BACKGROUND: This scoping review investigates the extent and nature of existing evidence on the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and related mechanisms of engagement and challenges in issues of caring for older persons through digital technologies. We map research and practice gaps, contributing factors and best practices in NGOs. The rising use of digital technology in health care and the role that NGOs have in supporting older people in this context is relevant to nurses and service development leaders, particularly in the context of a rapidly changing care in the 21st century.
METHODS: A three-stage systematic and comprehensive search strategy based on the JBI methodology for scoping reviews was employed across multiple databases and grey literature sources.
RESULTS: In this review, 8,348 abstracts were retrieved. After deduplication, 7,099 titles and abstracts were reviewed. A total of 263 publications were selected for full-text review and 50 included for analysis. NGOs use digital tools to directly engage older adults in programs (e. g., information delivery) and indirectly to collaborate with other organizations (e.g., training programs) to promote digital inclusion. Factors such as individual capabilities, trust and access, technological factors (accessibility and user-friendliness of technology), and socio-cultural and system-wide factors affect how NGOs engage with older adults.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are summarized in the key domains: key organizations, mode of engagement, interorganizational process and digital technology are discussed and offer current insights into the varied engagement of NGOs with older people and its challenges concerning technology. Many interrelated factors, along with barriers and facilitators that influence older persons\' engagement with technology, have been identified.

BACKGROUND: Patient education programmes focusing on risk factor modification and lifestyle changes are well established as part of cardiac rehabilitation in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). As participation rates are low, digital patient education programmes (DPE) are interesting alternatives to increase access. Understanding patients\' perceptions of DPE are important in terms of successful implementation in clinical practice but are not well known. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess patients\' perceptions of using a DPE in terms of end-user acceptance and usability, perceived significance for lifestyle changes and secondary preventive goal fulfilment in patients with CAD.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey-based study. The survey was distributed to all 1625 patients with acute coronary syndrome or chronic CAD with revascularisation, who were registered users of the DPE between 2020 and 2022 as part of cardiac rehabilitation. The survey contained 64 questions about e.g., acceptance and usability, perceived significance for making lifestyle changes and secondary preventive goal fulfilment. Patients who had never logged in to the DPE received questions about their reasons for not logging in. Data were analysed descriptively.
RESULTS: A total of 366 patients (mean age: 69.1 ± 11.3 years, 20% female) completed the survey and among those 207 patients (57%) had used the DPE. Patients reported that the DPE was simple to use (80%) and improved access to healthcare (67-75%). A total of 69% of the patients were generally satisfied with the DPE, > 60% reported that the DPE increased their knowledge about secondary preventive treatment goals and approximately 60% reported having a healthy lifestyle today. On the other hand, 35% of the patients would have preferred a hospital-based education programme. Among the 159 patients (43%) who had never used the DPE, the most reported reason was a perceived need for more information about how to use the DPE (52%).
CONCLUSIONS: This study shows an overall high level of patient acceptance and usability of the DPE, which supports its continued development and long-term role in cardiac rehabilitation in patients with CAD. Future studies should assess associations between participation in the DPE and clinical outcomes, such as secondary preventive goal fulfilment and hospitalisation.

The growing use of information and communication technologies (ICT) has the potential to increase productivity and improve energy efficiency. However, digital technologies also consume energy, resulting in a complex relationship between digitalization and energy demand and an uncertain net effect. To steer digital transformation towards sustainability, it is crucial to understand the conditions under which digital technologies increase or decrease firm-level energy consumption. This study examines the drivers of this relationship, focusing on German manufacturing firms and leveraging comprehensive administrative panel data from 2009 to 2017, analyzed using the Generalized Random Forest algorithm. Our results reveal that the relationship between digitalization and energy use at the firm level is heterogeneous. However, we find that digitalization more frequently increases energy use, mainly driven by a rise in electricity consumption. This increase is lower in energy-intensive industries and higher in markets with low competition. Smaller firms in structurally weak regions show higher energy consumption growth than larger firms in economically stronger regions. Our study contributes to the literature by using a non-parametric method to identify specific firm-level and external characteristics that influence the impact of digital technologies on energy demand, highlighting the need for carefully designed digitalization policies to achieve climate goals.

In recent decades, policy makers around the world have been working on implementing various technologies into healthcare, and the Covid19 pandemic fueled this process. The specialized technological solutions for telecare - the use of technologies for care at a distance - are often adopted by users in different ways than intended, or are abandoned if the users cannot find applications that are meaningful to them. However, beyond specialized healthcare technologies, people are incorporating mundane digital technologies into their (health)care practices. In this paper, we draw on ethnographic research on the use of everyday digital technologies in Indian families where migrating children who are professional nurses care for their aging parents at a distance. Our findings show that 1) remote elder care is enacted through frequent calling which further fosters trust, necessary to provide healthcare remotely; 2) the motivation for older adults to engage with digital technologies is grounded in the value of family and affect which is consequential also for health; 3) technologies, too, require care-work in the form of everyday maintenance; and 4) in-person visits from children remain important, indicating that hybrid interaction is optimal for good care at a distance. We conclude that taking these findings into account may contribute to a more successful implementation of formal telecare systems.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to develop and propose the key criteria and elements necessary to be included in digital platforms for achieving high-quality monitoring of patients with chronic kidney failure.
METHODS: The research was conducted from 2021 to 2023 in Moscow, Russia. A total of 75 patients comprised the experimental group (digital monitoring), while an equal number constituted the control group (standard nursing care).
RESULTS: Patients in the experimental group highly rated the convenience (4.6 ± 0.3) and accessibility (4.7 ± 0.4) levels of the monitoring system compared to those in the control group (convenience: 3.8 ± 0.4, accessibility: 3.9 ± 0.3). Furthermore, it was found that the level of patient satisfaction in the experimental group (4.4 ± 0.3) noticeably exceeded that in the control group (3.9 ± 0.4). The effectiveness of digital platforms is supported by data on the timeliness of detecting changes in patient\'s health status. In the experimental group, the response time to deteriorating health conditions decreased by 30% compared to the control group.
CONCLUSIONS: The conclusions of our study underscore the necessity of integrating digital monitoring platforms into medical practice. Monitoring utilizing digital technologies has the potential to significantly enhance patient satisfaction levels as well as promptness in responding to changes in their health status.

Utilizing digital tools, particularly mobile technologies, is viewed as a critical strategy to improve the efficient use of healthcare services. Quasi-experimental research was carried out with residents to investigate the impact of mobile-based feedback (MBF) on residents\' laboratory test ordering behavior.

BACKGROUND: Electronic devices and communication technologies are increasingly used to provide medical care to patients with high blood pressure. The main objective was to evaluate doctors\' perception on the usefulness of digital technologies in hypertension. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the prevalence of use of digital technologies in the follow-up of patients with hypertension and to identify the barriers perceived by doctors for their implementation in the Argentine Republic.
METHODS: Observational, cross-sectional, multicenter study, based on a self-administered questionnaire, in the Argentine Republic, and coordinated by the Epidemiology group of the Argentine Society of Arterial Hypertension.
METHODS: Doctors who care for patients with high blood pressure.
RESULTS: 247 responses were obtained, 35.6% were women and 64.4% men; 92.3% indicated that the use of digital technologies was useful to improve therapeutic adherence; 54.7% received blood pressure results at home through some digital means; 41.3% regularly carry out teleconsultations, only 6.1% through specific digital health platforms, 29.1% through non-specific platforms, by telephone 21.9% and by email (asynchronous) 10.9%. The main perceived barriers were: availability, financial remuneration, regulations, connectivity problems and lack of time.
CONCLUSIONS: The perception of professionals is favorable, as they considered these technologies useful to improve therapeutic adherence, which could have a facilitating effect on their implementation, although the perceived barriers are part of organizational issues to be resolved.
Introducción: Los dispositivos electrónicos y tecnologías de la comunicación se emplean cada vez más frecuentemente para brindar atención médica a los pacientes con hipertensión arterial. El objetivo principal del trabajo fue evaluar la percepción de los médicos sobre la utilidad de las tecnologías digitales en hipertensión arterial. Los objetivos secundarios fueron evaluar la prevalencia de uso de tecnologías digitales en el seguimiento de pacientes con hipertensión arterial e identificar las barreras percibidas por los médicos para la implementación de las mismas en la República Argentina. Métodos: Estudio observacional, de corte transversal, multicéntrico, basado en un cuestionario autoadministrado, en el ámbito de la República Argentina y coordinado por el grupo de Epidemiología de la Sociedad Argentina de Hipertensión Arterial. Población: Médicos que realizan atención de pacientes con hipertensión arterial. Resultados: Se obtuvieron 247 respuestas, 35.6% fueron mujeres y 64.4% hombres; el 92.3 % consideró de utilidad el uso de tecnologías digitales para mejorar la adherencia terapéutica. Reciben resultados de presión arterial en domicilio por algún medio digital 54.7%. Realizan habitualmente teleconsultas 41.3%, solamente el 6.1% por plataformas digitales específicas de salud, el 29.1% por plataformas no específicas, telefónicamente 21.9% y correo electrónico (asincrónicas) 10.9%. Las principales barreras percibidas fueron: disponibilidad, remuneración económica, reglamentación, problemas de conectividad y falta de tiempo. Conclusión: La percepción de los profesionales es favorable, considerándolas útiles para mejorar la adherencia terapéutica, por lo que podría tener un efecto facilitador en la implementación de las mismas, aunque las barreras percibidas forman parte de cuestiones organizacionales a resolver.

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The increasing global demand for palm oil and its derivatives has led to significant environmental and social concerns, prompting the need for sustainable practices in oil palm production. In recent years, digital technologies have emerged as a potential solution to enhance sustainability in this sector. The objective of this review was to provide insights into the potential benefits and limitations of digital technologies in promoting sustainable practices in the oil palm industry, and to identify key challenges that must be addressed to ensure that digitalization contributes to sustainable development in this sector. To obtain valuable insights on this topic, this review employed a thorough analysis and exploration of relevant literature. Our findings highlight the transformative potential of digital technologies such as precision agriculture, data analytics, blockchain, and robotics to optimize resource utilization, improving efficiency, promoting social welfare, improving supply chain transparency, mitigating environmental impacts, and enhancing sustainability in oil palm production. However, the adoption of these technologies is hindered by several challenges, including high cost, lack of knowledge, and inadequate infrastructure. Our findings emphasize the importance of supportive policies, collaborative efforts, and targeted research to promote technology adoption and ensure equitable benefits across the oil palm industry. Recommendations are provided for industry stakeholders, policymakers, and researchers to leverage digitalization effectively and promote sustainable practices in the oil palm industry, ultimately contributing to global sustainability goals.

BACKGROUND: Digital health interventions (DHIs) have shown promising results for the management of chronic wounds. However, its effectiveness compared to usual care and whether variability in the type of intervention affects wound outcomes are unclear.
OBJECTIVE: The main objective was to determine the effectiveness of DHIs on wound healing outcomes in adult patients with chronic wounds. The secondary objectives were to assess if there was any variation in wound healing outcomes across the various types of DHIs.
METHODS: In total, 9 databases were searched for the literature up to August 1, 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, and quasi-experimental studies comparing the efficacy of DHIs with controls in improving wound outcomes in adult patients with chronic wounds were included. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were conducted independently by 2 reviewers. We assessed the quality of each RCT, cohort study, and quasi-experimental study separately using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, ROBINS-I, and the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tools checklists. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs were pooled using the random effects model, and heterogeneity was assessed by the I2 statistic. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were also performed.
RESULTS: A total of 25 studies with 8125 patients were included in this systematic review, while only 20 studies with 6535 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Efficacy outcomes in RCTs showed no significant differences between the DHIs and control groups in terms of wound healing (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.93-1.12; P=.67) and all-cause mortality around 1 year (RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.55-2.12; P=.83). Compared with the control group, the use of DHIs was associated with significant changes in adverse events (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.22-0.89; P=.02). Subgroup analysis suggested a positive effect of the digital platforms in improving wound healing (RR 2.19, 95% CI 1.35-3.56; P=.002). Although meta-analysis was not possible in terms of wound size, cost analysis, patient satisfaction, and wound reporting rates, most studies still demonstrated that DHIs were not inferior to usual care in managing chronic wounds.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings of our study demonstrate the viability of adopting DHIs to manage chronic wounds. However, more prominent, high-quality RCTs are needed to strengthen the evidence, and more detailed clinical efficacy research is required.
BACKGROUND: PROSPERO CRD42023392415; https://tinyurl.com/4ybz6bs9.