BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

First responders must be physically and mentally healthy to ensure effective emergency response. However, literature showed that Filipino first responders continue to have elevated levels of stress and increased risk for post-traumatic stress and other mental health problems months after their deployment. The “Mi Salud” app was created to help Filipino first responders, their team leaders, and their agencies monitor and manage the responders’ real-time stress levels before, during, and after their deployment more effectively.

The “Mi Salud” app was pretested with Filipino first responders (n=30) to establish convergent validity using existing validated scales measuring the same construct. Participants also completed a Likert scale and questionnaire to assess user experience and app recommendations. During the rollout, first responders (n=32) tested the app and completed a survey on user experience and app recommendations. A focus group discussion (n=11; FGD) was conducted to further explore their experiences with the app. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods, while FGD data were examined through thematic analysis.

Results from the online survey showed that the app was generally found to be helpful and that the recommendations within the app were useful. The emerging themes from the FGD corroborated many of the themes from the survey, particularly the benefits of using the app and the app’s ease of use. Positive effects were observed both on the responders and on the responders’ team leader and teammates, which further established the value of the “Mi Salud” app.

The findings show that the “Mi Salud” stress check-app may serve as a useful tool for monitoring and managing the stress levels, a critical aspect for Filipino first responders to maintain optimal functioning during deployments and daily activities.

BACKGROUND

Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 is a significant global health issue with a high prevalence in the Philippines. Managing this condition effectively is crucial, and digital technologies, particularly smartphone (mHealth) applications, have emerged as a potential tool in diabetes self-management.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of smartphone (mHealth) application use in achieving glycemic control among adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, focusing on HbA1c levels and medication adherence.

This systematic review and meta-analysis, adhering to PRISMA guidelines, analyzed randomized controlled trials from databases like PubMed and Embase, comparing interventions using mHealth applications with standard care. The primary measures were HbA1c levels and medication adherence.

Ten studies involving 20,984 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Using mHealth applications led to an average HbA1c reduction of 0.36%, indicating improved glycemic control. There was considerable heterogeneity (I2 = 91%) because of the clinical and methodological diversity of the included studies. Subgroup analysis showed that the younger and older age groups, shorter and longer T2DM duration, and lower and higher HbA1c baseline benefited from its use. Sensitivity analysis still showed high heterogeneity (95%-97%), reflecting clinical diversity. A narrative analysis of two studies highlighted the utility of mHealth applications in tracking diet, physical activity, and vital stats, aiding medication adherence through reminders and data sharing with healthcare providers.

This systematic review and meta-analysis showed the effectiveness of mHealth application use in achieving glycemic control among adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus by improving HbA1c levels and medication adherence. Integrating mHealth applications as adjuncts in family and community medicine as part of personalized care for managing type 2 diabetes in the Philippines can help achieve glycemic control and medication adherence. Future studies should focus on longitudinal assessments, exploring cultural and linguistic factors in the Filipino context to optimize diabetes care within this specialized medical framework.

Aged ; Feasibility Studies ; Health Status ; Humans ; Mobile Applications ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: To combat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many countries have used contact tracing apps, including Japan's voluntary-use contact-confirming application (COCOA). The current study aimed to identify industry and workplace characteristics associated with the downloading of this COVID-19 contact tracing app. METHODS: This cross-sectional study of full-time workers used an online survey. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations of industry and workplace characteristics with contact tracing app use. RESULTS: Of the 27,036 participants, 25.1% had downloaded the COCOA. Workers in the public service (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-1.45) and information technology (aOR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.20-1.58) industries were more likely to use the app than were those in the manufacturing industry. In contrast, app usage was less common among workers in the retail and wholesale (aOR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.76-0.99) and food/beverage (aOR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.70-0.94) industries, but further adjustment for company size attenuated these associations. Workers at larger companies were more likely to use the app. Compared with permanent employees, the odds of using the app were higher for managers and civil servants but lower for those who were self-employed. CONCLUSIONS Downloading of COCOA among Japanese workers was insufficient; thus, the mitigating effect of COCOA on the COVID-19 pandemic is considered to be limited. One possible reason for the under-implementation of the contact tracing app in the retail and wholesale and food/beverage industries is small company size, as suggested by the fully adjusted model results. An awareness campaign should be conducted to promote the widespread use of the contact tracing app in these industries.
Adult ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; Contact Tracing/methods* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Industry/classification* ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mobile Applications/statistics & numerical data* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Smartphone ; Workplace/statistics & numerical data*

This paper designs a bluetooth-based low-power multi-parameter monitoring system. The system is mainly composed of ECG signal acquisition, respiratory signal acquisition, body temperature acquisition, bluetooth 4.0 transmission module and Android mobile phone APP display. The system collects the corresponding physiological signals through various collection parts, and can realize the monitoring of three physiological signals of electrocardiogram, respiration and body temperature. The Android mobile APP can display ECG, respiratory waveform and temperature data in real time. The system is small in size and low in power consumption, and has a good application prospect in portable and wearable medical applications.
Body Temperature ; Cell Phone ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Mobile Applications ; Monitoring, Physiologic/instrumentation* ; Respiratory Rate

Mobile healthcare services have been applied to manage some diseases, particularly chronic diseases. We aimed to evaluate the utility of a mobile application in nutritional intervention by observing cases of a mobile application in a series of patients with GDM. We provided a mobile-based intervention to GDM patients and collected biochemical and nutritional information. The mobile-based nutritional intervention was effective in controlling carbohydrate intake and improving blood glucose level for patients with GDM.]]>
Blood Glucose ; Child ; Chronic Disease ; Delivery of Health Care ; Diabetes, Gestational ; Diet Therapy ; Diet, Food, and Nutrition ; Female ; Humans ; Mobile Applications ; Mothers ; Pregnancy ; Prevalence

The reference sites of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) were renewed in 2019. The DG Santé good practice Mobile Airways Sentinel networK was reviewed to meet the objectives of the EIP on AHA. It included 1) Management of care process, 2) Blueprint of digital transformation, 3) EIP on AHA, innovation to market, 4) Community for monitoring and assessment framework, 5) Political, organizational, technological and financial readiness, 6) Contributing to European co-operation and transferability, 7) Delivering evidence of impact against the triple win approach, 8) Contribution to the European Digital Transformation of Health and Care and 9) scale of demonstration and deployment of innovation
Asthma ; Masks ; Mobile Applications ; Rhinitis

To develop an intelligent lower limb rehabilitation instrument which could realize the quantification and visualization of lower limbs' raising angle and frequency, using the smart client to realize the remote control, autonomous data acquisition and the establishment of database. Doctors had the access to the database in order to adjust the rehabilitation program in time to meet the individual requirement. We realized the design of intelligent lower limb instrument based on the Andriod smartphone, which is suitable for clinical and family use.
Computers ; Databases, Factual ; Humans ; Leg ; Mobile Applications ; Rehabilitation ; instrumentation ; Smartphone

This paper demonstrates a BSN-based portable monitor integrating micro sensors with mobile devices for monitoring and diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) at home. The system uses a micro hot-film flow sensor to detect respiratory flow, uses tri-axis micro accelerometer to detect body posture and motion intensity, and uses a micro photoelectric sensor to detect oxygen saturation of blood. The real-time vital signs are detected and transmitted wirelessly to a mobile device. The transmitted data are processed and analyzed in the mobile device and can be further transmitted to a remote medical center and physicians through mobile cellular networks or Internet for comprehensively analyzing, assessing, and diagnosing to the diseases.
Cell Phone ; Humans ; Mobile Applications ; Monitoring, Physiologic ; Motion ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; diagnosis

PURPOSE: This study investigated student experiences of mobile technology in a medical English course using a free mobile classroom application, Socrative and its impact on student learning to help them achieve the competency expected in the course. METHODS: Questionnaires were administered of year 2 medical students enrolled in a medical English course between 2016 and 2017 to investigate their experience in using Socrative. Learning outcomes were assessed by comparing students' academic performance with that of the 2015 cohort, who had taken the same course without using mobile technology, and also by measuring changes in their self-efficacy in English over time during the course. RESULTS: This study found students' positive perceptions of and overall satisfaction with their experience in using mobile technology in the medical English course. There were no differences in the academic performance between the study cohort and the comparison group. The ratio of students who were in the remediation program after the mid-term examination was 11%, whereas the remediation ratio of the 2015 cohort was 21%. Students' self-efficacy in English improved significantly in the writing and reading domains (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study found several benefits of using Socrative in the medical English course. Socrative fostered the classroom interaction by encouraging input from every student and sharing it instantly with the whole class. There was also learning improvement with the use of Socrative. Furthermore, it has the potential to enhance assessment by offering more various forms of assessment than that of conventional audience response systems.
Cohort Studies ; Educational Technology ; Humans ; Learning ; Mobile Applications ; Problem-Based Learning ; Students, Medical ; Teaching ; Writing