Performance Analysis of Driving Ability (P-Drive): Investigating Construct Validity and Concordance of Australasian Data.

On-road assessment is optimal for determining medical fitness-to-drive but unreliable if determined by global pass/fail decisions alone. Occupational therapists need standardized, psychometrically sound on-road scoring procedures. Performance Analysis of Driving Ability (P-Drive) is a promising on-road test developed in Sweden, but it has not been standardized for Australasia. We investigated the psychometric properties and concordance with an on-road decision of data gathered with the Australasian version of P-Drive. P-Drive was administered to older and cognitively impaired drivers (N = 134) aged 18 to 91 years (mean age 68) who were referred to 10 driving clinics in Australia and New Zealand to determine driving performance. Rasch analysis provided evidence for construct validity and concordance of the data gathered. An optimal cut-off score of 85 was set, yielding evidence of good sensitivity at 88% and specificity at 88%. The Australasian version of P-Drive produces valid and reliable data regarding on-road driving performance.

P-Drive: A fair and reliable test of fitness-to-drive for medically at-risk drivers in Australasia?In-car driving assessments, conducted by occupational therapists with specialized training, are best for determining if older drivers or drivers with medical conditions are safe to drive because they are conducted in real traffic. However, researchers advise that on-road assessments are unreliable if pass/fail decisions are made without applying consistent and accurate scoring procedures. Drivers undergoing assessments want tests to be fair and equitable, regardless of the tester or location. Performance Analysis of Driving Ability (P-Drive) is a Swedish, gold-standard test of fitness-to-drive. However, P-Drive has not been examined for drivers in Australia and New Zealand. Therefore, we investigated whether P-Drive was a suitable test for drivers in these regions. P-Drive was given to 134 drivers aged 18 to 91 years who were referred to 10 driving clinics in Australia and New Zealand for fitness-to-drive assessments, due to medical conditions or age-related changes that may impact cognitive function. Results indicated that P-Drive was a valid and reliable test of driving ability for medically at-risk drivers in these regions. Evidence indicates the ideal cut-off score for identifying safe drivers, with 88% accuracy, is 85/100.

Make My Day: primary prevention of stroke using engaging everyday activities as a mediator of sustainable health - a randomised controlled trial and process evaluation protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The individual, societal and economic benefits of stroke prevention are high. Even though most risk factors can be reduced by changes to lifestyle habits, maintaining new and healthy activity patterns has been shown to be challenging.The aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of an interdisciplinary team-based, mHealth-supported prevention intervention on persons at risk for stroke. The intervention is mediated by engaging everyday activities that promote health. An additional aim is to describe a process evaluation that serves to increase knowledge about how the programme leads to potential change by studying the implementation process and mechanisms of impact. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study will be a randomised controlled trial including 104 persons at risk for stroke. Persons at risk of stroke (n=52) will be randomised to an mHealth-supported stroke prevention programme. Controls will have ordinary primary healthcare (PHC) services. The 10-week programme will be conducted at PHC clinics, combining group meetings and online resources to support self-management of lifestyle change using engaging everyday activities as a mediator. Primary outcomes are stroke risk, lifestyle habits and participation in health-promoting activities. Assessments will be performed at baseline and at follow-up (11 weeks and 12 months). The effects of the programme will be analysed using inferential statistics. Implementation will be analysed using qualitative and quantitative methods. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority. Study results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and at regional and international conferences targeting mixed audiences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05279508.

The Feasibility of Make My Day-A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial of a Stroke Prevention Program in Primary Healthcare.

Incorporating and sustaining engaging everyday activities (EEAs) in everyday life holds potential for improving health and wellbeing; thus, there is reason to explore EEAs as a behavioral change technique in stroke prevention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the stroke prevention program Make My Day (MMD) for people with moderate-to-high risk for stroke in a primary healthcare setting, where EEAs are utilized to promote healthy activity patterns. A randomized controlled pilot trial was designed to evaluate the feasibility of MMD. Twenty-nine persons at risk for stroke were recruited and randomized into either an intervention group (n = 14) receiving MMD or a control group (n = 15) receiving brief health advice and support with goal setting. The results suggest that MMD is feasible, with timely recruitment, overall high response rates and study completion, and sensitivity to change in key outcome measures. Moreover, the results demonstrate that the application of EEAs can be useful for promoting behavioral change in stroke prevention. Recommendations for improvements for a full-scale trial include recruiting a relevant sample, using reliability- and validity-tested outcome measures, and implementing strategies to limit missing data.

Incorporating new ways of doing by learning from everyday experiences and interactions using a multifactorial mHealth app.

Background: Digital health innovations can support the prevention and management of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke. However, little is known about people's everyday experiences of digitally augmented stroke-prevention programmes combining onsite group sessions including peers and healthcare professionals with interaction and support from a multifactorial mHealth app. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore how people with stroke risk experienced interaction with a multifactorial mHealth app as support in the make my day stroke-prevention programme. Methods: Repeated interviews and observations with 12 adults with moderate to high stroke risk were analysed using a constant comparative method informed by constructive grounded theory. Results: Incorporating new ways of doing into everyday life involves a process through which participants learn from both being and doing in different environments (e.g., digital, physical and social). Digital self-monitoring combined with seemingly trivial everyday experiences played central roles in the process of increasing awareness of health and stroke risks, and providing tools to support increased self-reflection on everyday behaviours. Adoption of positive health behaviours in everyday life was supported or hindered by how easy to use and personally relevant the mHealth app was perceived to be. Conclusions: An experience-based group programme together with a personally relevant multifactorial mHealth app can be supportive in stroke prevention to increase general health literacy and stroke risk literacy, and promote the incorporation of new ways of doing in everyday life. Routines of doing digital self-monitoring and health-promoting activities were however strongly influenced by different environments in which choices are presented. It is therefore important to explore how both self-monitoring and health-promoting activities can be incorporated into everyday routines for different individuals. Research should also explore how personally relevant mHealth can be developed and integrated into prevention practices in primary healthcare.

Predicting Fitness to Drive for Medically At-Risk Drivers Using Touchscreen DriveSafe DriveAware.

IMPORTANCE: Occupational therapists require valid cognitive fitness-to-drive tools to advise drivers in this high-stakes area. OBJECTIVE: To examine the psychometric properties and predictive validity of data gathered with the touchscreen DriveSafe DriveAware (DSDA). DESIGN: Prospective study that compared a screening tool with a criterion standard. SETTING: Ten community- and hospital-based driver assessment clinics in Australia and New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS: Older and cognitively impaired drivers (N = 134) ages 18 to 91 years (Mage= 68) who were referred for an assessment to determine the impact of a medical condition on driving. The inclusion criteria were a valid driver's license, vision within license authority guidelines, completion of at least 1 year of high school, and English as a first language. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The results of the touchscreen DSDA, a standardized assessment of awareness of the driving environment and one's own driving abilities, were compared with those of a standardized occupational therapist-administered on-road assessment. RESULTS: Rasch analysis provided evidence for the construct validity and internal reliability of data gathered with the touchscreen DSDA. Optimal upper and lower cutoff scores were set to trichotomize drivers into three categories: likely to pass an on-road assessment, likely to fail an on-road assessment, and further testing required. Specificity of the touchscreen DSDA was 86%, and sensitivity was 91%; positive predictive value was 83%, negative predictive value was 92%, and overall accuracy of classification was 88%. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Evidence supports the utility of the touchscreen DSDA for accurately predicting which participants require on-road assessment. What This Article Adds: The touchscreen DSDA is a promising screen for occupational therapists and other health professionals to use in conjunction with other clinical indicators to determine whether drivers require further assessment.

The health equity characteristics of research exploring the unmet community mobility needs of older adults: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Unmet community mobility needs of older adults, published since the announcement of the UN sustainable development goals was synthesised to describe the health equity characteristics of research identifying unmet community mobility needs of older adults. METHODS: Searches were conducted in March and April 2020, 2275 articles were screened and 100 identified for data extraction. RESULTS: Findings showed underrepresentation of articles considering rural settings [9%] and originating in the global South [14%]. Gender, disability, education, and transport / driving were identified as key health equity characteristics and only 10 articles provided detail on all four of these. External factors inhibiting community mobility included built environments, service availability, and societal attitudes. Internal factors included finances, fear and apprehension, and functional limitations. CONCLUSIONS: The need for standardised reporting of participant characteristics in the community mobility of older adults was highlighted. These characteristics are required by research consumers to judge equity dimensions, and the extent to which findings represent minority or marginalised groups. 15 after the UN pledge to reduce inequalities, peer reviewed primary research does not reflect a global drive to end discrimination, exclusion and reduce the inequalities and vulnerabilities that leave people behind.

Engaging occupations among persons at risk for stroke: A health paradox.

BACKGROUND: An occupational perspective in stroke prevention could support sustainable changes in habits and routines that could contribute to reduce modifiable risk factors. AIM: To explore engaging occupation in relation to risk for stroke by drawing on experiences from everyday life among persons with a heightened risk for stroke. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Interviews from 14 persons with an increased risk for stroke were analysed by a constant comparative approach. FINDINGS: The analysis resulted in the core category; the paradox of engaging occupations and health. The paradox involved aspects of engaging occupations that could provide well-being and at the same time were compromising considering stroke health. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: The paradox conceptually challenges some of the core values inherent in occupational therapy regarding the relationship between engaging occupations, health and well-being. Gaining a deeper understanding of experiences of occupations and studying this in relation to health promoting or compromising characteristics of occupations, can facilitate lifestyle programs that support changes in everyday life. Moreover, programs need to be designed to offer personal relevance and to facilitate a positive balance between health compromising occupations and health promoting occupations in everyday life.

'Weaving lifestyle habits': Complex pathways to health for persons at risk for stroke.

BACKGROUND: It is important to understand how healthy lifestyle habits can be developed as they are essential in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. There is limited knowledge regarding whether, and how, engaging occupations (things that people do and occupy themselves with) can promote and help sustain healthy lifestyle habits for persons at risk for CVDs, including stroke. AIM: The aim was to develop knowledge of how engaging in occupations can contribute to changes in lifestyle habits among persons at risk for stroke. METHODS: Six adults presenting with stroke risk factors were interviewed on several occasions after participating in an occupation-focused stroke prevention programme. Grounded theory was utilised, and constant comparative methods guided the analysis. FINDINGS: Changing lifestyle habits was perceived as a complex process, much like weaving a fabric with many parallel and interlacing threads. Literacy of both health and occupations and participation in engaging occupations were important facilitators for promoting healthy lifestyle habits, yet engagement in health-promoting occupations was described as conditioned behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: CVD prevention programmes can benefit from incorporating engaging occupations to promote healthy lifestyle habits and literacy of health and occupations. However, contextual factors conditioning health and occupations should be considered when developing and implementing sustainable interventions.

Juggling the management of everyday life activities in persons living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PURPOSE: Evidence regarding everyday life activities in people living with COPD is limited. Such evidence can improve our understanding when designing interventions for pulmonary rehabilitation that aim at increasing or maintaining participation in these activities. The aim of this study was to describe how people living with COPD experience and manage everyday life activities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample comprised four males and four females with an age ranging from 65-87 years. Participants were interviewed in their own homes regarding experiences of performing and managing everyday life activities. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using content analysis. RESULTS: Findings from this study comprised the theme "Juggling to manage everyday life activities with COPD" and three categories representing the elements of this theme: (1) consequences of COPD symptoms, (2) adjustment of activities, and (3) contextual aspects. CONCLUSION: This study found the participants with COPD juggling the management of everyday life activities. The juggle generated a manageable daily life, which came at the expense of making deliberate choices and prioritizing everyday life activities that were necessary for participation in valued and engaging activities in order to maintain health and well-being.Implications for RehabilitationPeople living with COPD experience a complex juggling between the consequences of COPD symptoms and contextual aspects when managing everyday life activities.The participants had largely accepted their disease and adjusted to their situation.The disease was still described as frustrating and generated less focus on making deliberate choices and prioritizing everyday life activities that are necessary for participation in valued and engaging activities.Health professionals need to support people living with COPD in making deliberate choices in order to continue participating in valued and engaging everyday life activities as they affect health and well-being.Pulmonary rehabilitation should focus more on supporting participation in social relations and on using everyday technologies.

Engagement in Everyday Activities for Prevention of Stroke: Feasibility of an mHealth-Supported Program for People with TIA.

Most of the risk factors for stroke are modifiable, yet incorporating and sustaining healthy lifestyle habits in daily life that reduce these risk factors is a major challenge. Engaging everyday activities (EEAs) are meaningful activities that are regularly performed that have the potential to contribute to the sustainability of healthy lifestyle habits and reduce risk factors for stroke. The aims of this study were (1) to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a digitally supported lifestyle program called "Make My Day" (MMD) for people at risk for stroke following a transient ischemic attack, and (2) to describe participants' stroke risk and lifestyle habits pre- and post-intervention. A multiple case study design using mixed methods was utilized (n = 6). Qualitative and self-reported quantitative data were gathered at baseline, post-intervention, and 12 months post-baseline. The results indicate that MMD can support lifestyle change and self-management for persons at risk for stroke following a TIA. The findings indicate a high acceptability and usability of MMD, as well as a demand for digital support provided via a mobile phone application. Self-management with digital support has the potential to increase participation in EEAs for persons at risk for stroke following a TIA.

New Insights into Activities of Daily Living Performance in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Purpose: There have been calls for more knowledge of activities of daily living (ADL) performance in order to address interventions in pulmonary rehabilitation effectively. Everyday technology (ET) has become an integrated dimension of ADL, impacting the ways in which ADL is performed. To improve everyday functioning and quality of life, the use of ADL and ET use needs to be evaluated and addressed effectively in interventions. Therefore, the aim of this study was twofold: 1) to explore the quality of ADL performance, and 2) to investigate the relationship between observation and self-reported ADL performance and ability to use everyday technologies in people living with COPD. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 84 participants aged 46-87 years. Participants were recruited through healthcare centres in the Northern Region of Denmark using a convenience sampling procedure. Data were collected using standardized assessments that investigated different ADL perspectives: self-reported ADL tasks and ET use, observed motor and process ability, and need for assistance. Data were analysed and presented using descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: The most affected ADL tasks were mobility within or outside the home, lower dressing, bathing, pedicuring, cooking, shopping, cleaning and washing clothes. New insights into the quality of ADL performance in people living with COPD were presented in terms of detailed ADL motor skills and ADL process skills, as well as the predicted need for support to function in the community. Moreover, new insights into the relationship between observation and self-reported ADL performance (r=0.546, p<0.01; r=0.297, p<0.01) and between ADL performance and self-perceived ability to use ET (r=0.524, p<0.01; r=0.273, p<0.05; r=0.044, p=0.692) were presented. Conclusion: Overall, the knowledge from the present study is valuable for focusing interventions that address challenging ADL performance and ET use through relevant and realistic activities. The ability to use ET is important to evaluate and target pulmonary rehabilitation.

Association Between Everyday Technology Use, Activities of Daily Living and Health-Related Quality of Life in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Purpose: A decline in the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) and ability to use everyday technology can pose threats to independent living, healthcare management and quality of life (QOL) of patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Evidence of the relationship between these variables remains limited. The dual aim of this study was, first, to investigate if health-related QOL (HRQOL) was associated with quality in ADL performance and everyday technology use; second, to examine whether lung function, years with COPD diagnosis, living status or educational level affected physical and mental domains of HRQOL. Methods: This cross-sectional study included (N=80) participants aged 46-87 years recruited at healthcare centres in the Northern Region of Denmark using a convenience sampling procedure. Data were gathered through standardized assessments and analysed using multiple regression analysis. Results: The regression model explained 50.6% (R2=0.506) of the variation in HRQOL-physical. The following four variables were statistically significantly associated with HRQOL - physical: years since COPD diagnosis (p=0.023), ability to use everyday technology (p=0.006), amount of relevant everyday technologies (p=0.015) and ADL motor ability (p<0.01). The regression model explained 22.80% (R2=0.228) of HRQOL - mental. Only the variable ability to use everyday technology was statistically significantly associated with HRQOL - mental (p=0.009). Conclusion: Quality of ADL performance and everyday technology use seem to be associated with HRQOL in people living with COPD. The only demographic variable associated with HRQOL was years with COPD. This indicates that healthcare professionals should enhance their attention also to ADL-performance and everyday technology use when striving to increase the HRQOL of persons living with COPD.

The use of information and communication technology in healthcare to improve participation in everyday life: a scoping review.

Background and purpose: The increase in use of everyday information and communication technologies can lead to the need for health professionals to incorporate technology use competencies in practice. Information and communication technologies has the potential to improve participation in daily life among people with disability. The aim was to review and describe evidence of the use of information and communication technology, including mobile technology, for improving participation in everyday life. A secondary aim was to describe how study outcomes were related to participation.Materials and methods: A scoping review methodology was used to identify studies through databases as MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library. Thereafter, the studies were screened and assessed for inclusion.Results: Eleven studies were included. The most commonly used technology were videoconferencing and the telephone. Ten of the 11 studies reported a change in participation in everyday life. Participation was mainly described as involvement in a life situation or related to activities of daily living.Conclusion: Delivering an intervention to improve participation through information and communication technology can be a valid option in rehabilitation. There is a need to measure and describe the intervention and its outcomes in relation to a definition of participation in future studies.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThe use of an information and communication technology application seems to be as good as the face-to-face intervention.There is a need for defining the concept of participation related to outcome measures in future studies.

Primary prevention of stroke: randomised controlled pilot trial protocol on engaging everyday activities promoting health.

INTRODUCTION: Stroke is a globally common disease that has detrimental effects on the individual and, more broadly, on society. Lifestyle change can contribute to reducing risk factors for stroke. Although a healthy lifestyle has direct benefits, sustaining and incorporating healthy activities into everyday life is a challenge. Engaging everyday activities have the potential to support lifestyle change and to promote sustainable activity patterns. Current healthcare is failing to reduce modifiable risk factors in people at risk, and in addition to current practice, there is a need for systematic and efficient non-pharmacological and non-surgical stroke-prevention strategies. The aim of the pilot study was to increase knowledge about the effects of a prevention programme and its feasibility to promote sustainable and healthy activity patterns among persons at risk of stroke. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The proposed pilot study will be a two-armed randomised, assessor-blinded, parallel pilot trial. The study will include feasibility data, investigating acceptability and delivery of the intervention. Persons at risk of stroke (n=60) will be included in a mobile phone-supported prevention programme. The 10-week programme will be conducted at primary healthcare clinics, combining group meetings and online resources to support self-management of lifestyle change. Main outcomes are stroke risk, lifestyle habits and healthy activity patterns. Assessments will be performed at baseline and at follow-up (immediately following the end of the programme and at 6 and 12 months). Effects of the programme will be analysed using inferential statistics. Feasibility will be analysed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board in Stockholm, Sweden, being granted reference numbers 2015/834-31, 2016/2203-32 and 2019/01444. Study results will be disseminated through peer-review journals and presentations to mixed audiences at regional and international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03730701.

Converting the DriveSafe subtest of DriveSafe DriveAware for touchscreen administration.

BACKGROUND: DriveSafe measures awareness of the driving environment. It is one subtest of DriveSafe DriveAware, a cognitive fitness-to-drive screening instrument. We converted DriveSafe to a touchscreen format for ease of administration; this necessitated the development of an automatic data collection and scoring system to reflect the decision that would otherwise have been made by an expert rater. We applied a structured process to determine what constituted 'correct' scores. We then examined the resulting scoring parameters to determine if these discriminated at-risk drivers from a comparison sample. METHODS: Thirty at-risk older drivers and 30 younger drivers took touchscreen DriveSafe. Following presentation of images containing between one and four objects/hazards for 4 seconds, participants indicated their recall of object/hazard characteristics (type, location and direction of movement) by touching the screen. We analysed responses via descriptive statistics to compare spread, accuracy and consistency; and via a Fisher's exact test to determine whether the set scoring parameters could discriminate between at-risk and comparison drivers. RESULTS: Fisher's exact test results indicated 24 of 28 location zones and 18 of 28 direction ranges discriminated at-risk drivers from the comparison group (P < 0.05). Frequency of missed or incorrectly identified hazards was much higher for the at-risk group for all variables. At-risk drivers missed or misidentified significantly (P < 0.00) more object types (34%), directions (47%), and locations (36%) than the comparison group (≤4% for each variable). At-risk drivers entered 31 additional responses for objects/hazards not displayed; the comparison group entered no additional responses. CONCLUSION: The automatic variable data collection and scoring system reflected decisions that would have been made by an expert rater. This systematic process provided automated scoring decisions that enabled us to discriminate at-risk drivers from a comparison group. Psychometric evaluation of data gathered with touchscreen DriveSafe is required prior to use in clinical practice.

Inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the Danish version of the everyday technology use questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Everyday technologies are naturally integrated in people's daily life. For older adults and adults living with a chronic disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the ability to use technologies for health management has become increasingly important. The aim of this study was to investigate inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the Danish version of the Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire (ETUQ) in a sample of older adults with (n = 23) and without (n = 24) COPD. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The ETUQ was initially translated in accordance with the dual panel approach and then administered to a sample of 47 participants. Svensson's method for paired ordinal data was utilized to calculate and analyze reliability. RESULTS: Overall, inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the Danish version of the ETUQ demonstrated excellent percentage agreement (PA) (>75%), although for test-retest reliability, nine items demonstrated fair (53%) to good (73%) agreement. CONCLUSION: This study supports the use of the Danish version of the ETUQ in a sample of older adults with or without COPD. Application to practice: The Danish version of the ETUQ is an evidence-based evaluation that can reliably contribute to clinical occupational therapy and research in Denmark focusing on everyday technology use.

Investigating the driving performance of drivers with and without autism spectrum disorders under complex driving conditions.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the driving performance of drivers with autism spectrum disorders under complex driving conditions. METHOD: Seventeen drivers with autism spectrum disorders and 18 typically developed drivers participated in a driving simulator trial. Prior to the assessment, participants completed the Driving Behaviour Questionnaire and measurements of cognitive and visual-motor ability. The driving simulation involved driving in an urban area with dense traffic and unpredictable events. RESULTS: In comparison with the typically developed group, drivers with autism spectrum disorders reported significantly more lapses in driving, committed more mistakes on the driving simulator, and were slower to react in challenging situations, such as driving through intersections with abrupt changes in traffic lights. However, they were also less likely to tailgate other vehicles, as measured by time-to-collision between vehicles, on the driving simulator. CONCLUSIONS: The performances of licensed drivers with autism spectrum disorders appeared to be safer in respect to car-following distance but were poorer in their response to challenging traffic situations. Driver education for individuals with autism spectrum disorders should focus on quick identification of hazards, prompt execution of responses, and effective allocation of attention to reduce lapses in driving. Implications for rehabilitation Drivers with autism spectrum disorders reported significantly more lapses during driving. Drivers with autism spectrum disorders were observed to be poorer in traffic scenarios requiring critical response. Driver education for individuals with autism spectrum disorders should focus on managing anxiety and effective attention allocation while driving. Driving simulators can be used as a safe means for training critical response to challenging traffic scenarios.

A narrative synthesis systematic review of digital self-monitoring interventions for middle-aged and older adults.

OBJECTIVE: Self-monitoring is crucial to raise awareness for own behaviors and emotions, and thus facilitate self-management. The composition of self-monitoring within interventions, however, varies and guidelines are currently unavailable. This review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of technology-based self-monitoring interventions that intend to improve health in middle-aged and older adults (>45 years). METHODS: Five online databases were systematically searched and articles were independently screened. A narrative synthesis of 26 studies with 21 unique interventions was conducted. Primary focus lay on the composition of self-monitoring within interventions, including technology used, health-aspects monitored, and type of feedback provided. Secondly, the usability of/adherence to the self-monitoring treatment, intervention effects, and their sustainability were examined. FINDINGS: Studies concentrated on middle-aged adults (mean of 51 years). Mobile technologies seem necessary to ensure flexible self-monitoring in everyday life. Social health aspects were rarely monitored. Mechanisms and the sustainability of intervention effect are understudied. CONCLUSION: Digital self-monitoring technologies hold promise for future trials as they seem suitable to understand and support health-related self-management. Key elements including automatic and personal feedback following the blended care principle were highlighted and may guide study designs. Prospectively, research is especially needed to study sustained self-monitoring to support disease prevention and lasting lifestyle changes.

General practitioners' reasoning on risk screening and primary prevention of stroke - a focus group study.

BACKGROUND: By screening and modifying risk factors, stroke incidence can be reduced. Clinical guidelines states that primary prevention of stroke is a responsibility and task of primary health care, but research shows that this not always the case. The aim of the study was to explore and describe what characterizes GPs' reasoning around risk screening and primary prevention among persons at risk for stroke in primary health care. METHODS: A qualitative design based in a grounded theory approach was chosen in order to investigate this unexplored research area. Data collection was done using focus group interviews and data was analysed using a constant comparative method. Twenty-two GPs were interviewed in four focus groups. RESULTS: Findings showed that GPs perceived difficulties in prioritizing patients with an unhealthy lifestyle and described a lack of systematicity in their procedures, which complicated their clinical decisions concerning patients with stroke risk factors. The results showed a lack of systematic risk screening methods. Time constraints and the reimbursement system were described as hindering the preventive work. CONCLUSION: There is a need for a more proactive, transparent and systematic approach in the distribution of GPs' time and reimbursement of prevention in primary health care. The findings suggest, by developing new methods and approaches such as digital clinical decision-making tools and by implementing inter-professional team-work, the quality of the primary prevention of stroke could be improved.