The impact of data from remote measurement technology on the clinical practice of healthcare professionals in depression, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis: survey

Use of wearables among Multiple Sclerosis patients and healthcare Professionals: A scoping review

INTRODUCTION

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an increasingly prevalent chronic, autoimmune, and inflammatory central nervous system illness, whose common symptoms undermine the quality of life of patients and their families. Recent technical breakthroughs potentially offer continuous, reliable, sensitive, and objective remote monitoring solutions for healthcare. Wearables can be useful for evaluating falls, fatigue, sedentary behavior, exercise, and sleep quality in people with MS (PwMS).

OBJECTIVE

This scoping review of relevant literature explores studies investigating the perceptions of patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) about the use of wearable technologies in the management of MS.

METHODS

The Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews was used. The search strategy was applied to the databases, MEDLINE via Ovid, Embase, APA PsycInfo, and CINAHL. Further searches were performed in IEEE, Scopus, and Web of Science. The review considered studies reporting quantitative or qualitative data on perceptions and experiences of PwMS and HCPs concerning wearables' usability, satisfaction, barriers, and facilitators.

RESULTS

10 studies were included in this review. Wearables' usefulness and accessibility, ease of use, awareness, and motivational tool potential were patient-perceived facilitators of use. Barriers related to anxiety and frustration, complexity, and the design of wearables. Perceived usefulness and system requirements are identified as facilitators of using wearables by HCPs, while data security concerns and fears of increased workload and limited effectiveness in the care plan are identified as barriers to use wearables.

CONCLUSIONS

This review contributes to our understanding of the benefits of wearable technologies in MS by exploring perceptions of both PwMS and HCPs. The scoping review provided a broad overview of facilitators and barriers to wearable use in MS. There is a need for further studies underlined with sound theoretical frameworks to provide a robust evidence-base for the optimal use of wearables to empower healthcare users and providers.

Rehabilitation clinicians' use of mainstream wireless technologies in practice: a scoping review

PURPOSE

This scoping review was conducted to understand the barriers, facilitators, and education and training needs of rehabilitation clinicians in their use of mainstream wireless technologies (MWT) to support people with disabilities and older adults. It was also conducted to understand the functional skills of clients that were targeted with MWT use.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This scoping review was reported using PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) and the Population (or Participants)/Concept/Context) framework. We searched PubMed; ProQuest to access APA PsycINFO; Web of Science Core Collection; and EBSCOhost to access Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Ovid MEDLINE ALL, and Education Resources Information Center (ERIC). Articles published between 2015-2022 were retrieved.

RESULTS

A total of 90 articles were included. Most interventions were apps, smartphones, and tablets; were geared toward adults; and targeted motor, cognitive and speech skills. An infographic on barriers and facilitators was generated as a decision support tool for clinicians when implementing MWT. The topic, format, timing, and source of information clinicians need are also delineated.

CONCLUSION

MWT such as apps, smartphones and tablets are being used by rehabilitation clinicians to address motor, cognitive, and speech skills, most commonly in adults. Clinicians voice a need for more education and training. Barriers and facilitators exist at the clinician-, technology-, client-, institution-, and policy levels.Implications For RehabilitationA total of 90 articles from 2015-2022 were included in this scoping reviewMost interventions were apps, smartphones, and tablets; were geared toward adults; and targeted motor, cognitive and speech skills.An infographic was generated as a decision support tool for clinicians when implementing mainstream wireless technologies in clinical practice.Clinicians' education and training needs with regard to mainstream wireless technologies are broad. Materials on a variety of topics, in different formats, from multiple sources are needed.This review also discusses implications of findings on policy, technology development, and future research.

Epilepsy, intellectual disability and the epilepsy care pathway: improving outcomes

The strong, life-long association between epilepsy and intellectual disability means that psychiatric teams, and the services they exist in, have a need for significant competencies in the field of epilepsy. This article addresses these competencies through the pathway of care. It will focus on those areas most relevant to psychiatric care and, when possible, explore where technology has begun to influence practice. The pathway leads from diagnosis through, in some cases, to mortality and support of the bereaved in psychiatric care. We will approach the topic through showing how the intertwining themes of information, empowerment, access to care, assessment of risk and psychological support are important. Technological advances are supporting changes in most of these areas, and psychological support, a knowledge of the needs of people with epilepsy and intellectual disability and epilepsy skills remain the foundation in the application of these advances.

The effects of continuous care model using a smartphone application on adherence to treatment and self-efficacy among patients with multiple sclerosis

Background

Adherence to disease-modifying therapy is important in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) to increase the positive outcomes and improve the quality of life. This study aimed to determine the effects of Continuous Care Model (CCM) using a smartphone application on adherence to treatment and self-efficacy among MS patients.

Methods

This quasi-experimental study with pre/posttest design was conducted on 72 MS patients in Shiraz, Iran from June 2020 to August 2021. The samples were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 36) and control (n = 36) groups. In the intervention group, the CCM using a smartphone application was implemented during two months. However, no intervention was performed for the control group. The data were collected using the self-report Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Adherence Questionnaire (MS-TAQ) and MS Self-Efficacy Scale (MSSS) at baseline and two and four months after the intervention.

Results

The results showed an improvement in adherence to treatment and self-efficacy in the intervention group compared to the control group after implementing the virtual CCM and at the two-month follow-up (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Implementing the CCM using a smartphone application resulted in improvements in the MS patients’ adherence to treatment and self-efficacy. It can be concluded that providing care using an interactive multimedia application can improve the outcomes as well as patients’ satisfaction, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this approach is recommended to be used for nurses, healthcare providers, and clinicians.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12911-022-01785-x.

Envisioning Post-pandemic Digital Neurological, Psychiatric and Mental Health Care

The SARS-Cov-2 pandemic placed a dramatic burden on managed healthcare and perhaps nowhere as evident as in neurological and psychiatric disease care. This said, the duration of the pandemic mandated adaptability of the entire care system and the oft-vaunted benefits of telehealth and telemedicine were subjected to deep scrutiny at scale. Positive experiences were reported by both patients and providers from routine check-ups, to use of cognitive behavioral therapy associated with mental disorders, and management of complex diseases such as multiple sclerosis and other neurological and psychiatric conditions. Integration into standard care looks likely in the post pandemic era with many healthcare systems moving to expand reimbursement categories and develop equitable incentive models for developers and providers. In this commentary we share perspective on how the future of care may evolve through hybrid delivery models, and the advent of new therapeutic approaches which can address pain points identified during the pandemic.