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JournalISSN: 2211-8837

Health policy and technology 

Elsevier BV
About: Health policy and technology is an academic journal published by Elsevier BV. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Health care & Medicine. It has an ISSN identifier of 2211-8837. Over the lifetime, 642 publications have been published receiving 7828 citations.

Papers published on a yearly basis

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The open-access nature of the resource will allow researchers from around the world to conduct research that leads to better strategies for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of life-threatening and disabling conditions.
Abstract: UK Biobank is a very large prospective study which aims to provide a resource for the investigation of the genetic, environmental and lifestyle determinants of a wide range of diseases of middle age and later life. Between 2006 and 2010, over 500,000 men and women aged 40 to 69 years were recruited and extensive data on participants' lifestyles, environment, medical history and physical measures, along with biological samples, were collected. The health of the participants is now being followed long-term, principally through linkage to a wide range of health-related records, with validation and characterisation of health-related outcomes. Further enhancements are also underway to improve phenotype characterisation, including internet-based dietary assessment, biomarker measurements on the baseline blood samples and, in sub-samples of the cohort, physical activity monitoring and proposals for extensive brain and body imaging. UK Biobank is now available for use by all researchers, without exclusive or preferential access, for any health-related research that is in the public interest. The open-access nature of the resource will allow researchers from around the world to conduct research that leads to better strategies for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of life-threatening and disabling conditions.

358 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Analyzing social media top shared news could contribute to identification of leading fake medical information miseducating the society and encourage authorities to take actions such as put warnings on biased domains or scientifically evaluate those generating fake health news.
Abstract: Objectives Fake news: misinformation and falsehood of health news in social media constitute a potential threat to the public health, but the scope of this issue remains unclear. Our pilot study is an initial attempt to measure a number of the top shared health misinformation stories in the Polish language social media. Methods Using the BuzzSumo Application, a range of the top shared health web links in the Polish language social media was assessed during the period between 2012 and 2017. We used the following keywords which were related to the most common diseases and causes of death: cancer, neoplasm, heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, vaccinations, HIV, and AIDS. Each link was checked for the presence of fake news. Results 40% of the most frequently shared links contained text we classified as fake news. These were shared more than 450,000 times. The most fallacious content concerned vaccines, while news about cardiovascular diseases was, in general, well sourced and informative. More than 20% of dangerous links from our material was generated by one source. Conclusions Analyzing social media top shared news could contribute to identification of leading fake medical information miseducating the society. It might also encourage authorities to take actions such as put warnings on biased domains or scientifically evaluate those generating fake health news.

250 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that by making health equity integral to the implementation of telemedicine now, it will help to ensure that all can benefit from its use going forward and that this will be increasingly integral to care delivery.
Abstract: While the rapid expansion of telemedicine in response to the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the impressive ability of health systems to adapt quickly to new complexities, it also raises important concerns about how to implement these novel modalities equitably. As the healthcare system becomes increasingly virtual, it risks widening disparities among marginalized populations who have worse health outcomes at baseline and limited access to the resources necessary for the effective use of telemedicine. In this article, we review recent policy changes and outline important recommendations that governments and health care systems can adopt to improve access to telemedicine and to tailor the use of these technologies to best meet the needs of underserved patients. We suggest that by making health equity integral to the implementation of telemedicine now, it will help to ensure that all can benefit from its use going forward and that this will be increasingly integral to care delivery.

156 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This integration of medical information combines demographic, lifestyle and behavioral data with health records, thus providing a comprehensive view that coincides with the definition of patient-centered medical care.
Abstract: Objective To review and present the relationship and need for integrating EMR, EHR and PHR data, by highlighting its use and value challenges and threats. Method Critical overview of the literature. Results Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Electronic Health Records (EHR) are used by physicians to improve quality of care and contain costs. Whereas EMR is usually considered an internal organizational system, the EHR is defined as an inter-organizational system. Recently, a computerized platform for patient-centered medical care known as Personal health records (PHR) was introduced, as an enabler for self-management of medical records. PHRs are online systems used by patients. Their transparency of information should lead to better informed and engaged patients. PHR, EMR and EHR can reside on different platforms under various technologies and standards. Although EMR contains local information and provides fast and accurate delivery, the major advantage of EHR in medical practice is the availability of cross-provider medical information. Patient-centered health initiatives such as PHR enable the integration of the prime information components in the EMR and the EHR systems. Conclusion This integration of medical information combines demographic, lifestyle and behavioral data with health records, thus providing a comprehensive view that coincides with the definition of patient-centered medical care. It can lead to a dramatic amelioration in personalized care as well as public health decision-making, resulting in improved health and wellness, but also poses serious challenges and threats to security and privacy.

141 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Despite the introduction of stringent measures of containment and mitigation, and the scale up of health system capacities, pre-pandemic conditions that characterize these countries have undermined the effectiveness of the countries’ responses to the pandemic.
Abstract: Background COVID-19 reached Latin-American countries slightly later than European countries, around February/March, allowing some emergency preparedness response in countries characterized by low health system capacities and socioeconomic disparities. Objective This paper focuses on the first months of the pandemic in five Latin American countries: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It analyses how the pre-pandemic context, and the government's responses to contain and mitigate the spread together with economic measures have affected the COVID-19 health outcomes. Methods Extensive qualitative document analysis was conducted focused on publicly-available epidemiological data and federal and state/regional policy documents since the beginning of the pandemic. Results The countries were quick to implement stringent COVID-19 measures and incrementally scaled up their health systems capacity, although tracing and tracking have been poor. All five countries have experienced a large number of cases and deaths due to COVID-19. The analysis on the excess deaths also shows that the impact in deaths is far higher than the official numbers reported to date for some countries. Conclusion Despite the introduction of stringent measures of containment and mitigation, and the scale up of health system capacities, pre-pandemic conditions that characterize these countries (high informal employment, and social inequalities) have undermined the effectiveness of the countries’ responses to the pandemic. The economic support measures put in place were found to be too timid for some countries and introduced too late in most of them. Additionally, the lack of a comprehensive strategy for testing and tracking has also contributed to the failure to contain the spread of the virus.

121 citations

Performance
Metrics
No. of papers from the Journal in previous years
YearPapers
202341
202288
202196
202086
201956
201856