Interactive Journal of Medical Research

Effective communication strategies are becoming increasingly important in intensive care units (ICUs) where patients at high risk are treated. Distributed leadership promotes effective communication among health care professionals (HCPs). Moreover, beyond facilitating patient care, it may improve well-being among HCPs by fostering teamwork. However, the impact of distributed leadership on the communication structure and well-being of HCPs remains unclear.

Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is an aggressive and potentially life-threatening infection of the superficial fascia and surrounding skin, fat, fascia, muscle, and other soft tissue structures. Here, we outline the rare case of a 26-year-old man with a periorbital Streptococcus pyogenes A NF infection. Our case report underscores a unique instance of periorbital NF, distinctively presenting without any predisposing risk factors, shedding light on its presentation, treatment, and pathophysiology.

In the COVID-19 pandemic, a visit restriction policy for patients has been implemented in medical institutions worldwide and visits are being made using alternative communication technologies. This shift has also required the use of platforms to prevent negative consequences of these restrictions.

Loneliness affects the quality of life of people all around the world. Loneliness is also shown to be directly associated with mental health issues and is often the cause of mental health problems. It is also shown to increase the risk of heart diseases and other physical illnesses. Loneliness is studied both from the social and medical sciences perspectives. There are also interventions on the basis of health informatics, information and communication technologies (ICTs), social media, and other technological solutions. In the literature, loneliness is studied from various angles and perspectives ranging from biological to socioeconomical and through anthropological understandings of technology. From the ICT and technological sides, there are multiple reviews studying the effectiveness of intervention strategies and solutions. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive review on loneliness that engulfs the psychological, social, and technological studies of loneliness. From the perspective of loneliness informatics (ie, the application of health informatics practices and tools), it is important to understand the psychological and biological basis of loneliness. When it comes to technological interventions to fight off loneliness, the majority of interventions focus on older people. While loneliness is highest among older people, theoretical and demographical studies of loneliness give a U-shaped distribution age-wise to loneliness; that is, younger people and older people are the demographics most affected by loneliness. But the strategies and interventions designed for older people cannot be directly applied to younger people. We present the dynamics of loneliness in younger people and also provide an overview of the technological interventions for loneliness in younger people. This paper presents an approach wherein the studies carried out from the perspectives of digital health and informatics are discussed in detail. A comprehensive overview of the understanding of loneliness and the study of the overall field of tools and strategies of loneliness informatics was carried out. The need to study loneliness in younger people is addressed and particular digital solutions and interventions developed for younger people are presented. This paper can be used to overcome the challenges of technological gaps in the studies and strategies developed for loneliness. The findings of this study show that the majority of interventions and reviews are focused on older people, with ICT-based and social media–based interventions showing promise for countering the effects of loneliness. There are new technologies, such as conversational agents and robots, which are tailored to the particular needs of younger people. This literature review suggests that the digital solutions developed to overcome loneliness can benefit people, and younger people in particular, more if they are made interactive in order to retain users.

Electronic health records and IT infrastructure in primary care allow for digital documentation and access to information, which can be used to guide evidence-based care and monitor patient safety and quality of care. Quality indicators specified by regulatory authorities can be automatically computed and presented to primary care staff. However, the implementation of digital information systems (DIS) in health care can be challenging, and understanding factors such as relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability is needed to improve the success and rate of adoption and diffusion.

In Japan, incidents of falsified expiration dates on popular cookie brands and health hazards associated with frozen Chinese dumplings have raised food safety awareness. To prevent the intentional contamination of food by foreign substances, large food manufacturing companies have adopted the concept of food defense.

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Existing digital mental health interventions mainly focus on the symptoms of specific mental disorders, but do not focus on Maladaptive Personalities and Interpersonal Schemas (MPISs). As an initial step toward considering personalities and schemas in intervention programs, there is a need for the development of tools for measuring core personality traits and interpersonal schemas known to cause psychological discomfort among potential users of digital mental health interventions. Thus, the MPIS was developed.

Virtual reality (VR) applications are gaining growing significance, particularly among older adults. These applications can provide valuable support to older adults by offering immersive VR content that positively influences various aspects of their daily lives, including activities of daily living. Furthermore, VR applications can contribute to the enhancement of cognitive and motor skills, ultimately leading to an improved quality of life for older individuals. Nevertheless, to ensure a positive impact, it is crucial to develop VR experiences that are tailored to the needs and preferences of the users.

With the rapid development of science, technology, and engineering, large amounts of data have been generated in many fields in the past 20 years. In the process of medical research, data are constantly generated, and large amounts of real-world data form a “data disaster.” Effective data analysis and mining are based on data availability and high data quality. The premise of high data quality is the need to clean the data. Data cleaning is the process of detecting and correcting “dirty data,” which is the basis of data analysis and management. Moreover, data cleaning is a common technology for improving data quality. However, the current literature on real-world research provides little guidance on how to efficiently and ethically set up and perform data cleaning. To address this issue, we proposed a data cleaning framework for real-world research, focusing on the 3 most common types of dirty data (duplicate, missing, and outlier data), and a normal workflow for data cleaning to serve as a reference for the application of such technologies in future studies. We also provided relevant suggestions for common problems in data cleaning.

Managing reusable medical devices incurs substantial health care costs and complexity, particularly in integrated care settings. This complexity hampers care quality, safety, and costs. Studying logistical innovations within integrated care can provide insights to medical devices use among staff effectively.

Insufficient physical activity due to social distancing and suppressed outdoor activities increases vulnerability to diseases like cardiovascular diseases, sarcopenia, and severe COVID-19. While bodyweight exercises, such as squats, effectively boost physical activity, incorrect postures risk abnormal muscle activation joint strain, leading to ineffective sessions or even injuries. Avoiding incorrect postures is challenging for novices without expert guidance. Existing solutions for remote coaching and computer-assisted posture correction often prove costly or inefficient.