{"title":"Examining Individuals' Use of the Internet for Health Care Activities Over Time: Results from the US National Health Interview Survey.","authors":"Zachary Junkins, Nusrath Zahan, David Neyens","doi":"10.2196/58362","DOIUrl":"10.2196/58362","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Telehealth is an increasingly important component of health care services. Telehealth services may present an opportunity to increase the equity, accessibility, and effectiveness of health care. As such, it is critical that telehealth design focuses on reducing the barriers to access and usability that may impair some telehealth users.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>Our goal was to identify different demographic characteristics, behaviors, or opinions that may predict groups who are likely to face a barrier to using telehealth services.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used data from the National Health Interview Survey and multiple logit regression models focused on different aspects of telehealth to examine three different avenues of telehealth service: looking up health information using the internet, scheduling an appointment using the internet, and communicating with a care provider through email using the internet in order to consider the ways in which different telehealth services may face different barriers.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our results suggest that middle-aged (36-55 years old) and older adult (56-85 years old) respondents were significantly less likely to look up health information using the internet or schedule an appointment using the internet versus younger individuals (18-35 years old). Specifically, our analysis found that middle-aged adults were found to have a higher odds ratio than older adults (0.83 vs 0.65) for looking up health information using the internet. We also found that there were differences in age groups for using technology to perform health care-related tasks. In terms of searching for health information using the internet and scheduling appointments using the internet, we found differences between men and women, with women being significantly more likely than men to look up health information using the internet, schedule an appointment using the internet, and communicate with a care provider through email using the internet. Across all the investigated variables, we found that the rates of using the internet for looking up health information, scheduling an appointment, and communicating with a care provider over email increased substantially across the study period. The impact of costs was inconsistent across the different models in our analysis. We also found that there is a strong correlation between respondents' collaboration in their personal health and the likelihood that they would use telehealth services to meet these needs.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This analysis provides an exploratory look at the data to highlight barriers that may impact a user's ability to access telehealth services in the context of other potential predictor variables to account for the real-world variability that these may present. Future work should examine the complex relationships of those variables and understand how these interactions are correlated with the responde","PeriodicalId":36351,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Human Factors","volume":"12 ","pages":"e58362"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11904363/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143516892","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frances Lynch, Julie Cavese, Lucy Fulton, Nancy Vuckovic, David Brent
{"title":"Provider Perspectives on the Use of Mental Health Apps, and the BritePath App in Particular, With Adolescents at Risk for Suicidal Behavior: Qualitative Study.","authors":"Frances Lynch, Julie Cavese, Lucy Fulton, Nancy Vuckovic, David Brent","doi":"10.2196/64867","DOIUrl":"10.2196/64867","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Many youth with significant mental health concerns face limited access to mental health services. Digital programs, such as mobile apps designed to address mental health issues, have the potential to expand access to strategies for managing these conditions. However, few mental health apps are specifically designed for youth experiencing severe concerns, such as suicidal ideation. BritePath is a new app developed to enhance communication and interaction between providers and youth at risk for suicidal behavior.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aims to explore health care providers' opinions and concerns regarding the use of mental health apps for youth at significant risk of suicidal behavior.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted individual semistructured interviews with 17 providers across 7 states. Interviews were conducted via video, recorded, and transcribed. Codes were developed using a team-based approach, with discrepancies resolved through team discussions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most providers were aware of mental health apps in general and expressed interest in trying the BritePath app with patients experiencing depression, suicidality, or both. Analyses identified 4 key themes related to mental health apps: (1) almost all providers viewed mental health apps as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, psychotherapy visits; (2) most providers were concerned about the cost of apps and youth access to them; (3) providers noted the challenge of maintaining patient engagement with apps over time; and (4) providers were concerned about patient privacy, in terms of both data shared with app developers and data privacy within families. Analyses of providers' opinions specifically about the BritePath app identified 4 additional themes: (1) providers believed that access to safety plans within BritePath could be beneficial for youth at risk for suicidal behavior; (2) providers reported that BritePath's interactive features could enhance communication between providers and youth; (3) providers appreciated BritePath's flexibility and the ability for both youth and providers to tailor its content to individual needs; and (4) providers expressed concerns about integrating BritePath into clinical workflows within health systems.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The use of mental health apps is expanding, yet there is limited understanding of how to effectively integrate these tools into mental health treatment. Providers are increasingly referring patients to mental health apps, and most expressed interest in trying the BritePath app for patients with depression, suicidality, or both. However, providers also identified several concerns, particularly regarding privacy and safety.</p>","PeriodicalId":36351,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Human Factors","volume":"12 ","pages":"e64867"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11904364/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143516997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the Impact of Digital Peer Support Services on Meeting Unmet Needs Within an Employee Assistance Program: Retrospective Cohort Study.","authors":"Harpreet Nagra, Robert A Mines, Zara Dana","doi":"10.2196/68221","DOIUrl":"10.2196/68221","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 4 people worldwide will experience a mental disorder in their lifetime, highlighting the need for accessible support.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study evaluates the integration of digital peer support (DPS) into an employee assistance program (EAP), testing 3 hypotheses: (1) DPS may be associated with changes in EAP counseling utilization within a 5-session model; (2) DPS users experience reduced sadness, loneliness, and stress; and (3) DPS integration generates a positive social return on investment (SROI).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study analyzed EAP utilization within a 5-session model using pre-post analysis, sentiment changes during DPS chats via natural language processing models, and SROI outcomes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 587 DPS chats, 432 (73.6%) occurred after business hours, emphasizing the importance of 24/7 availability. A matched cohort analysis (n=72) showed that DPS reduced therapy sessions by 2.07 per participant (P<.001; Cohen d=1.77). Users' messages were evaluated for sentiments of sadness, loneliness, and stress on a 1-10 scale. Significant reductions were observed: loneliness decreased by 55.04% (6.91 to 3.11), sadness by 57.5% (6.84 to 2.91), and stress by 56.57% (6.78 to 2.95). SROI analysis demonstrated value-to-investment ratios of US $1.66 (loneliness), US $2.50 (stress), and US $2.58 (sadness) per dollar invested.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Integrating DPS into EAPs provides significant benefits, including increased access, improved emotional outcomes, and a high SROI, reinforcing its value within emotional health support ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":36351,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Human Factors","volume":"12 ","pages":"e68221"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11897672/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143493887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hamza Ejaz, Hon Lung Keith Tsui, Mehul Patel, Luis Rafael Ulloa Paredes, Ellen Knights, Shah Bakht Aftab, Christian Peter Subbe
{"title":"Comparison of a Novel Machine Learning-Based Clinical Query Platform With Traditional Guideline Searches for Hospital Emergencies: Prospective Pilot Study of User Experience and Time Efficiency.","authors":"Hamza Ejaz, Hon Lung Keith Tsui, Mehul Patel, Luis Rafael Ulloa Paredes, Ellen Knights, Shah Bakht Aftab, Christian Peter Subbe","doi":"10.2196/52358","DOIUrl":"10.2196/52358","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Unlabelled: </strong></p><p><strong>Background: </strong>Emergency and acute medicine doctors require easily accessible evidence-based information to safely manage a wide range of clinical presentations. The inability to find evidence-based local guidelines on the trust's intranet leads to information retrieval from the World Wide Web. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to make evidence-based information retrieval faster and easier.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The aim of the study is to conduct a time-motion analysis, comparing cohorts of junior doctors using (1) an AI-supported search engine versus (2) the traditional hospital intranet. The study also aims to examine the impact of the AI-supported search engine on the duration of searches and workflow when seeking answers to clinical queries at the point of care.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This pre- and postobservational study was conducted in 2 phases. In the first phase, clinical information searches by 10 doctors caring for acutely unwell patients in acute medicine were observed during 10 working days. Based on these findings and input from a focus group of 14 clinicians, an AI-supported, context-sensitive search engine was implemented. In the second phase, clinical practice was observed for 10 doctors for an additional 10 working days using the new search engine.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The hospital intranet group (n=10) had a median of 23 months of clinical experience, while the AI-supported search engine group (n=10) had a median of 54 months. Participants using the AI-supported engine conducted fewer searches. User satisfaction and query resolution rates were similar between the 2 phases. Searches with the AI-supported engine took 43 seconds longer on average. Clinicians rated the new app with a favorable Net Promoter Score of 20.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We report a successful feasibility pilot of an AI-driven search engine for clinical guidelines. Further development of the engine including the incorporation of large language models might improve accuracy and speed. More research is required to establish clinical impact in different user groups. Focusing on new staff at beginning of their post might be the most suitable study design.</p>","PeriodicalId":36351,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Human Factors","volume":"12 ","pages":"e52358"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11878475/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143504504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evaluation of Satisfaction With a Secure, Connected Mobile App for Women in Assisted Reproductive Technology Programs: Prospective Observational Study.","authors":"Pauline Plouvier, Romaric Marcilly, Geoffroy Robin, Chaymae Benamar, Camille Robin, Virginie Simon, Anne Sophie Piau, Isabelle Cambay, Jessica Schiro, Christine Decanter","doi":"10.2196/63570","DOIUrl":"10.2196/63570","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Telemedicine has emerged rapidly as a novel and secure tool to deliver medical information and prescriptions. A secure, connected health care app (WiStim) has been developed in order to facilitate dialogue between patients and the medical team during an ovarian stimulation cycle for medically assisted reproduction (MAR).</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to evaluate the patients' and midwives' levels of satisfaction with the connected mobile app.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a prospective, observational, single-center study at Lille University Hospital, France. From May 1 to July 31, 2021, all women undergoing ovarian stimulation started to receive their treatment advice through the mobile app. A total of 184 women were included and they filled out the 30-item Usefulness Satisfaction and Ease-of-Use (USE) questionnaire, which examines the users' opinions in 4 dimensions: usefulness, ease of use, ease of learning, and satisfaction. The women also answered a series of closed and open questions. The 5 midwives in our assisted reproductive technology center filled out the French version of the 10-item System Usability Scale (SUS) when the app was implemented and then after 3 and 6 months of use. We also performed semistructured interviews with the midwives.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, 183 women using the app completed the questionnaire. None refused to use the app, and 1 withdrew from the study. The mean scores for the four USE dimensions were all significantly greater than 4, that is, the middle of the response scale. The women liked the app's ease of use, the access to tutorial videos, and the reminders about appointments and treatments. In particular, the women liked to be able to (re)read the information; this reassured them, might have reduced the number of missed appointments and treatments, and made them more independent during the day, especially when they were working. Some of the women regretted the loss of direct contact with the midwife. The mean SUS score was 76 (SD 13.54) at the start of the study, 75 (SD 17.16) after 3 months, and 84 (11.21) after 6 months. According to the adjective rating scale, these scores corresponded to good usability for the app. After the requisite training and a familiarization period, the midwives reported that using the app saved them 2 hours a day. The mobile app enabled better transmission of information and thus probably helped to decrease treatment errors.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The WiStim connected mobile app is one of the first reliable, secure apps in the field of MAR. The app reassured the patients during the ovarian stimulation. Women and the medical team considered that the app was easy and intuitive to use. Given the growth in demand for MAR programs and the medical team's workload, the time savings provided by the app constitute a nonnegligible advantage.</p>","PeriodicalId":36351,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Human Factors","volume":"12 ","pages":"e63570"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11894345/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143493885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fiona Hore-Lacy, Christina Dimitriadis, Ryan F Hoy, Javier Jimenez-Martin, Malcolm R Sim, Jane Fisher, Deborah C Glass, Karen Walker-Bone
{"title":"Screening Workers for Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica: Development and Usability of an Electronic Data Capture Tool.","authors":"Fiona Hore-Lacy, Christina Dimitriadis, Ryan F Hoy, Javier Jimenez-Martin, Malcolm R Sim, Jane Fisher, Deborah C Glass, Karen Walker-Bone","doi":"10.2196/64111","DOIUrl":"10.2196/64111","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cases of the occupational lung disease silicosis have been identified in workers processing artificial stone in the stone benchtop industry (SBI). In the Australian state of Victoria, the Regulator commissioned a screening program for all workers in this industry.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To facilitate systematic data collection, including high-quality exposure assessment, an electronic data capture tool (EDCT) was developed.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A multidisciplinary team developed an EDCT using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap; Vanderbilt University). The needs of the EDCT were (1) data entry by multiple clinicians and the workers attending for screening and (2) systematic collection of data for clinical and research purposes. The comprehensibility and utility of the tool were investigated with a sample of workers, and the EDCT was subsequently refined.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The EDCT was used in clinical practice, with capacity for data extraction for research. Testing of comprehension and utility was undertaken with 15 workers, and the refined version of the Occupational Silica Exposure Assessment Tool (OSEAT) was subsequently developed.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The refined OSEAT has been determined to be comprehensible to workers and capable of collecting exposure data suitable for assessment of risk of silicosis. It was developed for workers in the SBI in Australia and is adaptable, including translation into other languages. It can also be modified for SBI workers in other countries and for use by workers from other industries (mining, construction) at risk of silica exposure, including in lower-income settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":36351,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Human Factors","volume":"12 ","pages":"e64111"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11875104/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143493888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aida Midgett, Diana M Doumas, Claudia Peralta, Matt Peck, Blaine Reilly, Mary K Buller
{"title":"Usability Testing of a Bystander Bullying Intervention for Rural Middle Schools: Mixed Methods Study.","authors":"Aida Midgett, Diana M Doumas, Claudia Peralta, Matt Peck, Blaine Reilly, Mary K Buller","doi":"10.2196/67962","DOIUrl":"10.2196/67962","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Targets of bullying are at high risk of negative socioemotional outcomes. Bullying programming in rural schools is important as bullying is more prevalent in those schools compared to urban schools. Comprehensive, school-wide bullying programs require resources that create significant barriers to implementation for rural schools. Because technology-based programs can reduce implementation barriers, the development of a technology-based program increases access to bullying prevention in rural settings.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We aimed to conduct usability testing of a bystander bullying intervention (STAC-T). We assessed usability and acceptability of the STAC-T application and differences in usability between school personnel and students. We were also interested in qualitative feedback about usability, program features, and feasibility.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A sample of 21 participants (n=10, 48% school personnel; n=11, 52% students) recruited from 2 rural middle schools in 2 states completed usability testing and a qualitative interview. We used descriptive statistics and 2-tailed independent-sample t tests to assess usability and program satisfaction. We used consensual qualitative research as a framework to extract themes about usefulness, relevance, needs, barriers, and feedback for intervention development.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Usability testing indicated that the application was easy to use, acceptable, and feasible. School personnel (mean score 96.0, SD 3.9) and students (mean score 88.6, SD 9.5) rated the application well above the standard cutoff score for above-average usability (68.0). School personnel (mean score 6.10, SD 0.32) and students (mean score 6.09, SD 0.30) gave the application high user-friendliness ratings (0-7 scale; 7 indicates highest user-friendliness). All 10 school personnel stated they would recommend the program to others, and 90% (9/10) rated the program with 4 or 5 stars. Among students, 91% (10/11) stated they would recommend the program to others, and 100% (11/11) rated the program with 4 or 5 stars. There were no statistically significant differences in ratings between school personnel and students. Qualitative data revealed school personnel and students found the application useful, relevant, and appropriate while providing feedback about the importance of text narration and the need for teacher and parent training to accompany the student program. The data showed that school personnel and students found a tracker to report different types of bullying witnessed and strategies used to intervene by students a useful addition to STAC-T. School personnel reported perceiving the program to be practical and very likely to be adopted by schools, with time, cost, and accessibility being potential barriers. Overall, findings suggest that the STAC-T application has the potential to increase access to bullying prevention for students in rural communities.</","PeriodicalId":36351,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Human Factors","volume":"12 ","pages":"e67962"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11890133/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143473087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mohammed A Tahtali, Chris C P Snijders, Corné W G M Dirne, Pascale M Le Blanc
{"title":"Prioritizing Trust in Podiatrists' Preference for AI in Supportive Roles Over Diagnostic Roles in Health Care: Qualitative Interview and Focus Group Study.","authors":"Mohammed A Tahtali, Chris C P Snijders, Corné W G M Dirne, Pascale M Le Blanc","doi":"10.2196/59010","DOIUrl":"10.2196/59010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>As artificial intelligence (AI) evolves, its roles have expanded from helping out with routine tasks to making complex decisions, once the exclusive domain of human experts. This shift is pronounced in health care, where AI aids in tasks ranging from image recognition in radiology to personalized treatment plans, demonstrating the potential to, at times, surpass human accuracy and efficiency. Despite AI's accuracy in some critical tasks, the adoption of AI in health care is a challenge, in part because of skepticism about being able to rely on AI decisions.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to identify and delve into more effective and acceptable ways of integrating AI into a broader spectrum of health care tasks.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We included 2 qualitative phases to explore podiatrists' views on AI in health care. Initially, we interviewed 9 podiatrists (7 women and 2 men) with a mean age of 41 (SD 12) years and aimed to capture their sentiments regarding the use and role of AI in their work. Subsequently, a focus group with 5 podiatrists (4 women and 1 man) with a mean age of 54 (SD 10) years delved into AI's supportive and diagnostic roles on the basis of the interviews. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Atlas.ti and QDA-Miner, using both thematic analysis for broad patterns and framework analysis for structured insights per established guidelines.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our research unveiled 9 themes and 3 subthemes, clarifying podiatrists' nuanced views on AI in health care. Key overlapping insights in the 2 phases included a preference for using AI in supportive roles, such as triage, because of its efficiency and process optimization capabilities. There is a discernible hesitancy toward leveraging AI for diagnostic purposes, driven by concerns regarding its accuracy and the essential nature of human expertise. The need for transparency and explainability in AI systems emerged as a critical factor for fostering trust in both phases.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings highlight a complex view from podiatrists on AI, showing openness to its application in supportive roles while exercising caution with diagnostic use. This result is consistent with a careful introduction of AI into health care in roles, such as triage, in which there is initial trust, as opposed to roles that ask the AI for a complete diagnosis. Such strategic adoption can mitigate initial resistance, gradually building the confidence to explore AI's capabilities in more nuanced tasks, including diagnostics, where skepticism is currently more pronounced. Adopting AI stepwise could thus enhance trust and acceptance across a broader range of health care tasks, aligning technology integration with professional comfort and patient care standards.</p>","PeriodicalId":36351,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Human Factors","volume":"12 ","pages":"e59010"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11890136/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143473070","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abdul-Fatawu Abdulai, Cam Duong, Eleni Stroulia, Efrat Czerniak, Rachel Chiu, Aashay Mehta, Ken Koike, Wendy V Norman
{"title":"A Health Professional Mentorship Platform to Improve Equitable Access to Abortion: Development, Usability, and Content Evaluation.","authors":"Abdul-Fatawu Abdulai, Cam Duong, Eleni Stroulia, Efrat Czerniak, Rachel Chiu, Aashay Mehta, Ken Koike, Wendy V Norman","doi":"10.2196/63364","DOIUrl":"10.2196/63364","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Access to safe abortion care is a reproductive right for all individuals across Canada. Underserved populations are overrepresented among those with unintended pregnancies and particularly those seeking abortion. Yet, few resources exist to help health care and allied helping professionals provide culturally competent and gender-affirming abortion care to such a population group.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This project aimed to redesign and adapt an existing subscription-based medication abortion mentorship platform into a culturally appropriate and gender-affirming open-access website of curated health professional resources to promote equitable, accessible, high-quality abortion care, particularly for underserved populations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We drew on a user-centered design framework to redesign the web platform in 5 iterative phases. Health care and allied helping professionals were engaged in each stage of the development process including the initial design of the platform, curation of the resources, review of the content, and evaluation of the wireframes and the end product.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>This project resulted in an open-access bilingual (English and French) web-based platform containing comprehensive information and resources on abortion care for health care providers (physicians, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists) and allied helping professionals (midwives, medical officers, community workers, and social workers). The website incorporated information on clinical, logistical, and administrative guidance, including culturally competent and gender-affirming toolkits that could equip health care professionals with the requisite knowledge to provide abortion care for underserved populations.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This platform contains resources that can increase the competencies of health care professionals to initiate and sustain culturally and contextually appropriate abortion care for underserved groups while clarifying myths and misconceptions that often militate against initiating abortion. Our resource also has the potential to support equitable access to high-quality abortion care, particularly for those among underserved populations who may have the greatest unmet need for abortion services yet face the greatest barriers to accessing care.</p>","PeriodicalId":36351,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Human Factors","volume":"12 ","pages":"e63364"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11864088/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143450500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An Explainable AI Application (AF'fective) to Support Monitoring of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation After Catheter Ablation: Qualitative Focus Group, Design Session, and Interview Study.","authors":"Wan Jou She, Panote Siriaraya, Hibiki Iwakoshi, Noriaki Kuwahara, Keitaro Senoo","doi":"10.2196/65923","DOIUrl":"10.2196/65923","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The opaque nature of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms has led to distrust in medical contexts, particularly in the treatment and monitoring of atrial fibrillation. Although previous studies in explainable AI have demonstrated potential to address this issue, they often focus solely on electrocardiography graphs and lack real-world field insights.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We addressed this gap by incorporating standardized clinical interpretation of electrocardiography graphs into the system and collaborating with cardiologists to co-design and evaluate this approach using real-world patient cases and data.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a 3-stage iterative design process with 23 cardiologists to co-design, evaluate, and pilot an explainable AI application. In the first stage, we identified 4 physician personas and 7 explainability strategies, which were reviewed in the second stage. A total of 4 strategies were deemed highly effective and feasible for pilot deployment. On the basis of these strategies, we developed a progressive web application and tested it with cardiologists in the third stage.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The final progressive web application prototype received above-average user experience evaluations and effectively motivated physicians to adopt it owing to its ease of use, reliable information, and explainable functionality. In addition, we gathered in-depth field insights from cardiologists who used the system in clinical contexts.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our study identified effective explainability strategies, emphasized the importance of curating actionable features and setting accurate expectations, and suggested that many of these insights could apply to other disease care contexts, paving the way for future real-world clinical evaluations.</p>","PeriodicalId":36351,"journal":{"name":"JMIR Human Factors","volume":"12 ","pages":"e65923"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11888073/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143415061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}