Economic evaluation strategies in telehealth: obtaining a more holistic valuation of telehealth interventions

Telehealth is an emerging area of medical research. Its translation from conception, to research and into practice requires tailored research and economic evaluation methods. Due to their nature telehealth interventions exhibit a number of extra-clinical benefits that are relevant when valuing their costs and outcomes. By incorporating methods to measure societal values such as patient preference and willingness-to-pay, a more holistic value can be placed on the extra-clinical outcomes associated with telehealth and evaluations can represent new interventions more effectively. Cost-benefit analysis is a method by which relevant costs and outcomes in telehealth can be succinctly valued and compared. When health economic methods are conducted using holistic approaches such as cost-benefit analysis they can facilitate the translation of telehealth research into policy and practice

Artificial intelligence: Augmenting telehealth with large language models

This brief editorial describes an emerging area of machine learning technology called large language models (LLMs). LLMs, such as ChatGPT, are the technological disruptor of this decade. They are going to be integrated into search engines (Bing and Google) and into Microsoft products in the coming months. They will therefore fundamentally change the way patients and clinicians access and receive information. It is essential that telehealth clinicians are aware of LLMs and appreciate their capabilities and limitations.</p

Supplementary Material for: Assessing the Effect of an Inpatient Smoking Cessation Brief Intervention Tool on Long-Term Smoking Cessation Rates and Patient Interest for Nicotine Replacement Therapy: A Retrospective Analysis

Introduction: Smoking cessation among hospital inpatients is essential to reduce risk of surgical complications and all-cause mortality. In the Australian state of Queensland, the Smoking Cessation Clinical Pathway (SCCP), a brief intervention tool, has been used by clinical staff in public hospitals to uniformly support patients to quit smoking since 2015. This study aims to assess the effect of the SCCP on long-term smoking cessation rates recorded in subsequent readmissions, and whether the SCCP as an intervention affects inpatients’ interest in nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) during admission and after discharge. Methods: We retrospectively analysed data provided by the Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) on patients who self-identified as a current smoker on admission to any ward and were admitted to the PAH between 1st January 2018 and 31st December 2019. Smoking cessation rates and patient interest in NRT by SCCP completion were analysed using χ2 tests and a multinomial logistic regression. Results: Of 1,902 included patients, NRT was offered to 1,397 patients (73.4%) and accepted by 332 patients (17.5%). Patients who had completed a SCCP were more likely to be offered NRT than those who had not (p p = 0.030) more likely to quit smoking at any point in the 2-year study period, and twice as likely to have quit at the end of the 2-year study period (RRR: 2.064, p = 0.044). Discussion: The SCCP may be effective at increasing smoking cessation rates among hospital inpatients. Future policies promoting long-term smoking cessation should consider implementation of post-discharge follow-up appointments