Opportunity and challenges of eHealth and mHealth for patients and caregivers

peer reviewe

Exploring the Interest in and the Usage of the Internet Among Patients Eligible for Osteoporosis Screening.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the interest in the Internet and its usage for health-related issues among people eligible for osteoporosis screening. Self-administered questionnaires have been distributed to subjects who were screened for osteoporosis and to menopausal women. 177 patients have responded to the survey (64.5 +/- 10.1 years, 88.1 % of women). There are 78.5 % of Internet users. Among them, 67.2 % said searching information about their health and 74.5 % said using the Internet for this purpose. All respondents attributed an average score, out of 10, of 5.7 +/- 2.3 regarding the reliability of information that they could find on the Internet. The use of the Internet differs significantly depending on age: those who use the Internet are younger (62.1 +/- 8.91 years) than those who do not use it (73.3 +/- 9.42 years). The socioeconomic status also has an impact on the Internet use: Internet users have a higher education, are more professionally active and have a higher net monthly household income compared to the group of non-users. Even if age and socioeconomic status appear to be determining factors in the use of the Internet for the search of health information in patients eligible for osteoporosis screening, almost 75 % of the study population use the Internet for this purpose. Action to promote health through an Internet platform must therefore take these parameters into account

Smart wearable body sensors for patient self-assessment and monitoring

Background: Innovations in mobile and electronic healthcare are revolutionizing the involvement of both doctors and patients in the modern healthcare system by extending the capabilities of physiological monitoring devices. Despite significant progress within the monitoring device industry, the widespread integration of this technology into medical practice remains limited. The purpose of this review is to summarize the developments and clinical utility of smart wearable body sensors. Methods: We reviewed the literature for connected device, sensor, trackers, telemonitoring, wireless technology and real time home tracking devices and their application for clinicians. Results: Smart wearable sensors are effective and reliable for preventative methods in many different facets of medicine such as, cardiopulmonary, vascular, endocrine, neurological function and rehabilitation medicine. These sensors have also been shown to be accurate and useful for perioperative monitoring and rehabilitation medicine. Conclusion: Although these devices have been shown to be accurate and have clinical utility, they continue to be underutilized in the healthcare industry. Incorporating smart wearable sensors into routine care of patients could augment physician-patient relationships, increase the autonomy and involvement of patients in regards to their healthcare and will provide for novel remote monitoring techniques which will revolutionize healthcare management and spending. Keywords: Sensors Mobile health eHealth Patient education Quantified patien