Journal of Medical Internet Research

Digital biomarkers are increasingly used in clinical decision support for various health conditions. Speech features as digital biomarkers can offer insights into underlying physiological processes due to the complexity of speech production. This process involves respiration, phonation, articulation, and resonance, all of which rely on specific motor systems for the preparation and execution of speech. Deficits in any of these systems can cause changes in speech signal patterns. Increasing efforts are being made to develop speech-based clinical decision support systems.

Improving adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) via digital health interventions (DHIs) for young sexual and gender minority men who have sex with men (YSGMMSM) is promising for reducing the HIV burden. Measuring and achieving effective engagement (sufficient to solicit PrEP adherence) in YSGMMSM is challenging.

Digital health interventions have emerged as promising tools to promote health behavior change and improve health outcomes. However, a comprehensive synthesis of strategies contributing to these interventions is lacking.

Alzheimer disease is incurable, but it is possible to intervene and slow down the progression of dementia during periods of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) through virtual reality (VR) technology.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of modern society, extending digital transformation to daily life and psychological evaluation and treatment. However, the development of competencies and literacy in handling digital technology has not kept pace, resulting in a significant disparity among individuals. Existing measurements of digital literacy were developed before widespread information and communications technology device adoption, mainly focusing on one’s perceptions of their proficiency and the utility of device operation. In the contemporary landscape, digital transformation is evolving within specialized domains, necessitating a comprehensive evaluation of digital competencies, attitudes, and proficiency in technology application to bridge the digital divide and ensure digital compliance.

Health care is undergoing a “revolution,” where patients are becoming consumers and armed with apps, consumer review scores, and, in some countries, high out-of-pocket costs. Although economic analyses and health technology assessment (HTA) have come a long way in their evaluation of the clinical, economic, ethical, legal, and societal perspectives that may be impacted by new technologies and procedures, these approaches do not reflect underlying patient preferences that may be important in the assessment of “value” in the current value-based health care transition. The major challenges that come with the transformation to a value-based health care system lead to questions such as “How are economic analyses, often the basis for policy and reimbursement decisions, going to switch from a societal to an individual perspective?” and “How do we then assess (economic) value, considering individual preference heterogeneity, as well as varying heuristics and decision rules?” These challenges, related to including the individual perspective in cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), have been widely debated. Cost-effectiveness measures treatments in terms of costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), where QALYs assume that a health state that is more desirable is more valuable, and therefore, value is equated with preference or desirability. QALYs have long been criticized for empirical and conceptual shortcomings. However, policy makers in many countries have used QALY measures to make health coverage decisions, although now, patients, and patient advocates, are questioning the valuation methodologies. This has led to the development of new approaches to valuing health, which are already starting to be used in the United States. This paper reviews 20-25 years of value assessment approaches in health and concludes with challenges and opportunities for value assessment methods in health in the years to come.

Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are a widely recognized and accepted method to assess clinical competencies but are often resource-intensive.

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the global need for accessible content to rapidly train health care workers during health emergencies. The massive open access online course (MOOC) format is a broadly embraced strategy for widespread dissemination of trainings. Yet, barriers associated with technology access, language, and cultural context limit the use of MOOCs, particularly in lower-resource communities. There is tremendous potential for MOOC developers to increase the global scale and contextualization of learning; however, at present, few studies examine the adaptation and sharing of health MOOCs to address these challenges.

Home spirometers have been widely implemented in the treatment of people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Frequent spirometry measurements at home could lead to earlier detection of exacerbations. However, previous research indicates that the long-term use of home spirometry is not well maintained by people with CF.

Digital health technology (DHT) has the potential to revolutionize the health care industry by reducing costs and improving the quality of care in a sector that faces significant challenges. However, the health care industry is complex, involving numerous stakeholders, and subject to extensive regulation. Within the European Union, medical device regulations impose stringent requirements on various ventures. Concurrently, new reimbursement pathways are also being developed for DHTs. In this dynamic context, establishing a sustainable and innovative business model around DHTs is fundamental for their successful commercialization. However, there is a notable lack of structured understanding regarding the overarching business models within the digital health sector.

The mental health crisis among college students intensified amid the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting an urgent need for innovative solutions to support them. Previous efforts to address mental health concerns have been constrained, often due to the underuse or shortage of services. Mobile health (mHealth) technology holds significant potential for providing resilience-building support and enhancing access to mental health care.

Intensive care units (ICUs) handle the most critical patients with a high risk of mortality. Due to those conditions, close monitoring is necessary and therefore, a large volume of data is collected. Collaborative ventures have enabled the emergence of large open access databases, leading to numerous publications in the field.