Artificial intelligence-enhanced care pathway planning and scheduling system: content validity assessment of required functionalities.

BACKGROUND: Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are transforming the optimization of clinical and patient workflows in healthcare. There is a need for research to specify clinical requirements for AI-enhanced care pathway planning and scheduling systems to improve human-AI interaction in machine learning applications. The aim of this study was to assess content validity and prioritize the most relevant functionalities of an AI-enhanced care pathway planning and scheduling system. METHODS: A prospective content validity assessment was conducted in five university hospitals in three different countries using an electronic survey. The content of the survey was formed from clinical requirements, which were formulated into generic statements of required AI functionalities. The relevancy of each statement was evaluated using a content validity index. In addition, weighted ranking points were calculated to prioritize the most relevant functionalities of an AI-enhanced care pathway planning and scheduling system. RESULTS: A total of 50 responses were received from clinical professionals from three European countries. An item-level content validity index ranged from 0.42 to 0.96. 45% of the generic statements were considered good. The highest ranked functionalities for an AI-enhanced care pathway planning and scheduling system were related to risk assessment, patient profiling, and resources. The highest ranked functionalities for the user interface were related to the explainability of machine learning models. CONCLUSION: This study provided a comprehensive list of functionalities that can be used to design future AI-enhanced solutions and evaluate the designed solutions against requirements. The relevance of statements concerning the AI functionalities were considered somewhat relevant, which might be due to the low level or organizational readiness for AI in healthcare.

The university hospital as a hub for connected health: Oulu Healthworld, Northern Scandinavia.

Health care systems need to enhance health care delivery through innovation in order to meet future challenges. To accomplish this, technological expertize and research were combined to form an innovative health care system called "Oulu Healthworld", which allows SMEs, the public and the third sector to cooperatively implement new technology solutions. The use of existing know-how, competencies and synergies can generate high quality and cost-effective health services and products to meet future demands on health care systems.

The e-Health Implementation Toolkit: qualitative evaluation across four European countries.

BACKGROUND: Implementation researchers have attempted to overcome the research-practice gap in e-health by developing tools that summarize and synthesize research evidence of factors that impede or facilitate implementation of innovation in healthcare settings. The e-Health Implementation Toolkit (e-HIT) is an example of such a tool that was designed within the context of the United Kingdom National Health Service to promote implementation of e-health services. Its utility in international settings is unknown. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative evaluation of the e-HIT in use across four countries--Finland, Norway, Scotland, and Sweden. Data were generated using a combination of interview approaches (n = 22) to document e-HIT users' experiences of the tool to guide decision making about the selection of e-health pilot services and to monitor their progress over time. RESULTS: e-HIT users evaluated the tool positively in terms of its scope to organize and enhance their critical thinking about their implementation work and, importantly, to facilitate discussion between those involved in that work. It was easy to use in either its paper- or web-based format, and its visual elements were positively received. There were some minor criticisms of the e-HIT with some suggestions for content changes and comments about its design as a generic tool (rather than specific to sites and e-health services). However, overall, e-HIT users considered it to be a highly workable tool that they found useful, which they would use again, and which they would recommend to other e-health implementers. CONCLUSION: The use of the e-HIT is feasible and acceptable in a range of international contexts by a range of professionals for a range of different e-health systems.

Transnational comparison: A retrospective study on e-health in sparsely populated areas of the northern periphery.

Healthcare delivery in the northern periphery of Europe is challenged by dispersed populations, geographical complexities (including mountainous terrain and inhabited islands), ageing populations, and rising patient expectations. It is challenged further by variations in transport networks and information communication technology infrastructure. This article provides an overview of e-health development across the northern periphery areas of four northern European countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Scotland) by summarizing the outcomes of a mixed methods e-health mapping exercise and subsequently identifying service needs and gaps. A total of 148 applications, with a range of applied e-health solutions, were identified and the findings have promoted the sharing and transfer of e-health innovation across the four countries. The supporting telecommunications infrastructure and development of innovative telemedicine appear slower in sparsely populated areas of Scotland in comparison to its northern peripheral counterparts. All four countries have, however, demonstrated a clear commitment to the development of e-health within their remote and rural regions.