BACKGROUND: Mobile health (mHealth) apps offer unique opportunities to support self-care and behavior change, but poor user engagement limits their effectiveness. This is particularly true for fully automated mHealth apps without any human support. Human support in mHealth apps is associated with better engagement but at the cost of reduced scalability.
OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to (1) describe the theory-informed development of a fully automated relaxation and mindfulness app to reduce distress in people with cancer (CanRelax app 2.0), (2) describe engagement with the app on multiple levels within a fully automated randomized controlled trial over 10 weeks, and (3) examine whether engagement was related to user characteristics.
METHODS: The CanRelax app 2.0 was developed in iterative processes involving input from people with cancer and relevant experts. The app includes evidence-based relaxation exercises, personalized weekly coaching sessions with a rule-based conversational agent, 39 self-enactable behavior change techniques, a self-monitoring dashboard with gamification elements, highly tailored reminder notifications, an educational video clip, and personalized in-app letters. For the larger study, German-speaking adults diagnosed with cancer within the last 5 years were recruited via the web in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. Engagement was analyzed in a sample of 100 study participants with multiple measures on a micro level (completed coaching sessions, relaxation exercises practiced with the app, and feedback on the app) and a macro level (relaxation exercises practiced without the app and self-efficacy toward self-set weekly relaxation goals).
RESULTS: In week 10, a total of 62% (62/100) of the participants were actively using the CanRelax app 2.0. No associations were identified between engagement and level of distress at baseline, sex assigned at birth, educational attainment, or age. At the micro level, 71.88% (3520/4897) of all relaxation exercises and 714 coaching sessions were completed in the app, and all participants who provided feedback (52/100, 52%) expressed positive app experiences. At the macro level, 28.12% (1377/4897) of relaxation exercises were completed without the app, and participants\' self-efficacy remained stable at a high level. At the same time, participants raised their weekly relaxation goals, which indicates a potential relative increase in self-efficacy.
CONCLUSIONS: The CanRelax app 2.0 achieved promising engagement even though it provided no human support. Fully automated social components might have compensated for the lack of human involvement and should be investigated further. More than one-quarter (1377/4897, 28.12%) of all relaxation exercises were practiced without the app, highlighting the importance of assessing engagement on multiple levels.

This patient case report describes a first experience in late 2022 and early 2023 with over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids for a 71-year-old male with self-perceived, age-related hearing loss. The patient reported no \"red flag\" medical conditions that would preclude him from safely using an OTC hearing aid device. After also meeting inclusionary criteria required to be printed on the device label, the patient was offered FDA registered OTC hearing aids. The first device pair was returned due to malfunction. The second device pair was an in-the-canal style, black in color, and powered by disposable batteries. He required help setting up the device from his spouse, an audiologist, and a pharmacist. Improved scores on the Self-Assessment of Communication and Significant Other Assessment of Communication were noted from the patient and his spouse. The patient continued to use the second device pair for 6 months after first use with no additional help. Our experience supports the pharmacist\'s role in identifying appropriate candidates for OTC hearing aids, helping patients select a device, and supporting device setup and self-fitting processes at community pharmacies. Further experiences are needed to demonstrate how pharmacists can support OTC hearing aid purchases at community pharmacies.

Academic medical centers (AMCs) rely on engaged and motivated faculty for their success. Significant burnout among clinical and research faculty has resulted in career disengagement and turnover. As such, AMCs must be vested in cultivating faculty engagement and well-being through novel initiatives that support faculty. The Well-Being Education Grants program was established by the Office for Well-Being within the Center for Faculty Development at Massachusetts General Hospital to provide the impetus many faculty needed to dedicate time to their well-being, demonstrating that investments in multi-component interventions around faculty well-being require resources and funding.

Maternal obesity is an important in terms of posing a risk to the mother and fetus during pregnancy. Study aim to determine the effects of maternal obesity on antepartum symptoms and self-care agency. This study was conducted between August-October, 2014 as a case-control study with pregnant women, 64 recruited into an obese group and 64 into a control group. The study was conducted in a state hospital in Aydın, Turkey. Data were collected with a questionaire, the Antepartum Symptoms Checklist and the Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale, and analyzed with the Chi-square and Student\'s t tests. The group of obese women had a preconception/pregestational Body Mass Index of ≥30.0 kg/m2 and the women of normal weight had a preconception/pregestational Body Mass Index of 18.5-24.9 kg/m2. The women in the obese group were of the ages 27.38±4.54. Fifty percent of this group consisted of elementary school graduates, 48.4% suffered from the symptom of awakening unrested (p=0.042) and 78.1% had edema (fluid accumulation, swelling) (p=0.050). The total score of the obese group of women on the Antepartum Symptoms Checklist was 14.71±5.97 (p=0.504) and 110.15±15.19 (p=0.130) on the Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale. Maternal obesity does not generally affect antepartum symptoms and the exercise of self-care agency, but does affect certain antepartum symptoms such as awakening unrested and edema.
L\'obésité maternelle constitue un risque important pour la mère et le foetus pendant la grossesse. L\'objectif de l\'étude est de déterminer les effets de l\'obésité maternelle sur les symptômes antepartum et les soins personnels. Cette étude a été menée entre août et octobre 2014 en tant qu\'étude cas-témoins auprès de femmes enceintes, 64 recrutées dans un groupe obèse et 64 dans un groupe témoin. L\'étude a été menée dans un hôpital public d\'Aydın, en Turquie. Les données ont été collectées à l’aide d’un questionnaire, de la liste de contrôle des symptômes antepartum et de l’échelle d’exercice de soins personnels, et analysées à l’aide des tests du chi carré et du t de Student. Le groupe de femmes obèses avait un indice de masse corporelle préconceptionnelle/prégestationnelle ≥ 30,0 kg/m2 et les femmes de poids normal avaient un indice de masse corporelle préconceptionnelle/prégestationnelle de 18,5 à 24,9 kg/m2. Les femmes du groupe obèse étaient âgées de 27,38 ± 4,54 ans. Cinquante pour cent de ce groupe était constitué de diplômés de l\'école primaire, 48,4 % souffraient du symptôme d\'un réveil agité (p=0,042) et 78,1 % présentaient un oedème (accumulation de liquide, gonflement) (p=0,050). Le score total du groupe de femmes obèses sur la liste de contrôle des symptômes antepartum était de 14,71 ± 5,97 (p = 0,504) et de 110,15 ± 15,19 (p = 0,130) sur l\'échelle d\'exercice d\'autosoins. L\'obésité maternelle n\'affecte généralement pas les symptômes antepartum ni l\'exercice des soins personnels, mais affecte certains symptômes antepartum tels qu\'un réveil agité et un oedème.

UNASSIGNED: Onychogryphosis is a nail condition characterized clinically by a thickened, curved, yellow-brown, and opaque nail plate and may result in pain, paronychia, and onychogryphosis.
UNASSIGNED: We performed a nested case-control study of 1,114 onychogryphosis patients and 3,423 matched controls to quantify the association between onychogryphosis and self-care limitations, chronic foot injury, dermatologic conditions, and vascular disease.
UNASSIGNED: Onychogryphosis was positively associated with increased age, activity limitations (difficulty running errands alone, bathing, and concentrating), psoriasis, onychomycosis, hallux malleus, hallux valgus, peripheral vascular disease, lower extremity ulcers, venous varices, and type II diabetes mellitus. Therefore, physicians should screen patients presenting with onychogryphosis for these conditions.

BACKGROUND: Since most people in low-income countries do not have access to reliable laboratory services, early diagnosis of life-threatening diseases like COVID-19 remains challenging. Facilitating real-time assessment of the health status in a given population, mobile health (mHealth)-supported syndrome surveillance might help identify disease conditions earlier and save lives cost-effectively.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the potential use of mHealth-supported active syndrome surveillance for COVID-19 early case finding in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among adults randomly selected from the Ethio telecom list of mobile phone numbers. Participants underwent a comprehensive phone interview for COVID-19 syndromic assessments, and their symptoms were scored and interpreted based on national guidelines. Participants who exhibited COVID-19 syndromes were advised to have COVID-19 diagnostic testing at nearby health care facilities and seek treatment accordingly. Participants were asked about their test results, and these were cross-checked against the actual facility-based data. Estimates of COVID-19 detection by mHealth-supported syndromic assessments and facility-based tests were compared using Cohen Kappa (κ), the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity analysis.
RESULTS: A total of 2741 adults (n=1476, 53.8% men and n=1265, 46.2% women) were interviewed through the mHealth platform during the period from December 2021 to February 2022. Among them, 1371 (50%) had COVID-19 symptoms at least once and underwent facility-based COVID-19 diagnostic testing as self-reported, with 884 (64.5%) confirmed cases recorded in facility-based registries. The syndrome assessment model had an optimal likelihood cut-off point sensitivity of 46% (95% CI 38.4-54.6) and specificity of 98% (95% CI 96.7-98.9). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.87 (95% CI 0.83-0.91). The level of agreement between the mHealth-supported syndrome assessment and the COVID-19 test results was moderate (κ=0.54, 95% CI 0.46-0.60).
CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the level of agreement between the mHealth-supported syndromic assessment and the actual laboratory-confirmed results for COVID-19 was found to be reasonable, at 89%. The mHealth-supported syndromic assessment of COVID-19 represents a potential alternative method to the standard laboratory-based confirmatory diagnosis, enabling the early detection of COVID-19 cases in hard-to-reach communities, and informing patients about self-care and disease management in a cost-effective manner. These findings can guide future research efforts in developing and integrating digital health into continuous active surveillance of emerging infectious diseases.

Knee replacements are an increasingly common procedure in the U.K. National Health Service (NHS). Importantly, the pathway for such procedures represents a prime opportunity to leverage digital technology, modernize and streamline the approach to care, and free up resources.
UNASSIGNED: In this 21-patient pilot study, we assessed the impact of implementing a digital day-case pathway for knee replacement surgery at the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation trust.
UNASSIGNED: Fourteen (67%) of the 21 eligible patients were treated as day cases, with an average length of stay of 8.8 hours. The pilot data were utilized to model the potential impact of implementing a digital day-case program more widely across the trust. This model showed increased efficiency over the entire episode of care, with reductions in physiotherapy appointments, preoperative visits, hospital days, and face-to-face consultations. Not only would these improvements free up capacity, but they would also result in an estimated saving of £240,540 to the trust while reducing the CO2 footprint of knee replacements by 119,381 kg CO2 emitted. A sensitivity analysis revealed that, even with substantial variation of several key variables within the pathway, a trust-wide digital day-case program would still be a cost-saving measure.
UNASSIGNED: Overall, the present study supports the growing notion that digital technology can facilitate the transformation of care pathways, resulting in greater efficiency and financial savings for health-care providers while reducing the time patients spend in the hospital.
UNASSIGNED: Therapeutic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

(1) Background: Self-management is advocated as a feasible, effective intervention to support individuals to actively manage the impact of illness and live healthier lives. We sought to evaluate a piloted self-management model, SET for Health, tailored for individuals living with schizophrenia embedded within ambulatory case management. (2) Methods: A mixed-methods design engaged 40 adults living with schizophrenia in the SET for Health protocol. Functional and symptomatic outcomes were measured by self-report and clinician ratings at baseline and completion of self-management plans, on average one year later. Semi-structured qualitative client interviews invited evaluations of personal experiences with the intervention. (3) Results: Significant improvements were found concerning client illness severity, social and occupational functioning, illness management and functional recovery with reductions in emergency visits and days in hospital. Clients endorsed the value of the intervention. Baseline clinical characteristics did not predict who benefited. Participation contributed to motivational gains and quality of life. (4) Conclusions: Results confirmed self-management support embedded within traditional case management improved clients\' clinical and functional status, and contributed to quality of life. Clients engaged in their recovery and actively used self-management strategies. Self-management can be successfully adopted by clients with schizophrenia regardless of age, gender, education, illness severity or duration.

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications are frequently used to self-care for nonspecific ovarian cancer symptoms prior to diagnosis. Monitoring such purchases may provide an opportunity for earlier diagnosis.
The aim of the Cancer Loyalty Card Study (CLOCS) was to investigate purchases of OTC pain and indigestion medications prior to ovarian cancer diagnosis in women with and without ovarian cancer in the United Kingdom using loyalty card data.
An observational case-control study was performed comparing purchases of OTC pain and indigestion medications prior to diagnosis in women with (n=153) and without (n=120) ovarian cancer using loyalty card data from two UK-based high street retailers. Monthly purchases of pain and indigestion medications for cases and controls were compared using the Fisher exact test, conditional logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.
Pain and indigestion medication purchases were increased among cases 8 months before diagnosis, with maximum discrimination between cases and controls 8 months before diagnosis (Fisher exact odds ratio [OR] 2.9, 95% CI 2.1-4.1). An increase in indigestion medication purchases was detected up to 9 months before diagnosis (adjusted conditional logistic regression OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.04-1.83). The ROC analysis for indigestion medication purchases showed a maximum area under the curve (AUC) at 13 months before diagnosis (AUC=0.65, 95% CI 0.57-0.73), which further improved when stratified to late-stage ovarian cancer (AUC=0.68, 95% CI 0.59-0.78).
There is a difference in purchases of pain and indigestion medications among women with and without ovarian cancer up to 8 months before diagnosis. Facilitating earlier presentation among those who self-care for symptoms using this novel data source could improve ovarian cancer patients\' options for treatment and improve survival.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03994653; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03994653.

Nurse-led case management (CM) may improve quality of life (QoL) for advanced heart failure (HF) patients. No systematic review (SR), however, has summarized its effectiveness/cost-effectiveness. We aimed to evaluate the effect of such programs in primary care settings in advanced HF patients. We examined and summarized evidence on QoL, mortality, hospitalization, self-care, and cost-effectiveness.
The MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Clinical Trials, WHO, Registry of International Clinical Trials, and Central Cochrane were searched up to March 2022. The Consensus Health Economic Criteria instrument to assess risk-of-bias in economic evaluations, Cochrane risk-of-bias 2 for clinical trials, and an adaptation of Robins-I for quasi-experimental and cohort studies were employed. Results from nurse-led CM programs did not reduce mortality (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.15; participants = 1345; studies = 6; I2 = 47%). They decreased HF hospitalizations (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.91; participants = 1989; studies = 8; I2 = 0%) and all-cause ones (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.89; participants = 1012; studies = 5; I2 = 36%). QoL improved in medium-term follow-up (SMD 0.18, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.32; participants = 1228; studies = 8; I2 = 28%), and self-care was not statistically significant improved (SMD 0.66, 95% CI -0.84 to 2.17; participants = 450; studies = 3; I2 = 97%). A wide variety of costs ranging from USD 4975 to EUR 27,538 was observed. The intervention was cost-effective at ≤EUR 60,000/QALY.
Nurse-led CM reduces all-cause hospital admissions and HF hospitalizations but not all-cause mortality. QoL improved at medium-term follow-up. Such programs could be cost-effective in high-income countries.