IDI, one head of medical support head, 1 ICT legal expert, with one radiologist with two radiographers who is performing teleradiology. Meanwhile, secondary data as media supporting obtained through by literature and legislation review. Furthermore, data obtained are processed and analyzed qualitatively. Based on the results of research in dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Makassar Hospital and H.A. Sulthan Daeng Radja Bulukumba Hospital, the implementation of teleradiology in both hospitals resulted in some of the patient's rights being unfulfilled due to infrastructure constraints, limited human resources and lack of socialization. Patients are not entitled to informed consent and the provision of medical information. The right to the second opinion is also not fulfilled so that the patient does not get a chance to seek a second chance on the diagnosis of his illness. The non-fulfillment of both rights also affects the right to patient safety in the hospital in the case of management and taking action due to incomplete medical record data. As for the legal aspects to be achieved in the implementation of teleradiology, i.e., equity, usefulness, and legal certitude aspect. However, from these three aspects, the legal certitude aspect is not implemented properly as part of the fulfillment of patient rights due to existing regulations not to set certain things that can provide legal protection for provider or recipient of teleradiology service.

Continuation of Unintended Pregnancy.

Forty-four percent of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended. Induced abortion has drawn a lot of attention from clinicians and policy makers, and the care for women requesting it has been covered in many publications. However, abortion challenges the values of many women, is associated with negative emotions, and has its own medical complications. Women have the right to discuss their unintended pregnancy with a clinician and receive elaborate information about other options to deal with it. Continuing an unintended pregnancy, and receiving the necessary care and support for it, is also a reproductive right of women. However, the provision of medical information and support required for the continuation of an unintended pregnancy has hardly been approached in the medical literature. This review presents a clinical approach to unintentionally pregnant patients and describes the information and support that can be offered for the continuation of the unintended pregnancy. Clinicians should approach patients with an unintended pregnancy with a sympathetic tone in order to provide the most support and present the most complete options. A complete clinical history can help frame the problem and identify concerns related to the pregnancy. Any underlying medical or obstetric problems can be discussed. A social history, that includes the personal support from the patient's partner, parents, and siblings, can be taken. Doctors should also be alert of possible cases of violence from the partner or child abuse in adolescent patients. Finally, the clinician can provide the first information regarding the social care available and refer the patients for further support. For women who continue an unintended pregnancy, clinicians should start antenatal care immediately. Unintentionally pregnant women deserve a supportive and complete response from their clinicians, who should inform about, and sometimes activate, all the resources available for the continuation of unintended pregnancy. Forty-four percent of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended. Induced abortion has drawn a lot of attention and the care for women requesting it has been covered in many publications. However, abortion challenges the values of many women, is associated with negative emotions, and has its own medical complications. Women have the right to discuss their unintended pregnancy with a clinician and receive elaborate information about other options to deal with it. Continuing an unintended pregnancy, and receiving the necessary care and support for it, is also a reproductive right of women. However, the provision of medical information and support required for the continuation of an unintended pregnancy has hardly been approached in the medical literature. This review presents a clinical approach to unintentionally pregnant patients and describes the information and support that can be offered for the continuation of the unintended pregnancy. Clinicians should approach patients with an unintended pregnancy with a sympathetic tone. A complete clinical history can help frame the problem and identify concerns related to the pregnancy. Any underlying medical or obstetric problems can be discussed. A social history, that includes the personal support from the patient's partner, parents, and siblings, can be taken. Doctors should also be alert of possible cases of violence from the partner or child abuse in adolescent patients. Finally, the clinician can provide the first information regarding the social care available and refer the patients for further support. For women who continue an unintended pregnancy, clinicians should start antenatal care immediately.

Current situation regarding the provision of medical information on the official websites of 54 local governments in Aichi Prefecture

Current situation regarding the provision of medical information on the official websites of 54 local governments in Aichi Prefecture

Practice of informed consent in Guangdong, China: a qualitative study from the perspective of in-hospital patients

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the practice of informed consent in China from the perspective of patients.DesignA qualitative study using in-depth interviews with in-hospital patients focusing on personal experience with...

イギリスの病院患者図書館1998 : 健康・医療情報サービスも含めて

イギリスの病院患者図書館1998 : 健康・医療情報サービスも含めて

Innovative Breast Cancer Awareness and Advocacy Campaign.

Breast cancer is a major disease in Nigeria; in 2012, 27,304 new occurrences were diagnosed, and the number of mortalities was 13,960. Greater than 70% of patients present with advanced disease, which has a poor survival outcome. The mortality rates are high mainly because of a lack of awareness about breast health, screening guidelines, and treatment centers, and because of sociocultural barriers. In Nigeria, health care professionals remain the backbone for the provision of medical information to the public. This is a study of the innovative ways that breast health and cancer awareness were promoted across communities and institutions in Lagos State, Nigeria, in 2015. Several community awareness campaigns were carried out in the forms of health talks, breast cancer screenings, radio and television interviews, and campaigns on social media. Anomalies noticed during the screenings were promptly referred to appropriate hospitals for additional treatment. The campaign culminated in the #12KLLP, or 12,000 people light Lagos pink, which was a Guinness World Record attempt for the largest human awareness ribbon formed for breast cancer. There was a total reach of 28,774,812 people across platforms: 285,318 were on social media, 3,620 were in communities, 7,466,276 were on the website, 20 million were through media events, 12,000 were through publications, 7,598 were verified participants at the Guinness World Record, and approximately 1 million were through blogs. Eighty partnerships were made with various private and government institutions to facilitate different aspects of the campaign. The community members were able to learn about the need for early detection and awareness; volunteerism and corporate social responsibility were promoted among individuals and corporate institutions.

+TV4E: Interactive Television as a Support to Push Information About Social Services to the Elderly

Ageing is a global phenomenon that in the last decades has led to a significant inversion of the ageing pyramid in the developed societies. This fact has been introducing deep changes in societies leading to increase attention towards seniors’ concerns and needs and has leverage the appearance of multiple gerontechnologies. In this context television as an enabler technology is a promising option for the elderly, enabling to serve this population segment through features such as distance help, support of services that promote social interaction or provision of medical information. Despite the important investments that have been done by the State for the dissemination of such services, the existent technical solutions are mostly web-based, implying a “pull-oriented” activity rather than the “push-oriented” informative dynamic that most seniors are familiarized. In this paper we discuss the key set of features of an iTV application, aiming to enrich the television experience with interleaved informative content personalized to the user's profile. Also a special attention is given to the state of the art in the field of gerontechnologies enabled by interactive television systems in order to identify the gaps in features related with public and social services information spreading.

Teddy and I Get a Check-Up: A Pilot Educational Intervention Teaching Children Coping Strategies for Managing Procedure-Related Pain and Fear.

Background. Pediatric medical information provision literature focuses on hospitalization and surgical procedures, but children would also benefit from an educational program regarding more commonly experienced medical procedures (e.g., needles, general check-up). Objective. To determine whether an evidence-based educational program reduced children's ratings of fear of and expected pain from medical stimuli and increased their knowledge of procedural coping strategies. Methods. An educational, interactive, developmentally appropriate Teddy Bear Clinic Tour was developed and delivered at a veterinary clinic. During this tour, 71 5–10-year-old children (Mage = 6.62 years, SD = 1.19) were taught about medical equipment, procedures, and coping strategies through modelling and rehearsal. In a single-group, pretest posttest design, participants reported their fear of and expected pain from medical and nonmedical stimuli. Children were also asked to report strategies they would use to cope with procedural fear. Results. Children's ratings for expected pain during a needle procedure were reduced following the intervention. No significant change occurred in children's fear of needles. Children reported more intervention-taught coping strategies at Time 2. Conclusions. The results of this study suggest that an evidence-based, interactive educational program can reduce young children's expectations of needle pain and may help teach them procedural coping strategies.