Health Policy and Technology最新文献

{"title":"Telemedicine uptake behaviors and predictors of its acceptance among community-dwelling older adults with chronic diseases","authors":"Su Wei Wan ,&nbsp;Lina Choe ,&nbsp;Gretel Jianlin Wong ,&nbsp;Wee Ling Koh ,&nbsp;Janelle Shaina Ng ,&nbsp;Wee Hian Tan ,&nbsp;Joanna Li Xin Ooi ,&nbsp;Jacquelyn Melody ,&nbsp;Jerrald Lau ,&nbsp;Ker Kan Tan","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.101007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.101007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This study aimed to identify the determinants of telemedicine acceptance among older adults with chronic disease in the primary care setting, for the purpose of promoting their adoption of these remote care approaches in future unprecedented global health emergencies.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A cross-sectional quantitative assessment of telemedicine acceptance and perception was conducted among 200 outpatients ≥ 65 years conveniently sampled from two primary care centres in Singapore. Multivariate linear regressions were used to identify significant predictors of intention-to-use behaviors.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Moderate levels of acceptability and perception were observed and about half of them (49 %) agreed to integrate telemedicine into existing care processes. Those with higher income (<em>p</em> = 0.003) or were more convinced of its benefits, ease of use, validation, plus a facilitative environment and positive impression of technology were more likely to utilise telemedicine (<em>r</em> = 0.19 to 0.84; all <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Among these factors, the perceived ability of telemedicine to enhance care was the strongest determinant (<em>β</em> = 0.39; <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Findings show that continued efforts to demonstrate the impact of telemedicine in improving patient-reported outcomes are desperately needed alongside attempts to maximise its potential and eliminate barriers to its uptake.</div></div><div><h3>Public interest summary</h3><div>Telemedicine remains a promising care coordination modality for the older population provided it can function and perform up to the desired expectations and needs. Given deep concerns about how telemedicine might affect care involvement, quality and the status of their clinical conditions, greater efforts to propel this transition through various avenues such as offering telemedicine as a complementary service will be essential.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 3","pages":"Article 101007"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143632090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does age matter? The impact of social media exposure on people's mental health","authors":"Yi-Hui Christine Huang,&nbsp;Ruoheng Liu,&nbsp;Leyi Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100997","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100997","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study investigates how social media exposure has affected individuals’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular emphasis on age differences. Given the contentious nature of this effect observed in previous research, the study innovatively tackles the issue through two approaches. Drawing on the <strong>protection motivation theory (PMT)</strong>, the study demonstrates the indirect effect of social media exposure via threat and coping appraisals, finding that the impact of social media on mental health largely depends on individuals’ concerns about the information exposed. Second, the study considers <strong>age</strong> as a contextual factor, examining the unique patterns observed within different age groups (young, middle-aged, and elderly).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A two-wave longitudinal panel study was conducted in Hong Kong from November 2021 to April 2022 (N = 1,153) to test the proposed framework.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Our findings support the utility of two appraisals as mediators and indicates that the young generation (aged 20–34) tends to adopt the coping appraisal to enhance their mental health. In contrast, middle-aged and elderly individuals employ threat appraisals to the detriment of their mental health.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These findings make theoretical contributions for the extension of the PMT on individuals’ mental health outcomes and provide valuable practical guidelines. Policymakers and health organizations should implement targeted communication strategies that emphasize coping appraisals for the general public. Also, crisis information should be tailored for different age groups, offering resilience techniques for younger populations and a balanced approach for middle-aged and elderly individuals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 3","pages":"Article 100997"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143628371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Overcoming vaccine hesitancy: Evidence from Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"Alessandro Del Ponte ,&nbsp;Audrey De Dominicis ,&nbsp;Paolo Canofari","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100996","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100996","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Here we investigate whether releasing COVID-19 vaccines at open-day events boosted Italy's vaccination campaign in 2021. This strategy exploits insights from psychology.</div></div><div><h3>Study design</h3><div>We built an original dataset covering 200 days of vaccination data in Italy, including “open day” events. Open-day events (in short: open days) are instances where COVID-19 vaccines were released only for a specific day at a specified location (usually, a large pavilion or a public building). Importantly, releasing vaccines through open days instead of the usual appointment channel leaves the supply of vaccines unaltered. Our dependent variables are the number of total and first doses administered in proportion to the eligible population. Our key independent variable is the presence of open-day events in a given region on a specific day.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We analyzed the data using regression with fixed effects for time and region. The analysis was robust to alternative model specifications.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>We find that when an open day event was organized, in proportion to the eligible population, there was an average 0.39–0.44 percentage point increase in total doses administered and a 0.30–0.33 percentage point increase in first doses administered. These figures correspond to an average increase of 10,455–11,796 in total doses administered and 8,043–8,847 in the first doses administered.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Releasing vaccines by organizing open-day events was associated with an increase in COVID-19 vaccinations in most Italian regions. These results call for further study of the effectiveness of open days to increase vaccinations and protect against other infectious diseases or future pandemics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 3","pages":"Article 100996"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143593430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Barriers to access to insulin pumps in Chile: A qualitative study of a high-cost technology","authors":"Báltica Cabieses ,&nbsp;Alexandra Obach ,&nbsp;Paula Madrid ,&nbsp;Daniela Paredes","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100992","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100992","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To investigate the barriers to accessing advanced insulin delivery system from the experiences of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM), family members, and treatment teams.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A qualitative study, taking a comprehensive approach, investigated a person's experience with T1DM and receiving insulin pump treatment, emphasizing the barriers to accessing it. A case study was conducted, considering a diverse range of individuals, including young patients, adult patients, family members or caregivers, and health professionals. Twenty-nine semi-structured individual interviews provided a rich and varied perspective on the issue.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>According to study participants, the main barriers to access to insulin pump treatment for T1DM patients in Chile were the following: (i) Geographic barriers, (ii) Socioeconomic barriers, (iii) Administrative barriers, and (iv) Barriers from health teams. Participants also identified emerging barriers related to the insulin pump's adaptation process.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Despite the barriers and bottlenecks identified, an effort to fill short gaps in access to insulin pump treatment by the Chilean health system is recognized. To keep improving in equitative access to high-cost treatments in T1DM and other chronic conditions, it is imperative to consider the active and meaningful participation of patients and their families in health decision-making. This can lead to more patient-centric and effective healthcare policies and practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 2","pages":"Article 100992"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143421446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Factors associated with adoption of electronic health record sharing system (eHRSS) among private physicians","authors":"Junjie Huang ,&nbsp;Wing Sze Pang ,&nbsp;Fung Yu Mak ,&nbsp;Yuet Yan Wong ,&nbsp;Sze Chai Chan ,&nbsp;Yingxin Guan ,&nbsp;Jonathan Poon ,&nbsp;Ellen Tong ,&nbsp;Clement SK Cheung ,&nbsp;Wing Nam Wong ,&nbsp;Ngai Tseung Cheung ,&nbsp;Chung Ping Ho ,&nbsp;Martin CS Wong","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100995","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100995","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aims to examine the adoption level of the electronic Medical Record (eMR) and Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHRSS) among private physicians, and to establish areas for service improvement by evaluating the perception of the eHealth App.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Invitation emails containing the self-administered questionnaires link were sent out to private physicians, by referring to the eHRSS list and internet resources. A descriptive analysis was performed, the outcome variables (eMR, eHRSS, eHealth App) were expressed as proportions. Binary logistic regression models were constructed for the primary outcome variable and the secondary outcome variable.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 744 surveys were received. 78.5 % of the respondents adopted the eMR and 91.9 % joined the eHRSS. Among them, more than 90 % visited eHRSS regularly. ‘More technical support on data upload (61.7 %), ‘improve the friendliness of the interface (46.2 %), and ‘more cooperation between eHRSS and other medical systems’ (45.0 %) were potential factors that encourage data uploading. Type of practising [with partners/group practice: adjusted odd rate (aOR): 2.64, p&lt;0.001], and participation in eHRSS (aOR: 6.66, p&lt;0.001) were significant factors that increased the adoption of the eMR. Younger (aged≤ 30, aOR: 0.157, p&lt;0.041) and older age group (aged≥ 61, aOR: 0.403, p&lt;0.001) were less likely to adopt eMR. 79.9 % of them were aware of the eHealth App.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>A generally high recognition of the eHRSS was found among physicians. Most physicians had an understanding and positive perception towards the eHealth App. It was noted that participation in eHRSS was significantly associated with the adoption of eMR.</div></div><div><h3>Public Interest Summary</h3><div>This study aims to examine the adoption level of the electronic Medical Record (eMR) and eHRSS among private physicians, and to establish areas for service improvement by evaluating the perception of the eHealth App. The study adopts the form of questionnaire survey, and we will analyze the collected data. A generally high recognition of the eHRSS was found among physicians. Most physicians had an understanding and positive perception towards the eHealth App. Physicians demonstrated strong confidence in privacy and security, but were less satisfied with the technical support of the eHRSS. It was noted that participation in eHRSS was significantly associated with the adoption of eMR.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 2","pages":"Article 100995"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143474469","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Are your mobile phone and continuous glucose monitoring application compatible?","authors":"Katrine Bovién Gørlitz ,&nbsp;Mia Uldum Tolstrup ,&nbsp;Sofie Husted Wilken ,&nbsp;Cathrine Bell ,&nbsp;Klavs Würgler Hansen","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100991","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100991","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background and aim</h3><div>Patients who use mobile apps for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) often disregard the official mobile phone compatibility list. This study aimed to describe the user proportion whose mobile phones are not on the compatibility list (unlisted) and compare their glycaemic metrics with those of users with compatible phones.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>All users of the Freestyle Libre2 CGM and LibreLink app connected to our clinic were evaluated if a glucose data download was available within three months (n = 248). We checked the mobile name appearing on the LibreView report with the manufacturer's list of compatible devices. Glycaemic metrics and adjustment for loss of signal alarms were recorded from LibreView.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 197 persons were using a compatible phone (79.4 %). The median active CGM time was 96 % (IQR: 91-98) for persons with compatible phones and 96 % (IQR: 89-98) for persons with an unlisted phone (p = 0.76). The time in range (glucose 3.9-10.0 mmol/l) for persons with a compatible phone was 55.9 ± 20.9 %; for users with an unlisted phone, 55.3 ± 21.8 % (p = 0.85). The loss-of-signal alarm was more frequently enabled for users with unlisted phones (45.0 %) than for users with compatible phones (24.0 %) (p &lt; 0.01).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Persons who use unlisted phones have a similar, high active CGM time as persons with compatible phones. The relationship between compatibility status and enabling of the loss-of-signal alarm remains unknown.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 2","pages":"Article 100991"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143429636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The contribution of ICTs and telemedicine to COVID-19 vaccination: Evidence from the United States","authors":"M.Eugenia Fabra ,&nbsp;Juan Jung ,&nbsp;Raúl Katz","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100980","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.100980","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This paper explores the influence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and telemedicine on COVID-19 vaccination decisions in the United States.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Leveraging survey data from nearly 4,000 respondents collected in 2021, we apply Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze how factors such as vulnerability (measured as health status), ICT access and satisfaction with prior telemedicine experiences contribute to trust in telemedicine. This trust, in turn, shapes attitudes toward vaccination and ultimately influences vaccination decisions.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Our results show that greater access to ICT enhances trust in telemedicine, leading to more positive attitudes towards vaccination and higher vaccination rates. However, these positive effects are not uniform across all population groups. Higher-income, older, and more educated individuals benefit significantly from telemedicine, while lower-income, younger, and less educated populations face barriers such as limited ICT access, economic constraints, and lower digital literacy, reducing the impact of telemedicine on their vaccination decisions.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The novelty of this study lies in its focus on the digital divide in healthcare, a relatively underexplored factor in vaccine hesitancy research. We provide new empirical evidence on the role of ICT and telemedicine in shaping health behaviors during a pandemic, emphasizing the need for targeted policies to address inequalities in digital access and healthcare. Policy interventions should aim to improve ICT infrastructure, promote digital literacy, and build trust in telemedicine, especially among disadvantaged groups, to ensure more equitable healthcare outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 2","pages":"Article 100980"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143350721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patient safety of virtual primary care: A qualitative study examining risks and mitigation strategies","authors":"Olivia Lounsbury ,&nbsp;Edmond Li ,&nbsp;Tetiana Lunova ,&nbsp;Niki O'Brien ,&nbsp;Ahmed Alboksmaty ,&nbsp;Alay Rangel-Cristales ,&nbsp;Ara Darzi ,&nbsp;Ana Luisa Neves","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100966","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100966","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>While virtual care delivery has numerous advantages, it can also introduce safety risks and unintended consequences. Considering that it has become an integral part of today's healthcare service, uncovering its unintended consequences is imperative to ensure patient safety.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This study aimed to identify patient safety risks associated with virtual primary care, as well as strategies to mitigate these risks based on the perspectives of patients and healthcare providers.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Three focus groups were conducted followed by 26 semi-structured interviews with patients, carers and healthcare providers working in primary care. Data were analysed following a thematic analysis approach.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 42 participants took part in the study. Three main areas for patient safety risks associated with virtual primary care were identified, including suboptimal clinical decision-making, negative consequences for patients’ access to care, and worsening workload burden and exacerbating staff dissatisfaction. Strategies to mitigate these risks included providing information for patients, training triage personnel, making technical support available, standardising guidelines, setting up systems for feedback, improving continuity of care, communication, and safety netting.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Patients and providers now have a heightened awareness of the strengths and pitfalls of virtual care due to their increased familiarity with the use of virtual care technologies. Existing policies need to be updated and new ones devised to minimise risks associated with virtual care and support patient and provider workflows.</div></div><div><h3>Public Interest Summary</h3><div>The COVID-19 pandemic galvanized an emergent necessity to deliver care virtually in order to reduce disease transmission. However, given the urgency of the crisis, virtual care was being delivered with minimal protective measures for safety.</div><div>This study examines the lived experiences of both patients and providers around virtual care use in England. Potential risks of virtual care delivery, and strategies to mitigate these risks, are identified from both perspectives. The risks identified vary from the technological learning curve to the challenges associated with modified patient-provider communication. The potential solutions identified range from strategies to improve micro-level patient-provider interactions to larger-scale system changes to improve the continuity of care.</div><div>Support for patients and providers alike should be allocated to alleviate unnecessary burdens associated with virtual care. Ensuring patient safety necessitates effective coordination and integration between virtual and in-person healthcare so as to maximise the benefits of both modalities of healthcare delivery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 1","pages":"Article 100966"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143160793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of the FitBack online platform: Enhancing global child fitness assessment, health-related interpretation, and surveillance","authors":"Maroje Sorić ,&nbsp;Shawnda A. Morrison ,&nbsp;Francisco B. Ortega ,&nbsp;Attilio Carraro ,&nbsp;Tamás Csányi ,&nbsp;Bojan Leskošek ,&nbsp;Jarek Mäestu ,&nbsp;Snežana Radisavljević-Janić ,&nbsp;Luís B. Sardinha ,&nbsp;Claude Scheuer ,&nbsp;Gregor Starc ,&nbsp;Tuija H. Tammelin ,&nbsp;Gregor Jurak","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100967","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100967","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Physical fitness is an important indicator of health in children<strong>.</strong> Accurately monitoring child and adolescent physical fitness is critical when designing effective public health interventions and strategies. This article communicates the creation process of the FitBack platform, a multi-lingual, free-for-use online health, education and information portal tool. The study's objectives are to provide a detailed breakdown of the evidence-based health-related criteria that support its unique feedback reporting system.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Four methodological phases were used to create the FitBack platform. First, a review of existing European fitness databases was conducted to identify common fitness tests and methodologies within a European framework. Second, investigators collated data to create European-level fitness norms, health-related criteria, and health-oriented educational resources dedicated to improving child fitness levels. Third, guidance on how to create one's own fitness monitoring and surveillance system was created based on good practice examples. The FitBack platform was then piloted and launched based on data received from stakeholders who responded to ≥2 rounds of consultation dialogues.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The final version of the online platform is detailed herein, with special focus on describing its novel health-related, child-specific fitness criteria used to provide its diverse end-users individualised health feedback.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The FitBack online platform is a first-step tool that anyone can use towards creating their own standardised, person-centred, multi-national fitness surveillance system for children, bridging policy gaps that exist between current European political recommendations and individual member states, encouraging harmonious cooperation between sectors. By providing the detailed age- and sex-specific health-related fitness cut-points underpinning FitBack's health feedback, we expect this versatile digital health tool to be useful not only to researchers, but also practitioners and policy makers, as they work towards building better child fitness monitoring system infrastructures worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 1","pages":"Article 100967"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143160787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the impact of technology partners on the level of cyberattack damage in hospitals","authors":"Yannik Angler ,&nbsp;Steffen Flessa ,&nbsp;Emilia Grass ,&nbsp;Olav Goetz","doi":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100955","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hlpt.2024.100955","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Reliable performance of medical devices is crucial for hospitals. However, these devices are increasingly connected with the internet and, thus, prone to cyberattacks resulting in risks for patient safety and financial loss. As the number of specialists in this field is limited in most hospitals, technology partnerships with medical technology manufacturers can be a suitable concept for increasing the level of security or limiting damage in the event of a cyberattack.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Based on a discrete event simulation model (DES), the effects of security incidents with different degrees of impact on downtime costs, length of stay, staff utilization and lost arrivals in an emergency department of a general hospital were modelled and simulated. The effects of a technology partnership were simulated using what-if scenarios in order to be able to draw conclusions about the benefits by comparing the avoidable damage effects and the investment costs incurred for a technology partnership.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Depending on the scenario, the resulting savings range from €245,579 to €315,768, with a cost-benefit ratio between 4 and 5 over a 21-day period. Non-financial benefit (e.g. shorter lengths of stay or reduction IT resources) can also be achieved.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our analysis demonstrates that the level of security for hospitals and their medical devices as well as the operational functionality in the event of damage can be increased if such a concept it applied, i.e., patient safety can be increased while costs can be cut.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48672,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy and Technology","volume":"14 1","pages":"Article 100955"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143159857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}