JMIR Human Factors

Morning emotions can significantly affect daily wellness. While many studies have analyzed daily survey responses to identify factors influencing morning emotions, these methods require additional time and effort from individuals for emotional monitoring.

Wearable devices (WDs) have evolved beyond simple fitness trackers to sophisticated health monitors capable of measuring vital signs, such as heart rate and blood oxygen levels. Their application in healthcare, particularly medication management, is an emerging field poised to significantly enhance patient adherence to treatment regimens. Despite their widespread use and increasing incorporation into clinical trials, a comprehensive review of WDs in terms of medication adherence has not been conducted.

A 2017 survey of patient perspectives showed overall willingness and comfort to use telemedicine, but low actual use. Given recent growth and widespread exposure of patients to telemedicine, patient preferences are likely to have changed.

Current methods of monitoring cognition in older adults are insufficient to address the growing burden of Alzheimer disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). New approaches that are sensitive, scalable, objective, and reflective of meaningful functional outcomes are direly needed. Mobility trajectories and geospatial life space patterns reflect many aspects of cognitive and functional integrity and may be useful proxies of age-related cognitive decline.

The exponential growth of telehealth is revolutionizing health care delivery, but its evaluation has not matched the pace of its uptake. Various forms of assessment, from single-item to more extensive questionnaires, have been used to assess telehealth and digital therapeutics and their usability. The most frequently used questionnaire is the “Telehealth Usability Questionnaire” (TUQ). The use of the TUQ is limited by its restricted availability in languages other than English and its feasibility.

Image-driven specialisms like radiology and pathology are at the forefront of medical Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation. Many believe AI will lead to significant shifts in professional roles, so it is vital to investigate how professionals view the pending changes that AI innovation will initiate and incorporate their views in ongoing AI developments.

Youth in out-of-home care encounter substantial mental health challenges because of the absence of stable family and social support systems. Their vulnerability is heightened by trauma, neglect, and abuse. They struggle, especially when transitioning to independent living, coping with loneliness, anxiety, and pressure.

Research exploring perspectives on inpatient portals reports that patients desire the information affordances of inpatient portals, and clinicians recognize their value for improving patient experience but also express caution regarding sharing aspects of the medical record. This study contributed to the existing literature on inpatient portals by considering the psychosocial dimension of clinician resistance to information sharing with inpatients and the power dynamic associated with clinician-patient information asymmetry. Along with the information affordances commonly discussed in this area, this study explored perspectives on the novel option to audio record consultations via an inpatient portal.

Frontline health care staff are frequently exposed to traumatic events as part of their work. Although this study commenced before the emergence of COVID-19, levels of exposure were heightened by the pandemic. Many health care staff members report intrusive memories of such events, which can elicit distress, affect functioning, and be associated with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in the long term. We need evidence-based interventions that are brief, preventative, nonstigmatizing, suitable for the working lives of frontline health care staff, and effective for repeated trauma exposure. A brief, guided imagery-competing task intervention involving a trauma reminder cue and Tetris gameplay may hold promise in this regard, given evidence that it can prevent and reduce the number of intrusive memories following trauma across various settings.

Symptom checkers are designed for laypeople and promise to provide a preliminary diagnosis, a sense of urgency, and a suggested course of action.

Digital health tools have demonstrated promise in the treatment and self-management of chronic diseases while also serving as an important means for reducing the workload of health care professionals (HCPs) and enhancing the quality of care. However, these tools often merely undergo large-scale testing or enter the market without undergoing rigorous user experience analysis in the early stages of their development, leading to frequent instances of low use or failure.

Many countries have introduced video consultations in primary care both inside and outside office hours. Despite some relational and technical limitations, general practitioners (GP) have reported benefits of video use in the daytime as it provides faster and more flexible access to healthcare. Studies have indicated that video may be specifically valuable in out-of-hours primary care (OOH-PC), but additional knowledge about the added value of video use is needed.