Findings Several barriers and facilitators to the use of digital technology were identified, including around infrastructure, time, skills, training, support, leadership, familiarity and confidence. The use of digital technology may enhance care consistency and increase patient autonomy, but it may also erode nurse-patient relationships.
Conclusion Digital technology can enhance patient care but organisational barriers, notably in relation to digital literacy training, need to be addressed for nurses to fully adopt it.
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An infinite number of fitness apps are available on various app stores. However, hardly any of them are fitted to the needs and requirements of care-dependent people. This paper investigates the effectiveness of a customised fitness-app prototype for increasing physical activity in home care service users. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
This study examined how health and social care professionals and managers perceive the effects of digitalisation on the work of professionals.
Open Access Article
Even across such a broad group there was good agreement about both the challenges facing adult social care and the type of social care system people wanted to see.
There were also many examples of technology being effectively used to improve quality and ensure better choice and control, as well as generating efficiencies. These examples gave a glimpse of the potential for technology to benefit those that draw on services, carers, staff and organisations.
The NHS.uk website averaged over 2,000 visitors per minute in 2022 and, while websites are hardly considered cutting edge, this technology is important to help make trusted and reliable health and care knowledge easily accessible to patients and the public. Web-based information, alongside access to medical records and personalised care initiatives, means people are potentially more informed to make decisions and be actively involved in their own care.
Commentary on: Bhatia R, Gilliam E, Aliberti G, Pinheiro A, Karamourtopoulos M, Davis RB, DesRochers L, Schonberg MA. Older adults' perspectives on primary care telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Implications for practice and research
As the undoubtful potential of telemedicine was proved during the last pandemic, older adults’ experience with telemedicine must be recognised and understood.
In order to maximise the profits of telemedicine, further initiatives, should be employed to satisfy the challenges that old people may experience in accessing telemedicine services.
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We aimed to identify the factors associated with satisfaction with telerehabilitation in families with children with neurodevelopmental disorders through a program that included physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The current study aimed to compare the effectiveness of training in IVR and a non-immersive virtual environment for improving real-world skills in people with ID. Open access article - no login required
This study was conducted to assess ChatGPT's ability to provide satisfactory responses (i.e., directly answers the question, accurate, complete and relevant) to medication-related questions posed to an academic drug information service. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
We discuss the open research direction and challenges that need to be overcome to realize the full potential of deploying language models for use in clinical contexts. We highlight the need for increased representation in AI systems to ensure there are no disparities in access. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
This study compared three artificial intelligence (AI) platforms' potential to identify drug therapy communication competencies expected of a graduating medical doctor. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
In this review, we delineate the literature establishing strong support for remote delivery of prolonged exposure (PE) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT); there is also promising support for written exposure therapy (WET) and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). We also mention adjunctive and integrative modifications to better serve patients with PTSD. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The Digital apps and reducing ethnic health inequalities report, published by the NHS Race and Health Observatory, measured the variation in use and experience of online apps by ethnicity. It then used the findings to make a series of recommendations for NHS leaders and providers.
Designed to be used by health and care commissioners, service leads, and digital teams, the framework aims to understand and mitigate the barriers people often face when trying to access digital health and care services, that result in digital exclusion.
Research into digital exclusion shows that there are links between those more likely to be digitally excluded and those more at risk of health inequalities.
The role of digital technology in the delivery of patient care was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic when remote triage and consultations became part of everyday practice in healthcare settings. Yet despite growing evidence that a digitally literate nursing workforce can support and enhance patient safety and outcomes, many nurses report a reluctance to engage in the use of digital technology.
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This review shows that AI application in wound care offers benefits in the assessment/diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of acute and hard-to-heal wounds. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
As mental health professionals we are often asked to provide recommendations for trustworthy apps to support young peoples’ mental health. This review demonstrates why this is a hard task: there are many apps which seem appealing to young people but have no evidence-base, and only a handful of apps with a sound evidence-base which are available to young people.
VR may be an effective environment for psychosis patients with agoraphobia. Although patients are aware that VR environments are not real, they very closely match real-world experiences and allow for greater engagement with treatment (Lambe et al., 2020). Psychosis patients are more likely to enter situations within VR that they would otherwise find incredibly distressing in the real world and this allows a safe space for experimentation (Lambe et al., 2020).
This document builds on previous NHS Digital guidance on digital inclusion for health and social care.
Use it to design and implement inclusive digital approaches and technologies, which are complementary to non-digital services and support.
Online symptom checkers are a way to address patient concerns and potentially offload a burdened healthcare system. However, safety outcomes of self-triage are unknown, so we reviewed triage recommendations and outcomes of our institution's depression symptom checker.
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