Empowering Healthcare through Comprehensive Informatics Education: The Status and Future of Biomedical and Health Informatics Education.

OBJECTIVES: Education in biomedical and health informatics is essential for managing complex healthcare systems, bridging the gap between healthcare and information technology, and adapting to the digital requirements of the healthcare industry. This review presents the current status of biomedical and health informatics education domestically and internationally and proposes recommendations for future development. METHODS: We analyzed evidence from reports and papers to explore global trends and international and domestic examples of education. The challenges and future strategies in Korea were also discussed based on the experts' opinions. RESULTS: This review presents international recommendations for establishing education in biomedical and health informatics, as well as global examples at the undergraduate and graduate levels in medical and nursing education. It provides a thorough examination of the best practices, strategies, and competencies in informatics education. The review also assesses the current state of medical informatics and nursing informatics education in Korea. We highlight the challenges faced by academic institutions and conclude with a call to action for educators to enhance the preparation of professionals to effectively utilize technology in any healthcare setting. CONCLUSIONS: To adapt to the digitalization of healthcare, systematic and continuous workforce development is essential. Future education should prioritize curriculum innovations and the establishment of integrated education programs, focusing not only on students but also on educators and all healthcare personnel in the field. Addressing these challenges requires collaboration among educational institutions, academic societies, government agencies, and international bodies dedicated to systematic and continuous workforce development.

Technological Challenges and Solutions in Emergency Remote Teaching for Nursing: An International Cross-Sectional Survey.

OBJECTIVES: With the sudden global shift to online learning modalities, this study aimed to understand the unique challenges and experiences of emergency remote teaching (ERT) in nursing education. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive online international cross-sectional survey to capture the current state and firsthand experiences of ERT in the nursing discipline. Our analytical methods included a combination of traditional statistical analysis, advanced natural language processing techniques, latent Dirichlet allocation using Python, and a thorough qualitative assessment of feedback from open-ended questions. RESULTS: We received responses from 328 nursing educators from 18 different countries. The data revealed generally positive satisfaction levels, strong technological self-efficacy, and significant support from their institutions. Notably, the characteristics of professors, such as age (p = 0.02) and position (p = 0.03), influenced satisfaction levels. The ERT experience varied significantly by country, as evidenced by satisfaction (p = 0.05), delivery (p = 0.001), teacher-student interaction (p = 0.04), and willingness to use ERT in the future (p = 0.04). However, concerns were raised about the depth of content, the transition to online delivery, teacher-student interaction, and the technology gap. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings can help advance nursing education. Nevertheless, collaborative efforts from all stakeholders are essential to address current challenges, achieve digital equity, and develop a standardized curriculum for nursing education.

Representation of Environmental Concepts Associated with Health Impacts in Computer Standardized Clinical Terminologies.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the representation of environmental concepts associated with health impacts in standardized clinical terminologies. METHODS: This study used a descriptive approach with methods informed by a procedural framework for standardized clinical terminology mapping. The United Nations Global Indicator Framework for the Sustainable Development Goals and Targets was used as the source document for concept extraction. The target terminologies were the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) and the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP). Manual and automated mapping methods were utilized. The lists of candidate matches were reviewed and iterated until a final mapping match list was achieved. RESULTS: A total of 119 concepts with 133 mapping matches were added to the final SNOMED CT list. Fifty-three (39.8%) were direct matches, 37 (27.8%) were narrower than matches, 35 (26.3%) were broader than matches, and 8 (6%) had no matches. A total of 26 concepts with 27 matches were added to the final ICNP list. Eight (29.6%) were direct matches, 4 (14.8%) were narrower than, 7 (25.9%) were broader than, and 8 (29.6%) were no matches. CONCLUSION: Following this evaluation, both strengths and gaps were identified. Gaps in terminology representation included concepts related to cost expenditures, affordability, community engagement, water, air and sanitation. The inclusion of these concepts is necessary to advance the clinical reporting of these environmental and sustainability indicators. As environmental concepts encoded in standardized terminologies expand, additional insights into data and health conditions, research, education, and policy-level decision-making will be identified.

Digital Health Equity and Tailored Health Care Service for People With Disability: User-Centered Design and Usability Study.

BACKGROUND: As digital health services advance, digital health equity has become a significant concern. However, people with disability and older adults still face health management limitations, particularly in the COVID-19 pandemic. An essential area of investigation is proposing a patient-centered design strategy that uses patient-generated health data (PGHD) to facilitate optimal communication with caregivers and health care service providers. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to conceptualize, develop, and validate a digitally integrated health care service platform for people with disability, caregivers, and health care professionals, using Internet of Things devices and PGHD to contribute to improving digital health equity. METHODS: The methodology consists of 5 stages. First, a collaborative review of the previous app, Daily Healthcare 1.0, was conducted with individuals with disabilities, caregivers, and health care professionals. Secondly, user needs were identified via personas, scenarios, and user interface sketches to shape a user-centered service design. The third stage created an enhanced app that integrated these specifications. In the fourth stage, heuristic evaluations by clinical and app experts paved the way for Daily Healthcare 2.0, now featuring Internet of Things device integration. Conclusively, in the fifth stage, an extensive 2-month usability evaluation was executed with user groups comprising individuals with disabilities using the app and their caregivers. RESULTS: Among the participants, "disability welfare information and related institutional linkage" was the highest priority. Three of the 14 user interface sketches the participants created were related to "providing educational content." The 11 heuristic evaluation experts identified "focusing on a single task" as a crucial issue and advocated redesigning the home menu to simplify it and integrate detailed menus. Subsequently, the app Daily Healthcare 2.0 was developed, incorporating wearable devices for collecting PGHD and connecting individuals with disabilities, caregivers, and health care professionals. After the 2-month usability evaluation with 27 participants, all participants showed an increase in eHealth literacy, particularly those who used the caregiver app. Relatively older users demonstrated improved scores in health IT usability and smartphone self-efficacy. All users' satisfaction and willingness to recommend increased, although their willingness to pay decreased. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we underscore the significance of incorporating the distinct needs of individuals with disabilities, caregivers, and health care professionals from the design phase of a digital health care service, highlighting its potential to advance digital health equity. Our findings also elucidate the potential benefits of fostering partnerships between health consumers and providers, thereby attenuating the vulnerability of marginalized groups, even amid crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Emphasizing this imperative, we advocate for sustained endeavors to bolster the digital literacy of individuals with disabilities and champion collaborative cocreation, aiming to uphold the collective ethos of health and digital health equity.

Usability of a new digital walking program for older adults: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Walking has been emphasized as an important solution for preventing isolation among older adults, especially given the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and various methods are being proposed to promote walking in this population. In this study, a walking exercise program for the elderly was developed using various latest technologies, and the effectiveness and influencing factors of the program were evaluated. METHOD: The walking program for older adults was designed using mHealth devices, social media application, and gamified elements to prevent isolation. Twelve participants were recruited via an online community of retired individuals. This one-year study involved a one-group repeated measures experimental design; an online questionnaire was conducted four times along with a focus group interview. RESULT: The results showed that the e-health literacy of the 12 participants increased, while Wearable Device App Literacy/Usability, digital health self-efficacy, and walking program evaluation showed a decline. In the focus group interview, participants expressed their appreciation for this program, ways to overcome its limitations, and expectations for the next program. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed the positive effect of the online walking program for retired older adults, indicating that an online-offline convergence program suitable for the "COVID-19 era" will be necessary in the future.

Menstrual Tracking Mobile App Review by Consumers and Health Care Providers: Quality Evaluations Study.

BACKGROUND: Women's menstrual cycle is an important component of their overall health. Physiological cycles and associated symptoms can be monitored continuously and used as indicators in various fields. Menstrual apps are accessible and can be used to promote overall female health. However, no study has evaluated these apps' functionality from both consumers' and health care providers' perspectives. As such, the evidence indicating whether the menstrual apps available on the market provide user satisfaction is insufficient. OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to investigate the key content and quality of menstrual apps from the perspectives of health care providers and consumers. We also analyzed the correlations between health care provider and consumer evaluation scores. On the basis of this analysis, we offer technical and policy recommendations that could increase the usability and convenience of future app. METHODS: We searched the Google Play Store and iOS App Store using the keywords "period" and "menstrual cycle" in English and Korean and identified relevant apps. An app that met the following inclusion criteria was selected as a research app: nonduplicate; with >10,000 reviews; last updated ≤180 days ago; relevant to this topic; written in Korean or English; available free of charge; and currently operational. App quality was evaluated by 6 consumers and 4 health care providers using Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) and user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS). We then analyzed the correlations among MARS scores, uMARS scores, star ratings, and the number of reviews. RESULTS: Of the 34 apps, 31 (91%) apps could be used to predict the menstrual cycle, and 2 (6%) apps provided information pertinent to health screening. All apps that scored highly in the MARS evaluation offer a symptom logging function and provide the user with personalized notifications. The "Bom Calendar" app had the highest MARS (4.51) and uMARS (4.23) scores. The MARS (2.22) and uMARS (4.15) scores for the "Menstrual calendar-ovulation & pregnancy calendar" app were different. In addition, there was no relationship between MARS and uMARS scores (r=0.32; P=.06). CONCLUSIONS: We compared consumer and health care provider ratings for menstrual apps. Continuous monitoring of app quality from consumer and health care provider perspectives is necessary to guide their development and update content.

Development of a Standardized Curriculum for Nursing Informatics in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: This study explored the current status of nursing informatics education in South Korea and developed a standardized curriculum for it. METHODS: Data were collected in two stages: first, an online survey conducted from December 2020 to February 2021 among 60 nursing schools to analyze the current status of nursing informatics education; and second, a two-round Delphi survey with 15 experts from March to April 2021 to determine the mean and standard deviation of the demand for each learning objective in nursing informatics education. A standardized curriculum proposal was developed based on the results of the two-round Delphi survey. RESULTS: Nursing informatics was most commonly taught in the fourth year (34%), with two credits. The proportion of elective major subjects was high in undergraduate and graduate programs (77.4% and 78.6%, respectively), while the proportion of nursing informatics majors was low (21.4%). The curriculum developed included topics such as nursing information system-related concepts, definitions and components of healthcare information systems, electronic medical records, clinical decision support systems, mobile technology and health management, medical information standards, personal information protection and ethics, understanding of big data, use of information technology in evidence-based practice, use of information in community nursing, genome information usage, artificial intelligence clinical information systems, administrative management systems, and information technology nursing education. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing informatics professors should receive ongoing training to obtain recent medical information. Further review and modification of the nursing informatics curriculum should be performed to ensure that it remains up-to-date with recent developments.

Simulation Education Incorporating Academic Electronic Medical Records for Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES: Academic electronic medical records (AEMRs) can be utilized for a variety of educational programs that can enhance nursing students' nursing informatics and clinical reasoning competencies. This study aimed to identify the applicability and effectiveness of simulation education incorporating AEMRs. METHODS: We developed simulation education scenarios incorporating AEMRs and evaluated them with 76 third- and fourth-year nursing students from five nursing schools using a mixed-methods design. We incorporated three simulation case scenarios involving preeclampsia, diabetes mellitus, and myocardial infarction into the AEMRs. After the simulation education, participants' feedback on the usability of the AEMR system and their self-efficacy for AEMR utilization were collected via self-reported surveys. Subsequently, the simulation education incorporating AEMRs was evaluated through a focus group interview. The survey data were examined using descriptive statistics, and thematic analysis was done for the focus group interview data. RESULTS: The average mean scores for the AEMR system's usability and participants' self-efficacy for AEMR utilization were 5.36 of 7 and 3.96 of 5, respectively. According to the focus group interviews, the participants were satisfied with the simulation education incorporating AEMRs and recognized their confidence in AEMR utilization. In addition, participants addressed challenges to simulation education incorporating AEMRs, including the need for pre-education and AEMR utilization difficulties. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing students were satisfied with and recognized the value of simulation education incorporating AEMRs. Although the actual application of simulation education incorporating AEMRs remains challenging, further research can help develop and implement this approach for nursing students.

Validation and usability study of the framework for a user needs-centered mHealth app selection.

BACKGROUND: Most mHealth app users rely on an app's rankings, star ratings, or reviews, which may not reflect users' individual healthcare needs. To help healthcare providers, researchers, and users select an optimal mHealth app, the Method of App Selection based on User Needs (MASUN) 1.01 was developed and tested in prior research. Initial testing found the need for improvement. OBJECTIVE: This multiple-phase study aimed to simplify and improve MASUN 1.0, resulting in MASUN 2.0, and verify the feasibility and usability of MASUN 2.0. METHODS: This study was conducted in three phases: (1) modification of MASUN 1.0 to improve its importance, applicability, relevance, and clarity, in consultation with 21 experts in medical or nursing informatics; (2) validation of the draft MASUN 2.0, with 13 experts; and (3) feasibility testing of MASUN 2.0 and usability evaluation of the best app found through MASUN 2.0. Menstrual apps were used to test the framework. RESULTS: From Phases 1 and 2, MASUN 2.0, the framework for mHealth App selection, was derived with improved simplicity, usability, and applicability through a reduced number of tasks and time required. In Phase 3, after screening and scoring 2377 menstrual apps, five candidate apps were selected and evaluated by five clinical experts, five app experts, and five potential users. Finally, 194 users evaluated the usability of the app selected as the best. The best app helped users understand their health-related syndromes and patterns. Additionally, user-provided scores for impact, usefulness, and ease of use for the app were higher than for others. CONCLUSIONS: This study successfully modified MASUN 1.0 into MASUN 2.0 and verified MASUN 2.0 through content validity, feasibility, and usability testing. The selected apps through MASUN 2.0 helped health consumers more easily address health discomfort. Future research should extend this work to an automated system and different medical conditions with multiple stakeholders for digital health equity.

Breastfeeding mobile application for mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus: designed by mothers and experts.

BACKGROUND: Mothers and babies with gestational diabetes have an increased risk of diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular complications. Breastfeeding is known to help reduce complications in mothers and babies with gestational diabetes. However, the rate of breastfeeding among mothers with gestational diabetes is still low due to various barriers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a mobile application to improve the breastfeeding barrier of pregnant women with gestational diabetes. METHODS: The Method of App Selection based on Users' Needs is a method used in designing app structure and user interface by considering user needs. This method was used to develop the Breastfeeding for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus App, reflecting the needs of target users. Four personas were created based on the experiences of four mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus, and these personas' needs were assessed and prioritized. Two professors and a clinical instructor in women's health nursing conducted an expert review and revised the contents. RESULTS: Our "Breastfeeding for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus App" included the following components to promote breastfeeding in mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus: baby growth, breastfeeding records, information about mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus, information about breastfeeding, videos demonstrating breastfeeding methods and breast massage techniques, breastfeeding success stories, a message board, a section for frequently asked questions and answers, and links to breastfeeding education centers. CONCLUSIONS: Use of our App is expected to help prevent complications in mothers with diabetes mellitus and their babies and to promote maternal and child health through improved breastfeeding practices, especially in social distancing situations resulting from COVID-19.

Validity and Reliability of the Korean Version of the Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale: Psychometric Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Rigorous development of mobile technologies requires the use of validated instruments to evaluate the usability of these tools, which has become more relevant with the expansion of these technologies. Although various usability evaluation tools have been developed, there are relatively few simple evaluation instruments that have been validated across diseases and languages in mobile health (mHealth) information technology for use in multiple diseases. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to validate the Korean version of the Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (Korean Health-ITUES) and assess its applicability for different health conditions. METHODS: To develop the Korean Health-ITUES, we used a validation process involving the following 3 steps: (1) customization of the Health-ITUES for menstrual symptoms, (2) translation of the Health-ITUES from English into Korean, and (3) examination of the reliability and validity of the instrument. The translation process adhered to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for translation and back-translation, expert review, and reconciliation. RESULTS: The Korean Health-ITUES showed reliable internal consistency with Cronbach α=.951; meanwhile, factor loadings of the 20 items in the 4 subscales ranged from 0.416 to 0.892. CONCLUSIONS: The Health-ITUES demonstrated reliability and validity for its use in assessing mHealth apps' usability in young Korean women with menstrual discomfort. Given the strong psychometric properties of this tool in Korean and English and across 2 different health conditions, the Health-ITUES is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the usability of mHealth apps. The Health-ITUES is also a valid instrument for evaluating mHealth technologies, which are widely used by patients to self-manage their health and by providers to improve health care delivery.

Lack of Acceptance of Digital Healthcare in the Medical Market: Addressing Old Problems Raised by Various Clinical Professionals and Developing Possible Solutions.

Various digital healthcare devices and apps, such as blood glucose meters, blood pressure monitors, and step-trackers are commonly used by patients; however, digital healthcare devices have not been widely accepted in the medical market as of yet. Despite the various legal and privacy issues involved in their use, the main reason for its poor acceptance is that users do not use such devices voluntarily and continuously. Digital healthcare devices generally do not provide valuable information to users except for tracking self-checked glucose or walking. To increase the use of these devices, users must first understand the health data produced in the context of their personal health, and the devices must be easy to use and integrated into everyday life. Thus, users need to know how to manage their own data. Medical staff must teach and encourage users to analyze and manage their patient-generated healthcare data, and users should be able to find medical values from these digital devices. Eventually, a single customized service that can comprehensively analyze various medical data to provide valuable customized services to users, and which can be linked to various heterogeneous digital healthcare devices based on the integration of various health data should be developed. Digital healthcare professionals should have detailed knowledge about a variety of digital healthcare devices and fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of digital healthcare to help patients understand and embrace the use of such devices.

Emergency Remote Learning in Nursing Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Due to the corona (COVID-19) pandemic, several countries are currently conducting non-face-to-face education. Therefore, teachers of nursing colleges have been carrying out emergency remote education. This study developed a questionnaire to understand the status of Emergency Remote Learning (ERL) in nursing education internationally, translated it into 7 languages, and distributed it to 18 countries. A total of 328 nursing educators responded, and the most often used online methods were Social networking technology such as Facebook, Google+ and Video sharing platform such as YouTube. The ERL applied to nursing education was positively evaluated as 3.59 out of 5. The results of the study show that during the two semesters nursing college professors have well adapted to this unprecedent crisis of teaching. The world after COVID-19 has become a completely different place, and nursing education should be prepared for 'untact' education.

Review of National-Level Personal Health Records in Advanced Countries.

OBJECTIVES: This review article examines international examples of personal health records (PHRs) in advanced countries and discusses the implications of these examples for the establishment and utilization of PHRs in South Korea. METHODS: This article synthesized PHR case reports of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries, the Global Digital Health Partnership website on PHRs, and patient portals of individual countries to review the status of PHR services. The concept and significance of PHRs were also discussed with respect to PHR utilization status in European Union and OECD countries. RESULTS: A review of international PHR services showed that the countries shared common points regarding the establishment of Electronic Health Records and national health information infrastructure. In addition, the countries provided services centered on primary healthcare institutions and public hospitals. However, promoting more positive participation and increasing the PHR acceptance rate requires workflow integration, including Electronic Medical Records, the provision of incentives, and the preparation of a supportive legal framework. CONCLUSIONS: South Korea is also conducting a national-level PHR project. Since the scope of PHRs is extensive and a wide range of PHR services must be connected, an extensive trial-and-error process will be necessary. A long-term strategy should be prepared, and necessary resources should be secured to establish national-level PHRs.

Popularization of Medical Information.

OBJECTIVES: Despite the popularization of technology and the high penetration rate of smartphones and mobile devices, differences exist in the accessibility, utilization capabilities, and quality of technology depending on users' characteristics. Since these discrepancies can threaten health information equity, popularization of medical information is essential. This review article examines domestic and international cases of popularization of medical information, and discusses the related issues, expectations, and practical measures to achieve the popularization of medical information. METHODS: In this study, medical information was categorized as Electronic Health Records/Electronic Medical Records (EHR/EMRs; hospital-driven medical information), personal health records (PHRs; user-driven medical information), and patient-generated health data (PGHD; user-generated medical information [outside hospitals]). This article reviewed the domestic and international use status, acceptance rates, and use cases for each type of medical information. Issues and expectations about policies and cases related to the popularization of medical information were also described, and finally, practical measures to accomplish the popularization of medical information were discussed. RESULTS: To achieve the popularization of medical information, the following measures should be considered: engaging health consumers to participate in the early stages of information production, cultivating digital literacy, producing easy-to-use and interesting medical content, visualizing health information, and creating a medical thesaurus. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare providers should make regular efforts to popularize medical information. The popularization of medical information is an essential process to achieve health equity and digital health equity.

All-solid-state spatial light modulator with independent phase and amplitude control for three-dimensional LiDAR applications.

Spatial light modulators are essential optical elements in applications that require the ability to regulate the amplitude, phase and polarization of light, such as digital holography, optical communications and biomedical imaging. With the push towards miniaturization of optical components, static metasurfaces are used as competent alternatives. These evolved to active metasurfaces in which light-wavefront manipulation can be done in a time-dependent fashion. The active metasurfaces reported so far, however, still show incomplete phase modulation (below 360°). Here we present an all-solid-state, electrically tunable and reflective metasurface array that can generate a specific phase or a continuous sweep between 0 and 360° at an estimated rate of 5.4 MHz while independently adjusting the amplitude. The metasurface features 550 individually addressable nanoresonators in a 250 × 250 µm2 area with no micromechanical elements or liquid crystals. A key feature of our design is the presence of two independent control parameters (top and bottom gate voltages) in each nanoresonator, which are used to adjust the real and imaginary parts of the reflection coefficient independently. To demonstrate this array's use in light detection and ranging, we performed a three-dimensional depth scan of an emulated street scene that consisted of a model car and a human figure up to a distance of 4.7 m.

How can we improve knowledge and perceptions of menstruation? A mixed-methods research study.

BACKGROUND: Traditionally, menstrual education has consisted of lectures directed toward women. The objective of this study was to design an innovative menstrual education (ME) program that reflects the needs of both young women and men, and verify its effectiveness. METHODS: A mixed-method design was used to determine the program needs and assess young adults' knowledge and perceptions of menstruation and menstrual products. Focus group interviews were conducted with 14 young adults, and 150 young adults participated in an online survey. After developing the ME program, 10 young adults participated in a study to verify its effectiveness. RESULTS: Interview results showed young adults wanted more information about menstrual products. The online survey revealed significant differences in knowledge based on participants' general characteristics and experience; exposure to menstruation and menstrual products positively impacted knowledge and perception. In addition, the results indicated young adults wanted ME content access via mobile and in-person modalities, designed for both genders, drawing on menstrual experts' knowledge. Based on these results, a multi-experimental menstrual education (MEME) program was designed and included: hands-on exposure to 60 menstrual products, product demonstrations with a female perineal model, a YouTube video created by the researchers, a true-or-false quiz, and question-and-answer sessions with menstrual experts. CONCLUSIONS: This study clarified the requirements of an innovative menstrual education program. It led to high satisfaction among participants, and improved knowledge and perceptions of menstruation and menstrual products. The online survey showed a correlation between the extent of received ME, and respondents' perception of menstrual products. This implied that a MEME program could change perceptions when conducted systematically; by extension it could ameliorate menstruation challenges attributed to poverty. Future research could further verify the effectiveness of the MEME program, using a larger sample, and examine its suitability for incorporation into official ME curricula at universities and companies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered in a Clinical Research Information Service in Korea linked with the World Health Organization's International Clinical Trial Registry Platform (WHO's ICTRP) (no. KCT0004715 ), Registered 07 Feb 2020.

The Purpose of Bedside Robots: Exploring the Needs of Inpatients and Healthcare Professionals.

Robotic systems are used to support inpatients and healthcare professionals and to improve the efficiency and quality of nursing. There is a lack of scientific literature on how applied robotic systems can be used to support inpatients. This study uses surveys and focus group interviews to identify the necessary aspects and functions of bedside robots for inpatients. A total of 90 healthcare professionals and 108 inpatients completed the questionnaire, and four physicians and five nurses participated in the focus group interviews. The most highly desired functionalities were related to patient care and monitoring, including alerting staff, measuring vital signs, and sensing falls. Nurses and physicians reported different needs for human-robot interaction. Nurses valued robotic functions such as nonverbal expression recognition, automatic movement, content suggestion, and emotional expressions. The results of the patients' open-ended questions and healthcare professionals' focus groups indicate that the purpose of the robots should primarily be treatment and nursing. Participants believe bedside robots would be helpful but have concerns regarding safety and utility. This study attempts to determine which aspects of robots may increase their acceptance. Our findings suggest that if robots are used in healthcare institutions, they may improve the effectiveness of care.

Application Design for Child Obesity Management Based on Users' Preferences and Needs.

This study aimed to investigate the constructive preferences and needs of children and guardians in a child obesity management application, and to suggest and visualize the key features of its design. To reflect users' preferences and needs, the questionnaires used in this study were developed in four stages: draft, validity test, review, and final version. The survey was conducted with fifth and sixth grade children who are overweight or obese and their guardians. Differences were observed by gender and between children and guardians with respect to children's perceived body shape, technology experience and preferences, preferred obesity management method, application design, exercise and diet-related features, preferred partner for obesity management, and preferred reward after mission completion. Our study suggests and visualizes the key features of a child obesity management application for both children and guardians based on their preferences and needs, which can be utilized by both application developers and researchers.

Health Information Technology Trends in Social Media: Using Twitter Data.

OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed the health technology trends and sentiments of users using Twitter data in an attempt to examine the public's opinions and identify their needs. METHODS: Twitter data related to health technology, from January 2010 to October 2016, were collected. An ontology related to health technology was developed. Frequently occurring keywords were analyzed and visualized with the word cloud technique. The keywords were then reclassified and analyzed using the developed ontology and sentiment dictionary. Python and the R program were used for crawling, natural language processing, and sentiment analysis. RESULTS: In the developed ontology, the keywords are divided into 'health technology' and 'health information'. Under health technology, there are are six subcategories, namely, health technology, wearable technology, biotechnology, mobile health, medical technology, and telemedicine. Under health information, there are four subcategories, namely, health information, privacy, clinical informatics, and consumer health informatics. The number of tweets about health technology has consistently increased since 2010; the number of posts in 2014 was double that in 2010, which was about 150 thousand posts. Posts about mHealth accounted for the majority, and the dominant words were 'care', 'new', 'mental', and 'fitness'. Sentiment analysis by subcategory showed that most of the posts in nearly all subcategories had a positive tone with a positive score. CONCLUSIONS: Interests in mHealth have risen recently, and consequently, posts about mHealth were the most frequent. Examining social media users' responses to new health technology can be a useful method to understand the trends in rapidly evolving fields.