Seamless Health Care Research Articles

THE ROLE OF HEALTH TOURISM TRAVEL AGENCIES IN HEALTH TOURISM

In today's world, health tourism is rapidly gaining popularity. Patients travel internationally to access various healthcare services and treatments, such as medical procedures, cosmetic surgery, dental care, thermal tourism, and spa-wellness services. One of the critical factors contributing to a successful experience in the challenging and complex journey of health tourism is the role played by health tourism travel agencies. These agencies facilitate patients' access to international healthcare services, guide patients, organize their travel, and offer personalized solutions to meet their needs. In addition to coordinating logistics, travel agencies help ensure a seamless healthcare experience by addressing cultural and language barriers and improving communication between patients and healthcare providers. This study aims to define the roles and responsibilities of health tourism travel agencies, emphasizing their growing importance in the global healthcare landscape.

Diagnosing patient flow issues in the emergency department: an Australasian hospital case study

PurposeThis study investigates how a hospital can increase the flow of patients through its emergency department by using benchmarking and process improvement techniques borrowed from the manufacturing sector.Design/methodology/approachAn in-depth case study of an Australasian public hospital utilises rigorous, multi-method data collection procedures with systems thinking to benchmark an emergency department (ED) value stream and identify the performance inhibitors.FindingsHigh levels of value stream uncertainty result from inefficient processes and weak controls. Reduced patient flow arises from senior management’s commitment to simplistic government targets, clinical staff that lack basic operations management skills, and fragmented information systems. High junior/senior staff ratios aggravate the lack of inter-functional integration and poor use of time and material resources, increasing the risk of a critical patient incident.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is limited to a single case; hence, further research should assess value stream maturity and associated performance enablers and inhibitors in other emergency departments experiencing patient flow delays.Practical implicationsThis study illustrates how hospital managers can use systems thinking and a context-free performance benchmarking measure to identify needed interventions and transferable best practices for achieving seamless patient flow.Originality/valueThis study is the first to operationalise the theoretical concept of the seamless healthcare system to acute care as defined by Parnaby and Towill (2008). It is also the first to use the uncertainty circle model in an Australasian public healthcare setting to objectively benchmark an emergency department's value stream maturity.

Online Medicine Application with Personalized Blockchain Wallet and AI-Based Doctor Consultation System

The "Online Medicine Application with Personalized Blockchain Wallet and AI-based Doctor Consultancy System" presents a visionary approach to address the evolving healthcare landscape by integrating cutting-edge technologies. This initiative encompasses an intuitive online medical application facilitating seamless healthcare service access, alongside a secure and personalized blockchain wallet for confidential health record management. Additionally, it features an AI-driven doctor consultancy system for intelligent diagnosis and treatment recommendations. Emphasizing digital transformation, accessibility, and data security, the project aims to enhance healthcare convenience and patient-centricity. Successful implementation promises to revolutionize healthcare delivery, empowering individuals while addressing regulatory challenges. This report delineates the project methodology, utilized technologies, system architecture, data privacy measures, implementation phases, and testing processes. Moreover, it discusses user training, support strategies, deployment plans, and future directions. By amalgamating these components, the project endeavours to redefine healthcare accessibility and quality, transforming the delivery and experience of healthcare services. Keywords: Blockchain Healthcare, Medical Records Security, Medication Catalog, Personalized Blockchain Wallet, AI Chatbot, Smart Contracts, Patient Privacy

Challenges and directions for digital twin implementation in otorhinolaryngology.

Digital twin technology heralds a transformative era in Otorhinolaryngology (ORL), merging the physical and digital worlds to offer dynamic, virtual models of physical entities or processes. These models, capable of simulating, predicting, and optimizing real-world counterparts, are evolving from static replicas to intelligent, adaptive systems. Fueled by advancements in communication, sensor technology, big data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), and simulation technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), digital twins in ORL promise personalized treatment planning, virtual experimentation, and therapeutic intervention optimization. Despite their potential, the integration of digital twins in ORL faces challenges including data privacy and security, data integration and interoperability, computational demands, model validation and accuracy, ethical and regulatory considerations, patient engagement, and cost and accessibility issues. Overcoming these challenges requires robust data protection measures, seamless data integration, substantial computational resources, rigorous validation studies, ethical transparency, patient education, and making the technology accessible and affordable. Looking ahead, the future of digital twins in ORL is bright, with advancements in AI and machine learning, omics data integration, real-time monitoring, virtual clinical trials, patient empowerment, seamless healthcare integration, longitudinal data analysis, and collaborative research. These developments promise to refine diagnostic and treatment strategies, enhance patient care, and facilitate more efficient and tailored ORL research, ultimately leading to more effective and personalized ORL management.

The paradigm shift in allergy consultations through a digital ecosystem.

In Spain, specialist outpatient care traditionally relied on in-person consultations at public hospitals, leading to long wait times and limited clinical analysis in appointment assignments. However, the emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has transformed patient care, creating a seamless healthcare ecosystem. At the Allergy Department, we aimed to share our experience in transitioning form a traditional linear model of patient flow across different healthcare levels to the implementation of a digital ecosystem. By telemedicine, we can prioritize individuals based on clinical relevance, promptly and efficiently addressing potentially life-threatening conditions such as severe uncontrolled asthma or hymenoptera venom anaphylaxis. Furthermore, our adoption of telephone consultations has markedly reduced the need for in-person hospital visits, while issues with unstable patients are swiftly addressed via WhatsApp. This innovative approach not only enhances efficiency but also facilitates the dissemination of personalized medical information through various channels, contributing to public awareness and education, particularly regarding allergies. Concerns related to confidentiality, data privacy, and the necessity for informed consent must thoroughly be addressed. Also, to ensure the success of ICT integration, it is imperative to focus on the quality of educational information, its efficient dissemination, and anticipate potential unforeseen consequences. Sharing experiences across diverse health frameworks and medical specialties becomes crucial in refining these processes, drawing insights from the collective experiences of others. This collaborative effort aims to contribute to the ongoing development of a more effective and sustainable healthcare system.

Detection of White Blood Cell Cancer Using Image Processing

This paper proposes an automatic system for detecting WBC cancers like AML, ALL, CLL, and CML, integrating image processing techniques. By automating analysis through advanced algorithms, it eliminates operator variability, ensuring consistent and objective results. Machine learning models classify cells for high accuracy, and seamless healthcare integration. This approach promises to enhance diagnostic efficiency and reliability in WBC cancer detection. Key Words: Image processing; WBC cancer; Leukemia; CNN

Improving the Quality and Completeness of Discharge Summaries at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan: A Quality Improvement Project.

Introduction Discharge summaries (DS) allow continued patient care after being discharged from the hospital. Only a few quality improvement projects (QIPs) focused on assessing and improving the quality and completeness of DS at tertiary care hospitals have been undertaken in Pakistan. This QIPaimed to evaluate and enhance the quality and completeness of DS at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan to facilitate seamless healthcare transitions. Methods A QIP was conducted in the medical unit of a tertiary care hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The DS were assessed using the e-discharge summary self-assessment checklist devised by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). This QIP was done by the plan, do, study, act (PDSA) cycle. The PDSA cycle comprised two audit cycles and an intervention in between them. The first audit cycle (AC) was conducted on 150 DS. Its duration was from March 2023 to June 2023. An educational workshop was conducted before the re-audit cycle (RAC) to address deficiencies and reinforce the implementation of the guidelines provided by the RCP. The RAC was conductedfrom June 2023 to August 2023. 100 DS were studied and analyzed to assess for improvement in the completeness of DS. Frequencies and percentages were calculated in each audit cycle. The Chi-squared test was applied to compare the statistical difference between the results of both audit cycles. Results A total of 150 DS were analyzed in the first AC and 100 DS in the RAC. The results of the first AC show that the details of any allergies were recorded only in 3% of the DS; this percentage significantly improved to 51% after the RAC (p-value <0.05). Relevant past medical history was included in 52% and 88% of the DS during the first AC and RAC, respectively (p-value <0.05). Secondary diagnoses were written in 54% and 71% of the DS during the firstAC and RAC, respectively (p-value <0.05). Details of relevant investigations were included in 60% and 88% of the DS during the first AC and RAC, respectively (p-value <0.05). The post-discharge management plan was written in 90% and 98% of the DS during the first AC and RAC, respectively (p-value <0.05).The follow-up plan was written clearly in 65% and 93% of the DS during the first AC and RAC, respectively (p-value <0.05). Conclusion The DS was found to be incomplete after analyzing the results of the first AC. The details related to allergies, medications, operations, and procedures were found to be missing in the majority of the cases. No mention of the patient's concerns or expectations was made in the DS. The results of the RAC showed improvement in the level of completeness of DS. The majority of the weak points observed after the first AC seemed to haveimproved after the RAC, which shows that intervention proved to be quite effective in improving the completeness and quality of DS. The RAC showed significant improvement in the completeness of the details relating toinvestigations, allergies, past medical history, secondary diagnoses, and the post-discharge follow-up plan. QIP must be routinely carried out to assess and improve the completeness and quality of DS at hospitals.

Generative Pre-Trained Transformer-Empowered Healthcare Conversations: Current Trends, Challenges, and Future Directions in Large Language Model-Enabled Medical Chatbots

This review explores the transformative integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and healthcare through conversational AI leveraging Natural Language Processing (NLP). Focusing on Large Language Models (LLMs), this paper navigates through various sections, commencing with an overview of AI’s significance in healthcare and the role of conversational AI. It delves into fundamental NLP techniques, emphasizing their facilitation of seamless healthcare conversations. Examining the evolution of LLMs within NLP frameworks, the paper discusses key models used in healthcare, exploring their advantages and implementation challenges. Practical applications in healthcare conversations, from patient-centric utilities like diagnosis and treatment suggestions to healthcare provider support systems, are detailed. Ethical and legal considerations, including patient privacy, ethical implications, and regulatory compliance, are addressed. The review concludes by spotlighting current challenges, envisaging future trends, and highlighting the transformative potential of LLMs and NLP in reshaping healthcare interactions.

Integration of Cutting-Edge Technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G in Health Monitoring Systems: A Comprehensive Legal Analysis and Futuristic Outcomes

The convergence of cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G has given rise to innovative applications in various sectors, notably in healthcare. The integration of cutting-edge technologies, notably the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G, into health monitoring systems has brought forth a transformative paradigm in healthcare. This comprehensive legal analysis explores the intricate intersection of these technologies and the legal landscape governing their application in health monitoring. Delving into the realms of ethics, regulation, and privacy, this study examines the multifaceted challenges and opportunities that arise from this convergence. By scrutinizing patient data protection, medical device regulations, and liability concerns, the analysis offers insights into crafting effective legal frameworks. Additionally, it contemplates the futuristic outcomes of these advancements, considering the potential for enhanced patient care, remote monitoring, and seamless healthcare delivery. This study envisions a harmonious integration of technology and law that not only ensures the rights and privacy of patients but also paves the way for an innovative and patient-centric healthcare future. This research paper critically examines the integration of IoT and 5G technologies in health monitoring systems and analyzes the legal implications arising from their deployment. With a focus on the ethical, regulatory, and privacy concerns associated with these technologies, the paper aims to provide a comprehensive legal analysis that addresses the challenges and opportunities presented by their integration in the healthcare domain.

BIDS: Blockchain and Intrusion Detection System Coalition for Securing Internet of Medical Things Networks.

The benefits of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) in providing seamless healthcare to the world are at the forefront of technological advancement. However, security concerns of any IoMT systems are high since they threaten to compromise personal information of patients and can even cause health hazards. Researchers are exploring the use of various techniques to ensure a high level of security of IoMT systems. One key concern is that the computing power of any Internet of Things (IoT) device is relatively low, hence mechanisms that require low computational power are appropriate for designing Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS). In this research work, a blockchain IDS coalition is proposed for securing IoMT networks and devices. The blockchain ledger is compact and uses less processing resources. Additionally, the ledger requires less communication overhead. The cryptographic hashes in the suggested architecture ensure complete data secrecy and integrity between parties who are trusted and those who are untrustworthy. Peer-to-peer networks in both central and cluster networks are also included in this work for complete decentralization. The proposed model can counter various attacks, including Denial of Service (DoS), anonymity attacks, impersonation attacks, Man-In-The-Middle (MITM), and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). The proposed method achieved an F1- score as high as 100% and reported an AUC value of over 99%.

Conceptualizing a model for cloud-based hospital management systems for the South African public health sector

Background and Aim of Study: Real-time access of information in the healthcare environment is essential, as it not only helps medical personnel to have adequate and timely information, but it also assists patients to be served more easily. Hospitals in rural areas are operating at a low bandwidth and have poor IT infrastructure that causes intermittent networks leading to disruptions and slow service delivery. This necessitates the Hospital Management System (HMS) to be deployed in the cloud environment to reduce the challenges leading to poor service delivery. The aim of the study: to develop a model for cloud-based HMS for the South African public health sector. Material and Methods: This study identified three public district municipality hospitals in Gauteng Province, South Africa, that were already using HMS and used them for data collection. Each hospital had up to 50 healthcare workers, and this formed the population of 150 from the three hospitals, from which a sample size of 108 respondents was selected. Data were collected using a closed-ended questionnaire and analyzed quantitatively using SPSS v25. Results: The results demonstrated that the suggested model has a good prediction power of 60.9% (R2=0.609) and that with the exception of environmental aspects, the rest of the constructs has a significant contribution to the successful implementation of the cloud-based HMS. Social aspects had the highest prediction power of 60.0% (β=0.600) at p=0.001; followed by risk analysis and control with 41.3% (β=0.413) at p=0.009. On the other hand, environmental aspects had the least and non-significant prediction of 12.3%. Conclusions: This study contributes to the ongoing call to have seamless healthcare provision systems. The model developed in this study extends the research of modernizing healthcare provision by leveraging technological innovations.

Seamless Healthcare Integration: Elevating Patient Care through Radiology, Nursing, and Laboratories at Prince Salman Hospital

Seamless Healthcare Integration: Elevating Patient Care through Radiology, Nursing, and Laboratories at Prince Salman Hospital

Internet of Things in healthcare: A survey on protocol standards, enabling technologies, WBAN architectures and open issues

This paper provides a state-of-art review on healthcare-IoT infrastructure, prominently focusing on protocol standards, enabling technologies, wireless body area network (WBAN) architectures and implementation issues. Internet of Things enchains the seamless healthcare devices from an actuate-sense-communicate (ASC) network in a proliferative channel in order to develop an operationally connected healthcare environment (OCHE). Sensors and actuators are the essential components of any IoT system that generates enormous data, and this data is communicated across the network concerning elementary statuses and stored in a distributed cloud platform. This paper begins by providing a brief horizontal overview of the IoT system. The enhanced technical details pertaining to healthcare scenarios such as WBAN architecture, layered healthcare IoT architecture, and enabling technologies are described in the forthcoming fragments of the paper. Authors have then provided a brief summary of the most anticipated protocol stacks and design issues that allows researchers and healthcare professionals to understand swiftly how the numerous protocols put together to attain desired functionalities without having to get through standards and RFCs. Authors have also explored recent state-of-art to identify some of the key challenges of the healthcare IoT domain and a short summary of each related research is presented. Moreover, the relation between Healthcare IoT and other disruptive technologies such as Blockchain and Big Data is being described. Finally, the authors explicated the detailed use-case scenarios to demonstrate how the numerous protocols and architectures presented in the paper could put together to attain desired healthcare services.

National Hypertension Guidelines: A Review of the India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) and Future Prospects.

Hypertension is a silent killer; however, the treatment of hypertension is simple, effective, readily available, and needs to be continued lifelong. It is a significant health problem that is included under the umbrella of non-communicable disease conditions and has a strong alliance with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) is an extensive program in India that involves the Indian Council of Medical Research, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Government of India), the state governments of India, and World Health Organization Country Office for India (WHO-India). The IHCI is a multi-partner initiative carried forward systemically across various states. The states are categorized into Grade I and Grade II. There is the involvement of specialized teams of cardiovascular experts and health officials to insure precise execution and seamless healthcare service. The implementation of the free and easy-to-use mobile application and software, Simple (Resolve to Save Lives, New York City, United States), in the analysis and storage of data, is a novel step taken to insure safe record keeping and follow-ups. Emphasis is on the adoption of demography-specific interventional methods and drugs, and proper acquisition and storage of these drugs is the key step. Treatment modalities involve the adoption of medicines and lifestyle modifications as a combined recipe. Advancements have been made in the area of drug development like gene therapies but they seem to show low success rates at the given moment. Adoption of lifestyle modifications along with medications is the gold standard treatment option. This review article aims to shed light on the current status of IHCI, its milestones, and the future of the initiative in India.

Impact of COVID 19 and Importance of Its Vaccination in Dental Professionals: A Brief Review

The COVID 19 pandemic hit dental care providers hard in 2020 as the fears of COVID 19 infection kept millions of people away from seeking routine oral health treatments and care. Now with times as the dental offices have ratcheted up their safety measures, the patients have steadily been returning for dental checkups. As the dentists were included in the first phase of recipients of vaccine, hope of returning to their normal practices is increased. It is extremely important for dentists to get themselves vaccinated especially older dentists, dentists in large care settings and specialists. This will enable them to return to their usual routines and practices and will increase the doctors and patient’s confidence too. The aim of the study is to provide an insight on the impact of COVID 19 pandemic on the dentists who are on the high list of systemically important professions and the importance to receive vaccine sooner than later as they are irreplaceable as other health professionals when it comes to provide seamless health care to society. Summary and Conclusions As clinicians themselves and also as frontliners, dentists need to play their part to maintain universal infection control measures in their daily practice as the nature of their work,working in close proximity to the oral cavity renders them at high risk of exposure to COVID 19 infection. Not only vaccines keep them safe but they will ensure that the patients who come to their practices remain safe as well. Keywords: COVID 19, Dentists, Vaccine

Unpacking Healthcare Professionals' Work to Achieve Coherence in the Healthcare Journey of Elderly Patients: An Interview Study.

AimToday, seamless, person-centered healthcare is emphasized when dealing with elderly patients with comprehensive needs. Studies have uncovered a complex healthcare terrain. Despite a great deal of effort on the part of policy makers and healthcare providers, the work healthcare professionals undertake to develop seamless healthcare is still unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to uncover the work that healthcare professionals undertake to achieve coherent and comprehensive healthcare for elderly patients with multiple health problems during their journey through the complex healthcare terrain.MethodsThis study has an explorative design with individual interviews. Twenty-five healthcare professionals from primary and specialist care agreed to participate. A thematic analysis method was employed.ResultsThe analyses revealed three central themes in the healthcare professionals’ work to build coherence in the patients’ care trajectory: Working to manage a patient’s illness trajectory during the course of the patient’s life, working to achieve a comprehensive overall picture, and considering multiple options in a “patchwork” terrain.ConclusionHealthcare professionals have a common understanding that hospital stays are a short part of the elderly person’s journey in the healthcare system. In the comprehensive work to obtain the overall picture of the illness trajectory within the patient’s life story, healthcare professionals emphasized the importance of working in an interdisciplinary manner. Interprofessional consulting and collaboration should be strengthened to build coherence in the older patient’s complex care trajectory.

Peri-operative Care for Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 Cases: A major Concern for the Public Health: A Review Article

Background: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including gown, shoe cover, face mask, eye goggles, cap, face shield and gloves for health-care professional in operation theatre is a must in order to contain COVID-19 pandemic. It is imperative to mention that a surgical patient whether suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 must receive peri-operative care as it is the mainstay in care of surgical patient which cannot be denied to anyone. If we look at the incidences and the trend of spreading the COVID-19 infection, any breech in the personal and professional preventive steps to this infection in peri-operative care imposes greater risk to the public health as it affects the health care workers. Anesthetisologist and other staffs and health care workers (HCWs) in the operating room are in close proximity to patients. They are always in events of increased aerosol production from an infected patients, whether it is intubation, Bag and mask Ventilation or suctioning of the airway and life saving procedures.The major route of spread is contact transmission.Cross-infection is the major hindrance to seamless healthcare service to Covid-19 patients. Hand-washing is the universal viral transmission containment step. But it will not suffice to the preventive goal of these HCWs. Though operation rooms are maintained with negative pressure atmosphere which is ideal to minimize infection risk but this is the time to rehearse and practice other aspects too.Conclusion: The peri-operative care providers’ face several challenges in operation theatre and during per-operative care while treating suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 and thus pose a greater risk to the society. We tried to summarise these vital points and practices, dissemination of which is of utmost importance at this pandenmic scenario.

Smart, Remote, and Targeted Health Care Facilitation Through Connected Health: Qualitative Study.

BackgroundSocieties around the world are aging. Widespread aging creates problems for social services and health care practices. In this light, research on connected health (CH) is becoming essential. CH refers to a variety of technological measures that allow health care to be provided remotely with the aim of increasing efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and satisfaction on the part of health care recipients. CH is reshaping health care’s direction to be more proactive, more preventive, and more precisely targeted and, thus, more effective. CH has been demonstrated to have great value in managing and preventing chronic diseases, which create huge burdens on health care and social services. In short, CH provides promising solutions to diseases and social challenges associated with aging populations. However, there are many barriers that need to be overcome before CH can be successfully and widely implemented.ObjectiveThe research question of this study is as follows: How can CH facilitate smart, remote, and targeted health care? The objective is to identify how health care can be managed in more comprehensive ways, such as by providing timely, flexible, accessible, and personalized services to preserve continuity and offer high-quality seamless health care.MethodsA qualitative approach was used based on 60 multistage, semistructured stakeholder interviews.ResultsThe results can be divided into two functions of CH: ecosystem and platform. On the one hand, the interviews enabled the authors to develop a stakeholder classification and interaction diagram. These stakeholders interacted sequentially to provide technology-based content to end users. On the other hand, interviewees reflected on how CH serves as a platform to address remote monitoring and patient self-management. In the Discussion section, three innovation strategies are discussed to reflect the manner in which CH promotes smart, timely, and precise health care.ConclusionsThis study indicates that it is essential to continually revise CH business models, given the ongoing and rapid changes in technology across groups of CH stakeholders. We also found that global trends toward smart, timely, and precise health care shape what individuals expect from products and services, providing firms with unique opportunities for growth.

Difficulties in Transition of Care from Pediatric to Adult Gynecology Providers: Should We Maintain Care into Adulthood?

There is evidence that transfer of care for older adolescent patients to adult care is associated with a deterioration in health, especially in those with chronic conditions. Because several specific conditions in pediatric and adolescent gynecology continue into adulthood, it is important that patients have a seamless healthcare transition. In this commentary, it is argued that instead of arranging transfer, long-term retention of patients by the same physician or physician team may be the more caring, patient-centered approach.

Towards seamless health care: no theory, no glory

Towards seamless health care: no theory, no glory