JMIR Formative Research

Eye tracking is recognized as a gold standard for measuring visual attention and cognitive engagement. In this study, it offers a useful lens for understanding how primary care providers balance patient communication with navigation of electronic health records (EHRs). We used wearable eye tracking to collect visual information processing behavior and conducted a retrospective think-aloud protocol to examine how primary care clinicians processed suiciderelated information (CAT-MH(R)) embedded in...

BackgroundTyping in the electronic health record (EHR) takes up healthcare providers time and cognitive space and constitutes a substantial administrative burden contributing to high burnout rates in healthcare. Ambient digital scribes may improve this problem. ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of the use of Autoscriber, an ambient digital scribe, on healthcare providers administrative workload and the quality of medical notes in the EHR. MethodsA study period of 26 weeks was randomized into ...

Digital therapeutics (DTx) are patient-facing apps designed to support individuals in their daily lives. Therefore, they have the potential to revolutionize healthcare by empowering and engaging patients to become active players in their own care. Despite the increasing adoption of DTx in national healthcare systems, research on their design remains limited. The present study introduces "DiGATax", a taxonomy designed to categorize and analyze DTx, including perspectives on content, intervention ...

This paper describes eHEALS.com.br, a web-based platform that automates the administration of the Brazilian eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS-Br). The system collects responses online, scores users in real time, and provides personalized feedback based on five levels of digital health literacy. A systematic literature review was conducted to map existing instruments and identify gaps related to automation, temporal control, and inclusion. The platform architecture combines a React and TypeScript fr...

Wearable devices can collect changes in human behaviors related to mental health including depression and anxiety. Here, we examined whether and how digital metrics from a consumer-grade wearable smart ring (Oura Ring) differed by severity of depression and anxiety symptoms using data from a large-scale population-based sample of young adults (n=1,290, age range: 33-35). Participants wore the ring for two weeks, assessing sleep architecture, nocturnal heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV...

BackgroundTinnitus affects a substantial proportion of the global population and can severely disrupt sleep, mood, and daily functioning, yet the quality of mobile health apps designed for tinnitus management remains highly variable. Traditional evaluation methods, including clinical trials, expert rating scales, and small-scale surveys, rarely capture large-scale, feature-level feedback from real-world users, leaving a gap in understanding which app characteristics drive sustained engagement an...

BackgroundPalliative care improves quality of life and reduces healthcare utilization for people with heart failure, yet referrals remain inconsistent and delayed. Clinical decision support (CDS) offers a promising strategy to facilitate timely palliative care, but no CDS tool currently exists to specifically support palliative care decision-making in this population. MethodsGuided by the User-Centered Framework for Implementation of Technology (UFIT), we conducted a qualitative descriptive stu...

Social anxiety disorder affects over one-third of young people globally and is characterized by intense fear of social situations and concern about judgment from others. While effective treatments exist, many individuals remain undiagnosed or delay seeking treatment, highlighting the importance of identifying complementary strategies. Natural environments have shown benefit for mental health, yet their therapeutic potential for social anxiety remains understudied from the patients perspective. ...

Digital therapeutics for mental health often face low patient engagement, which limits their clinical impact. Interventions that deliver treatment using a video game medium may improve engagement and therapeutic efficacy, but the putative emergence of gaming-related problems remains a concern among clinical stakeholders. We examined whether long-term engagement with Meliora, a video game therapeutic for adult major depressive disorder, was associated with changes in gaming-related problems in a ...

BackgroundThe prevalence of diabetes in low- and middle-income countries is rising, and the most important treatment is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Good diabetes self-care management is associated with better outcomes, but barriers to adhering to its management are knowledge deficits and a lack of social support. Traditionally, diabetes self-care management education and support are conducted by health care workers (HCWs), but limited access to HCWs restricts this activity. Digital health i...

BackgroundGenerative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in healthcare may reduce administrative burden and enhance quality of care. Large language models (LLMs) can generate draft responses to patient messages using electronic health record (EHR) data. This could mitigate increased workload related to high message volumes. While effectiveness and feasibility of these GenAI tools have been studied in the United States, evidence from non-English contexts is scarce, particularly regarding user experie...

ImportanceClinician adoption and adaptation of new tools evolve over time. Prior studies of ambient Artificial intelligence (AI) scribes have primarily relied on single time-point measurements (e.g., pre-post), potentially obfuscating their true impact on outcomes. ObjectiveTo investigate longitudinal effects of an AI scribe tool on patient encounter-level outcomes. DesignCase series across 48 weeks (24 pre, 24 post) per clinician. SettingPrimary care clinical encounters occurring between 01/...

ImportanceArtificial Intelligence (AI) voice applications have the potential to address the unmet treatment needs among patients with depression and anxiety, but their therapeutic utility is largely unknown. ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy and mechanisms of an AI-driven voice-based coach, Lumen, delivering problem-solving treatment (PST) for patients with untreated, moderate depression and/or anxiety. DesignPhase 2, 3-arm randomized clinical trial. SettingA public university and affiliat...

Technological innovations such as eHealth are vital for improving healthcare accessibility, quality, and sustainability. While most research addresses adoption at the individual or team level, less is known about organisational factors enabling sustainable transformation. Organisational readiness is a key determinant of success. The Organizational eHealth Readiness (OeHR) model, developed in Polish primary care, assesses five dimensions: Strategy, Competence, Culture, Structure, and Technology, ...

General-purpose large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are increasingly used for medical advice despite lacking medical training and frequently producing incorrect or unsafe output. Older adults health information-seeking behaviors using LLMs remain poorly characterized. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 574 US adults aged 50+ recruited via Prolific, balanced by sex and race. Participants reported health information sources, ChatGPT and PubMed use, demographics, and health literacy. Mo...

Rare diseases affect millions worldwide and are associated with long diagnostic delays, limited access to treatments, and substantial challenges in daily care and coordination. Digital health technologies, including mobile apps, telehealth, and data-sharing platforms, offer opportunities to improve care and quality of life for people living with rare diseases. As these tools rapidly expand, this study examines the needs, expectations, and conditions for successful adoption of patient-centered di...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into healthcare delivery, yet patient acceptance in resource constrained settings remains incompletely characterized. This study assessed attitudes toward AI supported care among patients attending hospitals in three Jordanian governorates (Amman, Balqa, Irbid) and examined demographic and digital literacy correlates of acceptance. In a cross sectional survey (n = 500 complete questionnaires), participants rated exposure to AI in healthcare...

BackgroundAs digital communication becomes central to daily life, psychotherapy increasingly has access to patients electronic media data. While digital phenotyping has been widely studied, less is known about whether incorporating personal communication data, such as text messages, improves clinical outcomes in psychotherapy. ObjectiveTo determine whether integrating personalized text message data into psychotherapy improves depression, anxiety, health related quality of life, and therapeutic ...

ObjectiveEffective management of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is limited by reliance on episodic, subjective clinical scales. Passive digital phenotyping offers a potential solution for continuous, objective monitoring. We aimed to assess the concurrent validity of a novel digital biomarker--the Facial Affect Dynamics-derived Depression Severity (FADS) score--against the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). MethodsWe conducted an interim analysis of the EMC2FR study (NCT06860165), a prosp...

Neurological health score (NHS), indicating the health of brain and nervous system, helps in identifying high risk individuals, and in recommending lifestyle modifications. In the present study, we developed NHS based on genetic, lifestyle and biochemical variables associated with eight neurological disorders - dementia, stroke, Parkinsons disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, multiple sclerosis and migraine. UK Biobank data from Caucasian individuals was used ...