Communications Challenges in Health and Well-Being

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Improved living conditions and the availability of quality health care have increased life expectancy and the number and share of the aging population. According to the latest World Population Prospects, 16% of the population will be over the age of 65 by 2050, in contrast to the current 10%. This will be one of the sources of increased incidence of chronic disease and disability, but not the only one. The recent global pandemic of COVID-19 has revealed that existing healthcare systems can hardly cope with unpredictable events. The reality we live in requires the adoption of new approaches. This call is dedicated to intelligent architectures, processing, applications, and systems in healthcare that combine various wireless devices and tools ranging from deep learning to high-performance computing, with the goal of bringing benefits to all individuals.

This multidisciplinary topic covers but is not restricted to:

• Remote health monitoring (applications for both humans and animals);
• RF propagation in body area networks;
• Application of machine learning and artificial intelligence in health data processing;
• Improved imaging and 1D processing techniques;
• Technologies for public health and emergencies;
• Activity monitoring for diagnosis or rehabilitation;
• IoT/IoE in healthcare;
• Privacy and security in health data transmission or processing;
• Nano-networks;
• Crowdsensing/crowdsourcing;
• Information theory aspects of biomedical signals.

Prof. Dr. Dragana Bajic
Prof. Dr. Konstantinos Katzis
Prof. Dr. Gordana Gardasevic
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Entropy entropy	2.0	5.2	1999	21.8 Days	CHF 2600
Future Internet futureinternet	3.6	8.3	2009	17 Days	CHF 1600
Healthcare healthcare	2.7	4.7	2013	21.5 Days	CHF 2700
Machine Learning and Knowledge Extraction make	6.0	9.9	2019	25.5 Days	CHF 1800
Sensors sensors	3.5	8.2	2001	19.7 Days	CHF 2600

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Published Papers (14 papers)

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34 pages, 6512 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Rehabilitation Technologies by Integrating Exoskeletons, Aquatic Therapy, and Quantum Computing for Enhanced Patient Outcomes

by Fabio Salgado-Gomes-Sagaz, Vanessa Zorrilla-Muñoz and Nicolas Garcia-Aracil

Sensors 2024, 24(23), 7765; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24237765 - 4 Dec 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3499

Abstract

Recent advancements in patient rehabilitation integrate both traditional and modern techniques to enhance treatment efficacy and accessibility. Hydrotherapy, leveraging water’s physical properties, is crucial for reducing joint stress, alleviating pain, and improving circulation. The rehabilitation of upper limbs benefits from technologies like virtual [...] Read more.

Recent advancements in patient rehabilitation integrate both traditional and modern techniques to enhance treatment efficacy and accessibility. Hydrotherapy, leveraging water’s physical properties, is crucial for reducing joint stress, alleviating pain, and improving circulation. The rehabilitation of upper limbs benefits from technologies like virtual reality and robotics which, when combined with hydrotherapy, can accelerate recovery. Exoskeletons, which support and enhance movement, have shown promise for patients with neurological conditions or injuries. This study focused on implementing and comparing proportional–integral–derivative (PID) and fuzzy logic controllers (FLCs) in a lower limb exoskeleton. Initial PID control tests revealed instability, leading to a switch to a PI controller for better stability and the development of a fuzzy control system. A hybrid strategy was then applied, using FLC for smooth initial movements and PID for precise tracking, with optimized weighting to improve performance. The combination of PID and fuzzy controllers, with tailored weighting (70% for moderate angles and 100% for extensive movements), enhanced the exoskeleton’s stability and precision. This study also explored quantum computing techniques, such as the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) and the quantum Fourier transform (QFT), to optimize controller tuning and improve real-time control, highlighting the potential of these advanced tools in refining rehabilitation devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Communications Challenges in Health and Well-Being)

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15 pages, 247 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Navigating Cultural Challenges in Transplant Surgery: Insights from Turkish Surgeons

by Hicran Karataş and Şener Balas

Healthcare 2024, 12(13), 1252; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12131252 - 24 Jun 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1773

Abstract

To achieve expertise, transplant surgeons in Turkiye undergo rigorous training, including medical school, residency, compulsory service, and extensive training in transplant surgery. Despite their high academic and clinical knowledge level, success in transplant surgery heavily depends on cultural competency. Through semi-structured interviews with [...] Read more.

To achieve expertise, transplant surgeons in Turkiye undergo rigorous training, including medical school, residency, compulsory service, and extensive training in transplant surgery. Despite their high academic and clinical knowledge level, success in transplant surgery heavily depends on cultural competency. Through semi-structured interviews with 21 transplant surgeons specializing in kidney and liver transplants in Ankara, this study reveals how health illiteracy, culture, and folklore create significant barriers. Surgeons navigate these challenges while enduring harsh working conditions. This research highlights the critical role of cultural competency in transplant surgery, emphasizing the necessity for surgeons to understand and address the diverse cultural needs of their patients. Key findings indicate that surgeons must balance medical expertise with cultural sensitivity to deliver effective care. This study identifies four main cultural barriers: spiritual trust, family politics, health illiteracy, and subcultural incompetency. Effective transplant surgery requires a combination of theoretical proficiency and cultural awareness to meet a patient’s needs and improve surgical outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Communications Challenges in Health and Well-Being)

16 pages, 10135 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Daily Living Activities of Older People (2004–2023): A Bibliometric and Visual Analysis

by Ying Cui and Mankyu Choi

Healthcare 2024, 12(12), 1180; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12121180 - 11 Jun 2024

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3454

Abstract

With a rapidly aging global population, comprehending the risks associated with older people’s activities of daily living is increasingly important; yet, interdisciplinary analyses remain rare. By providing a bibliometric overview of the capability risks associated with older people’s activities of daily living, in [...] Read more.

With a rapidly aging global population, comprehending the risks associated with older people’s activities of daily living is increasingly important; yet, interdisciplinary analyses remain rare. By providing a bibliometric overview of the capability risks associated with older people’s activities of daily living, in order to identify prevailing trends and future directions in the field, the study aims to fill this gap. Using CiteSpace software to analyze data from 928 articles published between 2004 and 2023, the study results demonstrate the growing interest in the capability risks of older people’s activities of daily living, with the United States leading in the number of publications, and geriatrics emerging as the dominant discipline. Notably, Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (Inserm) in France emerges as a pivotal contributor in the field. Key research topics encompass risk factors associated with a decline in daily activities and disease-related studies, with emerging trends in cognitive function and instrumental activity research. Future research should prioritize the development of predictive mechanisms for daily living trends, exploration of caregiving solutions, and promotion of interdisciplinary collaboration. This study highlights promising avenues for further research, emphasizing the importance of predictive modeling, innovative caregiving strategies, and interdisciplinary cooperation in addressing capability risks in the activities of daily living of older people. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Communications Challenges in Health and Well-Being)

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15 pages, 4325 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Nature of Medical Data on Machine and Deep Learning for Imbalanced Datasets: Clinical Validity of SMOTE Is Questionable

by Seifollah Gholampour

Mach. Learn. Knowl. Extr. 2024, 6(2), 827-841; https://doi.org/10.3390/make6020039 - 15 Apr 2024

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5233

Abstract

Dataset imbalances pose a significant challenge to predictive modeling in both medical and financial domains, where conventional strategies, including resampling and algorithmic modifications, often fail to adequately address minority class underrepresentation. This study theoretically and practically investigates how the inherent nature of medical [...] Read more.

Dataset imbalances pose a significant challenge to predictive modeling in both medical and financial domains, where conventional strategies, including resampling and algorithmic modifications, often fail to adequately address minority class underrepresentation. This study theoretically and practically investigates how the inherent nature of medical data affects the classification of minority classes. It employs ten machine and deep learning classifiers, ranging from ensemble learners to cost-sensitive algorithms, across comparably sized medical and financial datasets. Despite these efforts, none of the classifiers achieved effective classification of the minority class in the medical dataset, with sensitivity below 5.0% and area under the curve (AUC) below 57.0%. In contrast, the similar classifiers applied to the financial dataset demonstrated strong discriminative power, with overall accuracy exceeding 95.0%, sensitivity over 73.0%, and AUC above 96.0%. This disparity underscores the unpredictable variability inherent in the nature of medical data, as exemplified by the dispersed and homogeneous distribution of the minority class among other classes in principal component analysis (PCA) graphs. The application of the synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) introduced 62 synthetic patients based on merely 20 original cases, casting doubt on its clinical validity and the representation of real-world patient variability. Furthermore, post-SMOTE feature importance analysis, utilizing SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) and tree-based methods, contradicted established cerebral stroke parameters, further questioning the clinical coherence of synthetic dataset augmentation. These findings call into question the clinical validity of the SMOTE technique and underscore the urgent need for advanced modeling techniques and algorithmic innovations for predicting minority-class outcomes in medical datasets without depending on resampling strategies. This approach underscores the importance of developing methods that are not only theoretically robust but also clinically relevant and applicable to real-world clinical scenarios. Consequently, this study underscores the importance of future research efforts to bridge the gap between theoretical advancements and the practical, clinical applications of models like SMOTE in healthcare. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Communications Challenges in Health and Well-Being)

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8 pages, 373 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Callers’ Descriptions of Stroke Symptoms during Emergency Calls in Victims Who Have Fallen or Been Found Lying Down: A Qualitative Content Analysis

by Veronica Lindström, Mihaela Oana Romanitan, Annika Berglund, Ruxandra Angela Pirvulescu, Mia von Euler and Katarina Bohm

Healthcare 2024, 12(4), 497; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12040497 - 19 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1787

Abstract

Early identification of stroke symptoms is essential. The rate of stroke identification by call-takers at emergency medical communication centres (EMCCs) varies, and patients who are found in a lying down position are often not identified as having an ongoing stroke. Objectives: this study [...] Read more.

Early identification of stroke symptoms is essential. The rate of stroke identification by call-takers at emergency medical communication centres (EMCCs) varies, and patients who are found in a lying down position are often not identified as having an ongoing stroke. Objectives: this study aimed to explore signs and symptoms of stroke in patients who had fallen or were found in a lying position. Design: a retrospective exploratory qualitative study design was used. Method: a total of 29 emergency calls to EMCCs regarding patients discharged with a stroke diagnosis from a large teaching hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, in January–June 2011, were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: during the emergency calls, the callers described a sudden change in the patient’s health status including signs such as the patient’s loss of bodily control, the patient’s perception of a change in sensory perception, and the callers’ inability to communicate with the patient. Conclusions: The callers’ descriptions of stroke in a person found in a lying position are not always as described in assessment protocols describing the onset of a stroke. Instead, the symptom descriptions are much vaguer. Therefore, to increase identification of stroke during emergency calls, there is a need for an increased understanding of how callers describe stroke symptoms and communicate with the call-takers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Communications Challenges in Health and Well-Being)

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16 pages, 1947 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Stress Level Detection Based on the Capacitive Electrocardiogram Signals of Driving Subjects

by Tamara Škorić

Sensors 2023, 23(22), 9158; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23229158 - 14 Nov 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2189

Abstract

The automotive industry and scientific community are making efforts to develop innovative solutions that would increase successful driver performance in preventing crashes caused by drivers’ health and concentration. High stress is one of the causes of impaired driver performance. This study investigates the [...] Read more.

The automotive industry and scientific community are making efforts to develop innovative solutions that would increase successful driver performance in preventing crashes caused by drivers’ health and concentration. High stress is one of the causes of impaired driver performance. This study investigates the ability to classify different stress levels based on capacitive electrocardiogram (cECG) recorded during driving by unobtrusive acquisition systems with different hardware implementations. The proposed machine-learning model extracted only four features, based on the detection of the R peak, which is the most reliably detected characteristic point even in inferior quality cECG. Another criterion for selecting the features is their low computational complexity, which enables real-time application. The proposed method was validated on three open data sets recorded during driving: electrocardiogram (ECG) recorded by electrodes with direct skin contact (high quality); cECG recorded without direct skin contact through clothes by electrodes built into a portable multi-modal cushion (middle quality); and cECG recorded through the clothes without direct skin contact by electrodes built into a car seat (lowest quality). The proposed model achieved a high accuracy of 100% for high-quality ECG, 96.67% for middle-quality cECG, and 98.08% for the lower-quality cECG. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Communications Challenges in Health and Well-Being)

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13 pages, 255 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Patient Experiences of Communication with Healthcare Professionals on Their Healthcare Management around Chronic Respiratory Diseases

by Xiubin Zhang, Sara C. Buttery, Kamil Sterniczuk, Alex Brownrigg, Erika Kennington and Jennifer K. Quint

Healthcare 2023, 11(15), 2171; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11152171 - 31 Jul 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3131

Abstract

Background: Communication is an important clinical tool for the prevention and control of diseases, to advise and inform patients and the public, providing them with essential knowledge regarding healthcare and disease management. This study explored the experience of communication between healthcare professionals (HCPs) [...] Read more.

Background: Communication is an important clinical tool for the prevention and control of diseases, to advise and inform patients and the public, providing them with essential knowledge regarding healthcare and disease management. This study explored the experience of communication between healthcare professionals (HCPs) and people with long-term lung conditions, from the patient perspective. Methods: This qualitative study analyzed the experience of people with chronic lung disease, recruited via Asthma & Lung UK (A&LUK) and COPD research databases. A&LUK invited people who had expressed a desire to be involved in research associated with their condition via their Expert Patient Panel and associated patients’ groups. Two focus group interviews (12 participants) and one individual interview (1 participant) were conducted. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Results: Two main themes were identified and we named them ‘involving communication’ and ‘communication needs to be improved. ‘They included seven subthemes: community-led support increased the patients’ social interaction with peers; allied-HCP-led support increased patients’ satisfaction; disliking being repeatedly asked the same basic information; feeling communication was unengaging, lacking personal specifics and the use of medical terminology and jargon. Conclusions: The study has identified what most matters in the process of communication with HCPs in people with long-term respiratory diseases of their healthcare management. The findings of the study can be used to improve the patient–healthcare professional relationship and facilitate a better communication flow in long-term healthcare management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Communications Challenges in Health and Well-Being)

11 pages, 714 KB  

Open AccessArticle

A Multifaceted Educational Intervention in the Doctor–Patient Relationship for Medical Students to Incorporate Patient Agendas in Simulated Encounters

by Sophia Denizon Arranz, Diana Monge Martín, Fernando Caballero Martínez, Fernando Neria Serrano, Patricia Chica Martínez and Roger Ruiz Moral

Healthcare 2023, 11(12), 1699; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11121699 - 9 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1949

Abstract

From the beginning of their clinical training, medical students demonstrate difficulties when incorporating patient perspectives. This study aimed to assess if students, after an instructional programme, increased their sensitivity towards patients’ needs and carried out bidirectional conversations. An observational study involving 109 medical [...] Read more.

From the beginning of their clinical training, medical students demonstrate difficulties when incorporating patient perspectives. This study aimed to assess if students, after an instructional programme, increased their sensitivity towards patients’ needs and carried out bidirectional conversations. An observational study involving 109 medical students prior to their clerkships was designed. They attended a five-step training programme designed to encourage the use of communication skills (CSs) to obtain patients’ perspectives. The course developed experiential and reflective educational strategies. The students improved their use of CSs throughout three sessions, and the overall score for these patient consultations went up in the opinions of both the external observer (EO) (5; 6.6; 7.5) and the simulated patients SPs (5.3; 6.6; 7.8). Most of the students (83.9%) considered that the CSs addressed were useful for clinical practice, particularly the interviews and the feedback received by the SP and the lecturer. The programme seems to help the students use CSs that facilitate a more bidirectional conversation in a simulated learning environment. It is feasible to integrate these skills into a broader training programme. More research is needed to assess whether the results are applicable to students in real settings and whether they influence additional outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Communications Challenges in Health and Well-Being)

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12 pages, 257 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Are Perceptions of Government Intervention Related to Support for Prevention? An Australian Survey Study

by Anne Carolyn Grunseit, Eloise Howse, Julie Williams and Adrian Ernest Bauman

Healthcare 2023, 11(9), 1246; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11091246 - 27 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2352

Abstract

Background: In Australia, despite the success of tobacco control policy interventions, policymakers remain resistant to policy-based approaches to diet, alcohol, physical inactivity and obesity, concerned about community perceptions of such interventions as “nanny-statist”. We examined how people’s general positions on government intervention related [...] Read more.

Background: In Australia, despite the success of tobacco control policy interventions, policymakers remain resistant to policy-based approaches to diet, alcohol, physical inactivity and obesity, concerned about community perceptions of such interventions as “nanny-statist”. We examined how people’s general positions on government intervention related to their positions on different preventive policy options. Methods: Data were from a 2018 nationally representative cross-sectional telephone survey of 2601 Australian adults. Survey questions related to endorsement of different conceptualisations of government intervention (nanny state, paternalistic, shared responsibility and communitarian) and support for specific health interventions, using forced-choice questions about preferences for individual/treatment measures versus population/preventive health measures. We analysed associations between scores on different conceptualisations of government intervention and support of different policy options for tobacco and diet, and preferences for prevention over treatment. Results: The Nanny State Scale showed an inverse relationship with support for tobacco- and diet-related interventions, and alternative conceptualisations (paternalistic, shared responsibility and communitarian) showed a positive relationship. Effect sizes in all cases were small. Those aged 55+ demonstrated greater support for policy action on tobacco and diet, and greater preference for systemic rather than individual-level interventions. Conclusion: General disposition towards government intervention, although correlated with support for specific policy actions, is not deterministic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Communications Challenges in Health and Well-Being)

17 pages, 5223 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Intraoperative Beat-to-Beat Pulse Transit Time (PTT) Monitoring via Non-Invasive Piezoelectric/Piezocapacitive Peripheral Sensors Can Predict Changes in Invasively Acquired Blood Pressure in High-Risk Surgical Patients

by Michael Nordine, Marius Pille, Jan Kraemer, Christian Berger, Philipp Brandhorst, Philipp Kaeferstein, Roland Kopetsch, Niels Wessel, Ralf Felix Trauzeddel and Sascha Treskatsch

Sensors 2023, 23(6), 3304; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23063304 - 21 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3965

Abstract

Background: Non-invasive tracking of beat-to-beat pulse transit time (PTT) via piezoelectric/piezocapacitive sensors (PES/PCS) may expand perioperative hemodynamic monitoring. This study evaluated the ability for PTT via PES/PCS to correlate with systolic, diastolic, and mean invasive blood pressure (SBP_IBP, DBP_IBP, [...] Read more.

Background: Non-invasive tracking of beat-to-beat pulse transit time (PTT) via piezoelectric/piezocapacitive sensors (PES/PCS) may expand perioperative hemodynamic monitoring. This study evaluated the ability for PTT via PES/PCS to correlate with systolic, diastolic, and mean invasive blood pressure (SBP_IBP, DBP_IBP, and MAP_IBP, respectively) and to detect SBP_IBP fluctuations. Methods: PES/PCS and IBP measurements were performed in 20 patients undergoing abdominal, urological, and cardiac surgery. A Pearson’s correlation analysis (r) between 1/PTT and IBP was performed. The predictive ability of 1/PTT with changes in SBP_IBP was determined by area under the curve (reported as AUC, sensitivity, specificity). Results: Significant correlations between 1/PTT and SBP_IBP were found for PES (r = 0.64) and PCS (r = 0.55) (p < 0.01), as well as MAP_IBP/DBP_IBP for PES (r = 0.6/0.55) and PCS (r = 0.5/0.45) (p < 0.05). A 7% decrease in 1/PTT_PES predicted a 30% SBP_IBP decrease (0.82, 0.76, 0.76), while a 5.6% increase predicted a 30% SBP_IBP increase (0.75, 0.7, 0.68). A 6.6% decrease in 1/PTT_PCS detected a 30% SBP_IBP decrease (0.81, 0.72, 0.8), while a 4.8% 1/PTT_PCS increase detected a 30% SBP_IBP increase (0.73, 0.64, 0.68). Conclusions: Non-invasive beat-to-beat PTT via PES/PCS demonstrated significant correlations with IBP and detected significant changes in SBP_IBP. Thus, PES/PCS as a novel sensor technology may augment intraoperative hemodynamic monitoring during major surgery. Full article

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21 pages, 5015 KB  

Open AccessArticle

A Decision-Aware Ambient Assisted Living System with IoT Embedded Device for In-Home Monitoring of Older Adults

by Fatemeh Ghorbani, Amirmasoud Ahmadi, Mohammad Kia, Quazi Rahman and Mehdi Delrobaei

Sensors 2023, 23(5), 2673; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23052673 - 28 Feb 2023

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4655

Abstract

Older adults’ independent life is compromised due to various problems, such as memory impairments and decision-making difficulties. This work initially proposes an integrated conceptual model for assisted living systems capable of providing helping means for older adults with mild memory impairments and their [...] Read more.

Older adults’ independent life is compromised due to various problems, such as memory impairments and decision-making difficulties. This work initially proposes an integrated conceptual model for assisted living systems capable of providing helping means for older adults with mild memory impairments and their caregivers. The proposed model has four main components: (1) an indoor location and heading measurement unit in the local fog layer, (2) an augmented reality (AR) application to make interactions with the user, (3) an IoT-based fuzzy decision-making system to handle the direct and environmental interactions with the user, and (4) a user interface for caregivers to monitor the situation in real time and send reminders once required. Then, a preliminary proof-of-concept implementation is performed to evaluate the suggested mode’s feasibility. Functional experiments are carried out based on various factual scenarios, which validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The accuracy and response time of the proposed proof-of-concept system are further examined. The results suggest that implementing such a system is feasible and has the potential to promote assisted living. The suggested system has the potential to promote scalable and customizable assisted living systems to reduce the challenges of independent living for older adults. Full article

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10 pages, 286 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Association between Psychological Resilience and Self-Rated Health in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis

by Chun-Man Hsieh, Aih-Fung Chiu and Chin-Hua Huang

Healthcare 2023, 11(4), 529; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11040529 - 10 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2641

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate whether psychological resilience is an independent factor of self-rated health (SRH) among patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). A cross-sectional study with convenience sampling was designed. Patients with doctor-diagnosed KOA were recruited from the orthopedic outpatient departments of a [...] Read more.

This study aimed to evaluate whether psychological resilience is an independent factor of self-rated health (SRH) among patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). A cross-sectional study with convenience sampling was designed. Patients with doctor-diagnosed KOA were recruited from the orthopedic outpatient departments of a hospital in southern Taiwan. Psychological resilience was measured by the 10-item Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD–RISC-10), and SRH was measured by three items, including the current SRH, the preceding year-related SRH, and age-related SRH. The three-item SRH scale was categorized as “high” and “low–moderate” groups by terciles. Covariates included KOA history, site of knee pain, joint-specific symptoms measured by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), comorbidity measured by Charlson Comorbidity Index, and demographic variables (i.e., age, sex, education attainment, and living arrangements). A multiple logistic regression was used to detect the independent variables with significant odds ratios that can predict “high” SRH among participants. Results: In total, 98 patients with KOA (66 women and 32 men) with a mean age (±SD) of 68.3 ± 8.5 years were enrolled and were analyzed. A total of 38.8% (n = 38) of participants were categorized as “high SRH”, while 61.2% (n = 60) were categorized as “low–moderate SRH”. Multiple logistic regression showed that CD–RISC-10 had an increased odds ratio (OR) for high SRH (OR [95% CI] = 1.061 [1.003–1.122]; p = 0.038), whereas bilateral pain (vs. unilateral pain), WOMAC stiffness, and WOMAC physical limitation showed a decreased OR for high SRH (0.268 [0.098–0.732], 0.670 [0.450–0.998], and 0.943 [0.891–0.997], respectively). Our findings provide evidence indicating that psychological resilience plays a significant positive role in the SRH in our study sample. Further research is required to extend the growing knowledge regarding the application of psychological resilience on KOA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Communications Challenges in Health and Well-Being)

12 pages, 687 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Healthcare Professionals’ and Institutions’ Roles in Twitter Colostomy Information

by Pedro Jesús Jiménez-Hidalgo, Beatriz Jiménez-Gómez, Carlos Ruiz-Núñez, Sergio Segado-Fernández, Fernando Diez-Villacañas, Fidel López-Espuela and Ivan Herrera-Peco

Healthcare 2023, 11(2), 215; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11020215 - 11 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3074

Abstract

Social media represents a powerful tool for disseminating verified health information on topics such as colostomy, and the roles of healthcare professionals and institutions to ensure the veracity of the information conveyed is increasingly relevant. The main objectives of this study were to [...] Read more.

Social media represents a powerful tool for disseminating verified health information on topics such as colostomy, and the roles of healthcare professionals and institutions to ensure the veracity of the information conveyed is increasingly relevant. The main objectives of this study were to analyze the roles of these healthcare professionals and institutions in the conversation about colostomy, without being framed in a specific health communication campaign, and to know the use of reliable information in the conversation. The study was carried out by analyzing Twitter messages containing the hashtag “colostomy” and “Chron” between the 1 January and the 30 April 2022. It was conducted using the NodeXL software, focusing on content analysis of tweets and users’ accounts. The results show that accounts with healthcare activity influence the impressions generated on the network (p = 0.018), finding that nurses are the most active healthcare professionals (22.24%) also having a significant effect on the overall network interactions (p = 0.022). In contrast, we found that institutions do not actively participate on the network. We emphasize the responsibility of institutions for health education and the need for professionals to improve communication skills on social networks, but also the need to improve communication skills on social media to support public health campaigns through these increasingly important channels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Communications Challenges in Health and Well-Being)

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14 pages, 2640 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Propositional Inference for IoT Based Dosage Calibration System Using Private Patient-Specific Prescription against Fatal Dosages

by Karthikeyan Gopalakrishnan, Arunkumar Balakrishnan, Kousalya Govardhanan and Sadagopan Selvarasu

Sensors 2023, 23(1), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23010336 - 28 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2811

Abstract

IoT-based insulin pumps are used to deliver precise quantities of insulin to diabetic patients to regulate blood glucose levels. Generally, these levels correspond to the dietary patterns observed at time intervals that vary between patients. However, any misrepresentation in insulin levels may lead [...] Read more.

IoT-based insulin pumps are used to deliver precise quantities of insulin to diabetic patients to regulate blood glucose levels. Generally, these levels correspond to the dietary patterns observed at time intervals that vary between patients. However, any misrepresentation in insulin levels may lead to fatal consequences. As a result, most IoT-based insulin pumps are rejected due to the possibility of external threats, which include software and hardware attacks. However, IoT-based insulin pumps are extremely useful in real-time patient monitoring, and for controlled insulin delivery to the patient based on their current glucose level. We propose a blockchain-based method to protect against the above-mentioned attacks. The system creates a patient-specific private blockchain wherein the dosage information is added as a new block by obtaining the approval of the doctor, chief doctor, nurse, and caretaker of the patient who are authorized blockchain miners. Secondly, it securely transfers prescription data, such as dosage quantity and time of delivery, to the IoT insulin pump, which ensures the dosage information is not modified during transit before insulin administration to the patient. The proposed approach uses a state-behavior-based solution that detects anomalies in the behavior of the insulin pump via temporal data analysis and immutable ledger verification, which are designed to eliminate fatal dosages in case of anomalies. The system is designed to work within binary outcome conditions, i.e., it verifies and delivers dosage or halts. There is no middle ground that an attacker can exploit, resulting in accountability for the system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Communications Challenges in Health and Well-Being)

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