Abstract from article: The Dutch healthcare system has changed towards a system of regulated competition to contain costs and to improve efficiency and quality of care. This paper provides: (1) a brief as-is overview of the changes for primary care, based on explorative literature reviews; (2) provides noteworthy remarks as for the way primary and secondary healthcare is organised; (3) an example of an E-health portal illustrating implemented processes within the Dutch context and (4) a proposed research agenda on various e-health topics. Noteworthy remarks are: (1) government, insurer, healthcare provider and patient are main actors within the Dutch healthcare system; (2) general practitioners (GP’s) are gatekeepers to secondary and other care providers; (3) the illustrated portal with a patient oriented design, provides access to applications implemented at care providers resulting in increased electronic availability and increased patient satisfaction; (4) a variety of fragmented information systems at health care providers exists, which leaves room for standardisation and increased efficiency. We end with suggestions for future research.
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In dit abstract wordt de ontwikkeling van een online onderwijsmodule beschreven gericht op eHealth voor leefstijlverbetering
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Zorg op afstand kan ouderen helpen om langer zelfstandig thuis te wonen. Maar zolang verpleegkundigen niet weten hoe zij zorg op afstand moeten verlenen, heeft deze zorgverlening - met gebruik van eHealth-technologie - weinig waarde. Over eHealth wordt veel geschreven, maar eHealth is niet per se populair onder verpleegkundigen. Hoe komt dat? Wat weerhoudt hen van deze innovaties? En hoe krijg je verpleegkundigen wél overstag? Cruciaal voor verpleegkundigen is dat de meerwaarde van eHealth voor hun cliënt evident is. ‘Draagt het bij aan de zorg van mijn cliënt, dan wil ik het wel inzetten’. In dit artikel bespreken we wat je met dit gegeven kunt als je nadenkt over het integreren van eHealth in het curriculum van verpleegkundestudenten. Er wordt geïllustreerd hoe eHealth-onderwijs eruit kan zien en welke uitdagingen hier nog liggen.
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Maatschappelijke en technologische ontwikkelingen geven zorgtechnologie een impuls. Een update van het hoger gezondheidszorgonderwijs is dan ook nodig om dit aan te laten sluiten bij alle ontwikkelingen. Het is belangrijk dat zorgprofessionals de juiste kennis en vaardigheden hebben. Dit rapport geeft suggesties hoe dit aan te pakken.
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From the publisher's site: "Trial design: Self-management plays a central role in diabetes management. However, not all patients are able to translate the health care providers’ recommendations for effective self-management in daily life. Diabetes Education and Self-management to Increase Empowerment (DESTINE) primarily investigates the effects of group education program Proactive Interdisciplinary Self-Management (PRISMA) in primary care treated people with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) on the use of an online care platform. Methods: The DESTINE study has a randomized controlled design (1:1). 200 patients with T2DM using an online care platform called e-Vita will receive either PRISMA in addition to usual care or usual care only. The primary endpoint of this study is usage of the e-Vita platform. The secondary endpoints are participation in the consultation with the care provider, adherence to oral diabetes medications, and a selection of self-reported and clinical measures. After six months, both groups will receive PRISMA in a 6 month extension phase. Discussion: PRISMA focuses on aligning treatment goals from different health care providers while the individual patient remains in the lead. The goal is to shift patients from being an information receiver towards applying self-management and becoming empowered health care participants. Though recognized as important; theoretically based group education is still not routinely offered in the Netherlands. In the future, depending on the study results, e-Vita and PRISMA could be implemented in regular diabetes care. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials NTR4693. (aut. ref.)"
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic taught us how to rethink care delivery. It catalyzed creative solutions to amplify the potential of personnel and facilities. This paper presents and evaluates a promptly introduced triaging solution that evolved into a tool to tackle the ever-growing waiting lists at an academic ophthalmology department, the TeleTriageTeam (TTT). A team of undergraduate optometry students, tutor optometrists, and ophthalmologists collaborate to maintain continuity of eye care. In this ongoing project, we combine innovative interprofessional task allocation, teaching, and remote care delivery. Objective: In this paper, we described a novel approach, the TTT; reported its clinical effectiveness and impact on waiting lists; and discussed its transformation to a sustainable method for delivering remote eye care. Methods: Real-world clinical data of all patients assessed by the TTT between April 16, 2020, and December 31, 2021, are covered in this paper. Business data on waiting lists and patient portal access were collected from the capacity management team and IT department of our hospital. Interim analyses were performed at different time points during the project, and this study presents a synthesis of these analyses. Results: A total of 3658 cases were assessed by the TTT. For approximately half (1789/3658, 48.91%) of the assessed cases, an alternative to a conventional face-to-face consultation was found. The waiting lists that had built up during the first months of the pandemic diminished and have been stable since the end of 2020, even during periods of imposed lockdown restrictions and reduced capacity. Patient portal access decreased with age, and patients who were invited to perform a remote, web-based eye test at home were on average younger than patients who were not invited. Conclusions: Our promptly introduced approach to remotely review cases and prioritize urgency has been successful in maintaining continuity of care and education throughout the pandemic and has evolved into a telemedicine service that is of great interest for future purposes, especially in the routine follow-up of patients with chronic diseases. TTT appears to be a potentially preferred practice in other clinics and medical specialties. The paradox is that judicious clinical decision-making based on remotely collected data is possible, only if we as caregivers are willing to change our routines and cognitions regarding face-to-face care delivery.
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Het brandwondenportaal is een e-Health applicatie voor patiënten met brandwonden. Patiënten vinden het brandwondenportaal waardevol, met name omdat duidelijke en betrouwbare informatie op elk moment beschikbaar is. De littekenkeuzehulp helpt hen en de zorgverleners in het samen maken van een behandelkeuze. De mate van samen beslissen is na de introductie van het portaal gestegen. Met name bespreking van de manier waarop en in welke mate een patiënt betrokken wil worden bij het maken van een beslissing is verbeterd. Net als het samen bespreken van de voor- en nadelen en het samen afwegen van verschillende behandelingsmogelijkheden. Wensen voor doorontwikkeling van het portaal zijn onder andere informatie speciaal voor kinderen en hun ouders en ervaringsverhalen.
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E-Exercise is an effective 12-week blended intervention consisting of around five face-to-face physiotherapy sessions and a web-based application for patients with hip/knee osteoarthritis. In order to facilitate effective implementation of e-Exercise, this study aims to identify physiotherapists' experiences and determinants related to the usage of e-Exercise. Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed methods design embedded in a randomized controlled trial comparing e-Exercise with usual physiotherapy in patients with hip/knee osteoarthritis. Usage of e-Exercise was based on recruitment rates of 123 physiotherapists allocated to e-Exercise and objective web-based application usage data. Experiences and determinants related to e-Exercise usage were investigated with a questionnaire and clarified with semi-structured interviews. Results: Of the 123 physiotherapists allocated to e-Exercise, 54 recruited more than one eligible patient, of whom 10 physiotherapists continued using e-Exercise after the study period. Physiotherapists had mixed experiences with e-Exercise. Determinants related to intervention usage were appropriateness, added value, time, workload, professional autonomy, environmental factors, and financial consequences. Physiotherapists recommended to improve the ability to tailor e-Exercise to the individual needs of the patient patients' individual needs. Discussion: Determinants related to the usage of e-Exercise provided valuable information for the implementation of e-Exercise on broader scale. Most importantly, the flexibility of e-Exercise needs to be improved. Next, there is a need for education on how to integrate an online program within physiotherapy
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Alongside the growing number of older persons, the prevalence of chronic diseases is increasing, leading to higher pressure on health care services. eHealth is considered a solution for better and more efficient health care. However, not every patient is able to use eHealth, for several reasons. This study aims to provide an overview of: (1) sociodemographic factors that influence the use of eHealth; and (2) suggest directions for interventions that will improve the use of eHealth in patients with chronic disease. A structured literature review of PubMed, ScienceDirect, Association for Computing Machinery Digital Library (ACMDL), and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) was conducted using four sets of keywords: “chronic disease”, “eHealth”, “factors”, and “suggested interventions”. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies were included. Four researchers each assessed quality and extracted data. Twenty-two out of 1639 articles were included. Higher age and lower income, lower education, living alone, and living in rural areas were found to be associated with lower eHealth use. Ethnicity revealed mixed outcomes. Suggested solutions were personalized support, social support, use of different types of Internet devices to deliver eHealth, and involvement of patients in the development of eHealth interventions. It is concluded that eHealth is least used by persons who need it most. Tailored delivery of eHealth is recommended
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Background: Digital health is well-positioned in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) to revolutionize health care due, in part, to increasing mobile phone access and internet connectivity. This paper evaluates the underlying factors that can potentially facilitate or hinder the progress of digital health in Pakistan. Objective: The objective of this study is to identify the current digital health projects and studies being carried out in Pakistan, as well as the key stakeholders involved in these initiatives. We aim to follow a mixed-methods strategy and to evaluate these projects and studies through a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis to identify the internal and external factors that can potentially facilitate or hinder the progress of digital health in Pakistan. Methods: This study aims to evaluate digital health projects carried out in the last 5 years in Pakistan with mixed methods. The qualitative and quantitative data obtained from field surveys were categorized according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended building blocks for health systems research, and the data were analyzed using a SWOT analysis strategy. Results: Of the digital health projects carried out in the last 5 years in Pakistan, 51 are studied. Of these projects, 46% (23/51) used technology for conducting research, 30% (15/51) used technology for implementation, and 12% (6/51) used technology for app development. The health domains targeted were general health (23/51, 46%), immunization (13/51, 26%), and diagnostics (5/51, 10%). Smartphones and devices were used in 55% (28/51) of the interventions, and 59% (30/51) of projects included plans for scaling up. Artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) was used in 31% (16/51) of projects, and 74% (38/51) of interventions were being evaluated. The barriers faced by developers during the implementation phase included the populations’ inability to use the technology or mobile phones in 21% (11/51) of projects, costs in 16% (8/51) of projects, and privacy concerns in 12% (6/51) of projects.
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