The implementation of new technologies in healthcare opens a variety of new opportunities for clinical systems. In order to provide a thorough implementation of technology, the informaticists evaluate the evidence of the positive influence that the considered technologies offer to the clinical processes and develop clinical system strategies. In the process of formulating the strategy, the specialists frequently turn to the existing body of knowledge on the topic and previous research. This paper is purposed to analyze different approaches to developing clinical systems designed to improve outcomes and efficiencies of various clinical processes.
Adomavičienė, A., Daunoravičienė, K., Kubilius, R., Varžaitytė, L., & Raistenskis, J. (2019). Influence of new technologies on post-stroke rehabilitation: A comparison of Armeo Spring to the Kinect System. Medicina, 55(4), 1-12. Web.
The study conducted by Adomavičienė et al. (2019) focuses on the application of new technologies in the cases of post-stroke rehabilitation and compares the results of the application of two clinical systems. Armeo Spring robot-assisted trainer focuses on reshaping the cortical and transcallosal plasticity. The Kinect-based system features virtual games that make the therapy enjoyable and provides feedback on the exercises’ execution and attainment of individual activity goals. According to the authors, the use of new technologies in the rehabilitation process improves the recovery time of motor and cognitive functions. The results of the study showed that even short-term introduction of the training program that includes new technologies had a significant effect on the improvement of post-stroke recovery with increased upper limb motor ability.
The authors suggest the use of new technologies through robot-assistive devices or VR systems in recovery therapies. The study results showed that even a two-week training program could positively influence the mobility of upper limbs, constructive visual abilities, and reduce the level of anxiety. According to Adomavičienė et al. (2019), it is important to carefully select activities that feature opportunities for new technologies for each specific impairment. As for comparison, the authors imply that the Armeo robot-assisted devices are more comfortable to use as they could be modified for each patient and ensure accurate overcoming of limitations.
den Bakker, C. M., Schaafsma, F. G., van der Meij, E., Meijerink, W. J., van den Heuvel, B., Baan, A. H., Davids, P. H., Scholten, P. C., van der Meij, S., van Baal, W. M., van Dalsen, A. D., Lips, D. J., van der Steeg, J. W., Leclercq, W. K., Geomini, P. M., Consten, E. C., Schraffordt Koops, S. E., de Castro, S. M., van Kesteren, P. J., Cense, H. A., … Anema, J. R. (2019). Electronic health program to empower patients in returning to normal activities after general surgical and gynecological procedures: Intervention mapping as a useful method for further development. Journal of medical Internet research, 21(2), 1-16. Web.
In their article, den Bakker et al. (2019) explored the use of the electronic health intervention (eHealth) and focused on the development of Intervention Mapping (IM) to fit a broad population of patients. The eHealth intervention goals were to achieve earlier recovery for patients after general or gynecological surgery. The program development involved healthcare professionals and patients and addressed the patients’ needs with friendly interfaces of the developed mobile app and activity trackers. The study included results from more than a hundred patients and multiple gynecologists. The eHealth intervention was noted as effective by almost three-quarters of the elected patients, and most gynecology professionals were satisfied with the intervention results. The authors emphasize that 95% of the health care professionals stated that they would recommend the program to their patients.
The study conducted by den Bakker et al. (2019) highlights how the utilization of simple and user-friendly technologies like web portals and mobile apps could improve the recovery process and speed up the patient’s return to work and normal activities. The monitoring of post-operation recovery and activity resumption are frequently missing after the patient’s discharge from the hospital. Through the monitoring and provision of interactive feedback, the eHealth intervention was able to speed up the recovery process for patients. The patients were also able to participate in the eHealth intervention development and make adjustments that would address their concerns. The authors address that one of the possible limitations of the study is that the development process closely addresses the issues expressed by the healthcare professionals and patients but did not consider significant input from the nurses’ perspective. However, addressing the case, the authors state that they have conducted meetings with nurses during one of the steps in the program’s development, which should be enough for the study.
Mustafa, S. S., Staicu, M. L., Yang, L., Baumeister, T., Vadamalai, K., & Ramsey, A. (2020). Inpatient electronic consultations (E-consults) in allergy/immunology. The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice, 8(9), 2968–2973. Web.
The study conducted by Mustafa et al. (2020) focuses on electronic consultations (e-consults) and provides data for e-consults in inpatient allergy/immunology. The theme became relevant due to the conditions of the recent coronavirus pandemic. E-consults were presented as a strategy to improve allergy/immunology access in inpatient settings during the pandemic. According to the authors, e-consults are feasible and less costly (Mustafa et al., 2020). The improvement of outcomes from the use of e-consults included shorter periods for consultation, lowered turnaround time to complete consultation, increased level of patients’ satisfaction with the consultation, and cost-saving for the health system.
The study was based on 109 inpatient consults conducted in Rochester General Hospital (RGH), from which 78 were performed through e-consult, and the rest of the consults were completed in an in-person setting. According to the study, the majority of the consultations were evaluations of a history of penicillin allergy (Mustafa et al., 2020). The percentage of male and female participants was almost equal in both in-person consultations and e-consults, and also, patients’ age interval was similar in both methods of consults. However, e-consults were completed in significantly shorter time frames (10-15 minutes) than 45-60 minutes long in-person consultations. Regardless of the performed type of consult, the management recommendations were followed in 88% of cases.
Porciuncula, F., Roto, A. V., Kumar, D., Davis, I., Roy, S., Walsh, C. J., & Awad, L. N. (2018). Wearable movement sensors for rehabilitation: A focused review of technological and clinical advances. PM & R: The Journal of Injury, Function, and Rehabilitation, 10, S220–S232. Web.
The study conducted by Porciuncula et al. (2018) focuses on technologies that allowed the creation of portable and low-cost movement sensors and their application in the rehabilitation processes. According to the authors, wearable sensors could be utilized in clinical settings for cases of stroke rehabilitation, movement disorders, osteoarthritis, and different kinds of limb injuries. The article implies that the next generation of motion sensors would feature the ability to monitor neural activity and muscle work during movements.
In their article, Porciuncula et al. (2018) reviewed several studies focused on orthopedic rehabilitation of movements disorders from stroke and knee osteoarthritis. The review considered clinical applications of already available commercial technology and next-generation wearable sensors. The study results show that the potential use of movement data could improve examination processes across various systems. The authors state that kinematic motions measured through wearable sensors could help to develop precision medicine and computational models in recovery. The authors also admit that their review is more focused on discussing available and developing sensor technologies and their possible clinical applications rather than on a systematic review of existing literature.
In conclusion, all four research articles focus on clinical systems developed to improve outcomes and efficiencies in different cases and diagnoses. In synthesizing the articles, one could assume that the implementation of new technologies is more common in rehabilitation processes. As it appears, the use of new technologies and technological devices is more welcomed in improving the acceleration of the patients’ recovery and in eliminating impairments like movement disorder. Both improvements are geared towards improvement in patients’ ability to be active and perform daily tasks. In other cases, clinical systems could improve the timing of the clinical processes and reduce the time spending required for specific procedures and reduce some of the additional costs.
References
Adomavičienė, A., Daunoravičienė, K., Kubilius, R., Varžaitytė, L., & Raistenskis, J. (2019). Influence of new technologies on post-stroke rehabilitation: A comparison of Armeo Spring to the Kinect System. Medicina, 55(4), 1-12. Web.
den Bakker, C. M., Schaafsma, F. G., van der Meij, E., Meijerink, W. J., van den Heuvel, B., Baan, A. H., Davids, P. H., Scholten, P. C., van der Meij, S., van Baal, W. M., van Dalsen, A. D., Lips, D. J., van der Steeg, J. W., Leclercq, W. K., Geomini, P. M., Consten, E. C., Schraffordt Koops, S. E., de Castro, S. M., van Kesteren, P. J., Cense, H. A., … Anema, J. R. (2019). Electronic health program to empower patients in returning to normal activities after general surgical and gynecological procedures: Intervention mapping as a useful method for further development. Journal of medical Internet research, 21(2), 1-16. Web.
Mustafa, S. S., Staicu, M. L., Yang, L., Baumeister, T., Vadamalai, K., & Ramsey, A. (2020). Inpatient electronic consultations (E-consults) in allergy/immunology. The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice, 8(9), 2968–2973. Web.
Porciuncula, F., Roto, A. V., Kumar, D., Davis, I., Roy, S., Walsh, C. J., & Awad, L. N. (2018). Wearable movement sensors for rehabilitation: A focused review of technological and clinical advances. PM & R: The Journal of Injury, Function, and Rehabilitation, 10, S220–S232. Web.