Exploring the Latest Advances in Public Health and Epidemiology Informatics.

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this review was to identify and analyze the most recent research and prevailing trends in the field of Public Health and Epidemiology Informatics (PHEI).

Methods: We adopted a methodical search approach that was similar to the one used in the previous edition of the PHEI section's synopsis. We conducted a thorough search on PubMed using an extensive range of keywords that cover topics related to public health, epidemiological surveillance, and medical informatics. As a result, there were 840 publications found on PHEI. The three section editors carefully examined the references. Afterwards, nine articles were selected as potential contenders for the "best paper" awards. The candidates underwent a thorough peer-review process that included six external reviewers, as well as the section editors and the two chief editors of the IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics. Every paper was subjected to a total of five reviews.

Results: The search yielded 840 references, and after review of the nine "best paper" candidates, only two papers emerged as strong contenders for the "best paper" award. The first candidate paper, which received a broader consensus, explored the integration of clinical language models in medicine. This model envisioned working alongside physicians, providing real-time guidance at the point of care. The second candidate fo-cused on developing personalized digital interventions to effectively increase short-term physical activity.

Conclusion: The recent PHEI section review has identified a significant rise in the quantity of pertinent stud-ies in comparison to the previous edition. The search strategy for this year incorporated precision medicine-related keywords for the first time, which may have led to an increased number of retrieved publications specifically related to PHEI.