JMIR Research Protocols

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease characterized by joint pain, stiffness, and dysfunctional impairment, imposing a substantial medical burden annually. Tuina, a widely utilized non-invasive traditional Chinese medicine therapy commonly employed for KOA, has been used for the management of this condition; however, its additive benefit to acupuncture remains unclear.

Falls are the primary cause of fatal and non-fatal accidental injuries in older adults. The World Falls Prevention Guidelines recommend balance-challenging, functional exercise programmes as a key strategy for falls prevention but access, uptake and adherence to these programmes in community settings remain suboptimal. Keep-On-Keep-Up (KOKU), a digital, National Health Service (NHS) approved programme was co-developed with older adults and therapists, to provide progressive, evidence-based exercises and to raise awareness of fall prevention strategies.

Serious mental illnesses (SMIs) are associated with high relapse rates and limited access to continuous care, particularly in low-resource settings such as urban slums. Traditional clinical monitoring is constrained by accessibility and scalability challenges. Digital phenotyping (DP), through passive smartphone data, offers a novel approach to predict relapse by capturing real-world behavioural changes.

Although physical activity (PA) participation has known health benefits, many individuals with hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) have difficulties participating in PA. HSD/hEDS affect approximately 1 in 500 people and are more prevalent in females. HSD/hEDS may result in frequent joint injuries, chronic pain, and generalized fatigue. These symptoms, and a fear of new or re-injury, may result in barriers to PA participation. Overall, there is limited research on PA in this population. Previous exercise reviews have not included structured PA such as sports and occupational activities; unstructured PA such as play, household or leisure activities; or younger ages including children. Additionally, some females with HSD/hEDS report experiencing more frequent joint injuries and worsening pain and fatigue during times of hormonal transitions such as puberty, pregnancy, as well as cyclically across the menstrual cycle. Some females also report improvements in symptoms and reduction in injury frequency following menopause. The impacts of physical activity during these times of changing hormone levels for females living with HSD/hEDS are uncertain. A clear understanding of what types of structured and unstructured PA are safe and helpful for individuals of all ages with HSD/hEDS, and if PA should be adapted during times of female hormonal changes, is lacking.

Mobile health (mHealth), leveraging mobile devices for health measurement and promotion, is rapidly growing. Smartphone cameras can perform photoplethysmography (PPG) to estimate pulse rate (PR-PPG) and other features of the cardiac cycle. However, establishing the validity of PR-PPG is essential before it can be adopted for healthcare applications. There is a pervasive belief that PR-PPG is analogous to heart rate derived using electrocardiogram (HR-ECG), and we will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to support or challenge this supposition.

Internationally, physical activity is successfully integrated into academic lessons in primary schools, showing promising results on cognition and student engagement. However, there is a lack of knowledge about its effects and feasibility for individual situated learning processes in upper secondary school.

Therapeutic emesis (T.E), known as vamana karma, is a classical method of detoxification performed to eliminate vitiated kapha ailments primarily from the body. This complete process assessment depends on physicians’ visual assessments of vomitus features and patient responses, introducing subjectivity and interobserver variability. Moreover, this method requires more than continuous monitoring; thus, a physician can sometimes lead to human errors, resulting in missed expelled content or complications. This AI model is proposed to monitor T.E to observe visual changes, i.e. patient vomitus content and gestures, to provide better. clinical outcomes. This approach has been explored for the first time in the traditional system of medicine.

National birth rates among adolescents have consistently decreased since 1991, yet substantial disparities remain, particularly among youth in foster care, who experience higher risks of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Few sexual health programs rarely address the specific needs of foster youth or incorporate youth perspectives into their design, development, and implementation.

Prophylaxis for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) is essential. Four-drug antiemetic therapy, consisting of a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist (NK1RA), a 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 receptor antagonist (5-HT3RA), dexamethasone (DEX), and olanzapine (OLZ), is currently recommended for HEC. However, the efficacy, optimal dosing schedule, and appropriate dosage of OLZ remain unclear when combined with a highly selective NK1RA, fosnetupitant (FosNTP).

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is crucial for managing pediatric hepatobiliary diseases but frequently results in postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction such as delayed flatus and defecation, which can prolong recovery and increase the risk of complications. Nonpharmacological interventions such as acupoint massage and mirabilite application offer potential benefits, but evidence for their efficacy and synergy in children after ERCP is lacking.

Hypertension and diabetes are very common, interrelated chronic conditions. Awareness, diagnosis, treatment, and control rates of these conditions remain low, and access to quality care – particularly in rural areas – is a persistent challenge in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Strengthening primary healthcare, including the use of digital tools, is important to improve management of these chronic conditions.

Mild cognitive impairment and early dementia (MCI-ED) are frequently unrecognized in routine care, particularly in home health care (HHC), where clinical decisions are made under time constraints and cognitive status may be incompletely documented. Federally mandated HHC assessments, such as the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS), capture health and functional status but may miss subtle early cognitive changes. Speech, language, and interactional patterns during routine patient-nurse communication, together with information embedded in unstructured clinical notes, may provide complementary signals for earlier identification.