Iproceedings

Isolation was a consequence of the COVID-19 lockdowns, which led to increased incidence of intimate partner violence (IPV). During antenatal care, it is possible to screen pregnant women for IPV; this offers a unique opportunity for early intervention. During the pandemic, we designed and implemented a digital IPV intervention tailored to pregnant women in Denmark and Spain.

Rural and remote communities were especially vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic due to the availability and capacity of rural health services. Research has found that key issues surrounded (1) the lack of staff, (2) the need for coordinated health services, and (3) operational and facility issues. Similarly, research also confirms that irrespective of hospital capacity issues existing during crisis, compared to urban communities, rural communities typically face poorer access to health services. Telehealth programs have long held promise for addressing health disparities perpetuated by inadequate health care access. In response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, Adventist Health Saint Helena Hospital, a rural hospital in northern California, urgently worked to expand telehealth services. However, as Adventist Health Saint Helena Hospital is the longest-serving rural hospital in the state of California, administrators were also able to draw on experiences from the pandemic of 1918/1919. Understanding their historically rural and heavily Latino populations, their telehealth approach was coupled with cultural approaches for prioritizing socially responsive and equitable access to health services.

Persons with autism and mental impairment face communicative, social, and behavioral challenges, and there is a need to establish effective interventions to improve the quality of daily life. Social robots working with children with autism have successfully improved their communication and social behavior and reduced stereotypic behavior. However, there is only limited evidence regarding the effectiveness of social robots.

Carcinoma cervix is one of the leading causes of death among women worldwide. The World Health Organization has put forth the 90-70-90 global strategy for the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem. It calls for 70% women to be screened at least once in their lifetime. However, this rate is as low as 1.9% for India and even lower for many other countries, making the target insurmountable, especially in resource-constrained settings. The COVID-19 pandemic made this even more challenging.

Several at-home monitoring devices are being introduced in the market, which can help individuals, fitness enthusiasts, etc, monitor their health anytime they want. This allows individuals to monitor and collect their health data, reflect upon it, and take necessary action. Such technologies can help enhance the user’s quality of life by motivating and empowering them to improve their health actively. Unfortunately, there are still several challenges to making this transition from in-hospital monitoring to home monitoring smoother. Some of these challenges may include technology readiness and acceptance by patients and their family members, lack of proper privacy measures, security, and lack of reliable internet and communication technology infrastructure.

The aging of the population is a global phenomenon, with growing numbers of persons over the age of 65 years, greater diversity of aging societies, and fewer younger people available to provide care and support for older adults. At the same time, enabling technology offers new solutions for aging well, including self-management of chronic conditions, communication with family and the health care team, passive monitoring, and enriching the home and community environments.

Increased digitalization of hospitals is a goal for national and regional health strategies. Since 2019, it has been an explicit goal to increase the use of virtual consultation with hospital patients. Two years after the start of the pandemic, virtual consultation for hospital patients has increased. At Odense University Hospital (OUH), we have seen a 30% and 337% increase in the annual number of telephone and video consultations with patients, respectively. However, the annual number of video consultations is still below 1% of the total number of outpatient visits.

More than half of the world’s population deals with noncommunicable diseases causing premature death. Leveraging digital solutions like telemedicine, health care providers (HCPs) can provide medical care remotely. Yet, there is little known about the contextual challenges and opportunities of leveraging telemedicine solutions in varying socioeconomic and cultural contexts, including Kuwait.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the level of physical activity among older citizens.

The presenter will be discussing home monitoring–based telenursing for people with chronic conditions. This technology has been implemented in home-care individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, type 2 diabetes, congestive heart failure, lung cancer, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, who are treated at home, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic, which began in late 2019, has limited our everyday activities and opportunities to connect with people. Older adults with chronic conditions are most especially affected. While telenursing practice is not so familiar in the Japanese context, the Japan Academy of Home Care (2021) first defined telenursing as “information and communication technologies involving telecommunication provided by nurses.” Furthermore, we are providing seminars for the nurses and expanding their capacity on how to provide efficient telenursing support for people receiving home care.

Patients with heart failure (HF) must understand subtle escalation in fatigue, dyspnea, and edema before they are triggered to control worsening status.

School absenteeism due to mental disorders and physical disabilities is an international problem. When children are absent from primary school, they do not receive the fundamental educational foundation they are entitled to. This affects their further opportunities to receive higher education later in their life. Studies show that telepresence robots can include absent students in the teachings and social life at school.