Recent Articles
Virtual care is increasingly incorporated within routine health care settings to improve patient experience and access to care. A patient’s experience encompasses all the interactions an individual has with the health care system. This includes a greater emphasis on actively involving carers in the decisions and activities surrounding a patient’s health care.
Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor dysfunctions and nonmotor symptoms. Current treatments do not alter disease progression, highlighting the need for alternative therapies. Music, dance, and mindfulness meditation have shown the potential to improve symptoms and quality of life in patients with PD.
Postpartum depression (PPD) is associated with significant health consequences for the parent and child. Current recommendations for PPD prevention require intense health care system resources. Evidence-based interventions for PPD prevention that do not further burden the health care system are needed. Evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) can generally reduce depressive symptoms. Technology-based interventions may help decrease common barriers to PA.
Hypertension increases with age, often due to high sodium (Na) and low potassium (K) intake. Reducing salt and increasing K intake is challenging, especially for older adults due to taste preferences. Culinary herbs and spices, rich in K, offer a potential solution. The High Potassium Diet Rich in Spices and Herbs-Salt Substitution (HPSH-SS) diet has not yet been studied for its effectiveness in lowering blood pressure.
With the aging of society, the prevalence of hearing loss (HL) is increasing. Currently, approximately 5% of the global population has HL, and this number is projected to reach 7 million by 2050. Although hearing aids (HAs) are the primary treatment for HL, their use is limited by barriers such as high costs and social stigma. To address these limitations, over-the-counter (OTC) HAs have been introduced, but their effectiveness and drawbacks require further investigation.
A new and growing body of research has studied bullying among children in early childhood education and care centers (ECECs). The Bernese Program (Be-Prox) is designed to systematically prevent and handle bullying between children in Swiss ECECs. However, the effectiveness of the Be-Prox intervention has not yet been explored in a Norwegian ECEC setting.
Connected sensor technologies can capture raw data and analyze them using advanced statistical methods such as machine learning or artificial intelligence to generate interpretable behavioral or physiological outcomes. Previous research conducted on connected sensor technologies has focused on design, development, and validation. Published review studies have either summarized general technological solutions to address specific behaviors such as physical activity or focused on remote monitoring solutions in specific patient populations.
Depressive symptoms are common in veterans, and the presence of these symptoms increases disability as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors. However, there is evidence that these symptoms often go untreated. Intervening before symptoms become severe and entrenched is related to better long-term outcomes, including improved functioning and less disease chronicity. Computer-delivered interventions may be especially appropriate for those veterans with mild to moderate depressive symptoms, because these interventions can require fewer resources and have lower barriers to access and thus have potential for wider reach. Despite this potential, there is a dearth of research examining computerized interventions for depressive symptoms in veteran samples.
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the level of anxiety among Indonesian senior high school teachers, who face challenges to treat their mental disorder symptoms that arise during their working hours, as mental health services in Indonesia are limited. Therefore, it is vital to equip schoolteachers in Indonesia with early interventions that are easily available, private, and affordable, and 1 feasible approach is to deploy a smartphone mobile app.
HIV continues to have a disproportionate impact on specific populations in Malaysia, particularly men who have sex with men (MSM). HIV self-testing (HIVST) is a strategy that has been shown to scale up HIV testing rates. However, it faces shortcomings because of concerns about self-efficacy, result interpretation, and lack of counseling and linkage to care. This underscores the need for an innovative approach that integrates HIVST with timely counseling, expert guidance, and referrals to enhance engagement in relevant HIV prevention or treatment.
Bedside ultrasonography, also known as point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS), is a promising technological tool that enhances clinical assessment, enriching diagnostic capabilities and clinical reasoning. Its use in nursing spans various patient populations and health care settings, providing nurses with a valuable health assessment tool to improve care quality and patient safety. Despite its growing integration into clinical practice, PoCUS training has mainly focused on physicians, leaving a gap for trained nurses who demonstrate similar proficiency in conducting scans and interpreting images. Previous research highlights the value of digital tools in PoCUS training, showing their role in improving professionals’ and students’ knowledge, image interpretation skills, and clinical acumen.
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