JMIR Human Factors

Child-centered care (CCC) is standard practice in pediatrics, emphasizing the child as an individual with rights while acknowledging the child’s role within the family. A key aspect of CCC is the involvement of the child in health care decisions alongside parents and professionals. Although this is a right recognized by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, it may not always be applied in practice.

High-quality professional development can help teachers build the skills and confidence needed to implement evidence-based practices, such as classroom physical activity breaks. While in-person training is often preferred, virtual asynchronous training offers a flexible alternative for teachers. However, its effectiveness may be limited by design and usability challenges.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent and impairing mental health condition characterized by persistent low mood and diminished energy. Self-report instruments, such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8), are frequently used in clinical and research settings for depression assessment.

Scarce human resources for health and high injury-related mortality coincide with inequities in accessing quality trauma education programs in low- and middle-income countries. Existing observational studies restrict assessments of trauma training program impacts on providers’ knowledge. Evaluation of trauma education programs outside clinical trial settings hinders their effectiveness in influencing clinical practice and policy changes for patient outcomes.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly recognized for its potential to transform cancer care. However, much of the existing evidence of its efficacy comes from controlled settings. There remains a need to complement this knowledge with insights into how AI tools are perceived and used in real-world clinical settings, as well as how their use impacts clinical practice.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of virtual psychotherapy, making videoconferencing a vital tool for maintaining continuity of care. While virtual sessions offer flexibility and accessibility, concern has also been raised about the impact of virtual care on therapeutic relationships, a sense of community, and the ability to support clients with higher levels of clinical need.

Smart home emergency response systems (SHERS) leverage existing smart home infrastructure to detect critical events and alert emergency services without manual activation. Unlike personal emergency response systems, which require users to trigger alarms, SHERS initiate alerts autonomously. Although technically feasible, user acceptance has received limited empirical attention.

Periorbital measurements such as margin to reflex distances, palpebral fissure height, and scleral show are critical in diagnosing and managing conditions like ptosis and disorders of the eyelid. However, deployment of automated periorbital measurement algorithms in structured research workflows remains limited by the lack of integrated capture and data management infrastructure.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for practical digital health tools to support informed decision-making amid rapidly evolving evidence and widespread misinformation.

Images play an important role in reducing stigma related to mental health, which often is distorted in the media. In recent years, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has been used to generate images related to mental health. However, first reports suggest that AI-generated images do not depict mental health conditions accurately. In-depth studies on the topic of mental health representations in AI-generated images are still missing.

Previous studies indicate that 37% to 92% of patients presenting to hospital emergency eye clinics (EECs) could be seen in commissioned community optometrist enhanced service schemes (ESSs), reducing pressure on hospital services and moving eye care into the community. Digital triage tools may have the potential to support effective triage and use of ESSs.

Chronic pain is a widespread condition that impairs quality of life and is often managed primarily with medications. National guidelines now recommend nonpharmacologic, mind-and-body, and behavioral approaches as first-line or complementary treatments. However, access to these evidence-based options remains limited. Digital health technologies offer a scalable way to deliver integrative, self-care interventions that empower patients to live well with pain.