To improve screenings with technology, focus on people first

Information Technology in Primary Care Screenings: Ready for Prime Time?

2025-04-30

(Press-News.org) Editorial

To Improve Screenings With Technology, Focus on People First

Background: This issue of Annals of Family Medicine includes four original studies that illustrate valuable concepts to consider when incorporating technology in screening to improve early detection and management of disease.

Editorial Stance: These studies highlight the importance of centering any digital health intervention on the patient’s specific clinical needs. The authors emphasize that digital tools work best when they work with, rather than replace, clinicians. Additionally, the authors stress that we must remember the human element while integrating digital tools into clinical practice while addressing barriers like lack of care coordination that can still prevent follow-up.

Why It Matters: AI has the potential to improve patient experience, better outcomes, lower cost, clinician well-being, and health equity.

Information Technology in Primary Care Screenings: Ready for Prime Time?

Masahito Jimbo, MD, PhD, MPH, FAAFP, et al

Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Implementing a digital cognitive screening tool and flexible workflow helps primary care clinics integrate dementia screening

2025-04-30

Original Research Implementing a Digital Cognitive Screening Tool and Flexible Workflow Helps Primary Care Clinics Integrate Dementia Screening Background and Goal: A previous study across seven primary care clinics found that many older adults who completed a digital cognitive assessment showed possible signs of cognitive impairment. In this companion study, researchers assessed how agile implementation, an approach based on iterative improvements and tailored clinic workflows, could support the integration of digital cognitive assessment screening ...

Digital cognitive assessment in primary care may enable early dementia detection and next step care

2025-04-30

Original Research Digital Cognitive Assessment in Primary Care May Enable Early Dementia Detection and Next Step Care Background and Goal: Many adults aged 65 and older never receive a cognitive check during regular primary care visits. This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a digital cognitive assessment for Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) screening into primary care. Study Approach: From June 2022 to May 2023, seven Indiana University Health clinics offered the five-minute Digital Clock & Recall test on an iPad to every patient 65 and older. Each ...

App-based hearing screenings in family practice may improve hearing disorder diagnosis

2025-04-30

App-Based Hearing Screenings in Family Practice May Improve Hearing Disorder Diagnosis Background and Goal: Pure-tone audiometry, the gold standard for assessing hearing impairment, is costly and time-consuming. This study evaluated the acceptability and feasibility of hearing screening in the routine practice of private family medicine using two self-tests. Study Approach: 516 consecutive patients aged older than 10 years attending three private French family-practice clinics wore calibrated ...

Ai-enabled cardiovascular screening shows promise in identifying heart dysfunction in women considering pregnancy

2025-04-30

AI-Enabled Cardiovascular Screening Shows Promise in Identifying Heart Dysfunction in Women Considering Pregnancy Background and Goal: This study evaluated the performance of an artificial intelligence–enabled electrocardiogram (AI-ECG) and an AI-powered digital stethoscope to see how well they could detect early signs of heart dysfunction in women of reproductive age. Study Approach: In this cross-sectional pilot study, researchers examined two groups of women aged 18 to 49 who were considering pregnancy. Women who were currently pregnant or within one year postpartum were also ...

Strengthening global pandemic preparedness: The urgent need for investment, collaboration, and action

2025-04-30

The Global Virus Network (GVN) is highly concerned that the world is unprepared for the next pandemic and has not incorporated the lessons learned from COVID-19. The GVN, comprised of 80+ Virology Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in 40+ countries, whose mission is to facilitate pandemic preparedness against viral pathogens and diseases that threaten public health globally, believes that systemic inadequacies and vulnerabilities persist, which threaten public health on a global scale. Furthermore, the need for governments and health organizations worldwide to invest and collaborate in developing and implementing an effective, ...

FAU CA-AI awarded $2.1million to establish new U.S. Air Force Center of Excellence

2025-04-30

The world is changing rapidly, and so is the way wars are fought. The United States military faces challenges when it comes to securing and protecting its communication systems in a time of advanced technology and shifting global power dynamics. A key issue is the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) – the airwaves used for wireless communication, radar, GPS and other critical systems. These frequencies are under constant threat of interference from adversaries, and as warfare becomes more high-tech, the ability to control and manipulate this spectrum will determine success or failure. To address critical U.S. Air Force communications needs, Dimitris Pados, Ph.D., principal ...

KIST develops ultrasonic wireless battery charging technology

2025-04-30

With the increasing demand for underwater and implantable medical electronics, a stable and continuous power supply is essential. However, conventional wireless charging methods (such as electromagnetic induction and radio frequency-based charging) used in smartphones and wireless earphones suffer from short transmission distances, low energy transfer efficiency in biological tissues, and electromagnetic interference. To overcome these limitations, researchers are now considering the use of ultrasound as a new wireless power transfer technology. ...

Artificial intelligence tools make education materials more patient friendly

2025-04-30

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools significantly improve the readability of online patient education materials (PEMs), making them more accessible, a new study shows. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the study focused on the readability of PEMs available on the websites of the American Heart Association (AHA), American Cancer Society (ACS), and American Stroke Association (ASA). According to the researchers, these materials help patients make decisions about their health care but often exceed the recommended reading level of grade ...

Increasing physical activity in middle age may protect against Alzheimer's disease

2025-04-30

An increase in physical activity between the ages of 45 and 65 could help prevent Alzheimer's disease, while inactivity may be detrimental to brain health. This is the main conclusion of a scientific paper published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, which highlights the need to promote physical activity among middle-aged adults. The study is the result of a collaboration between the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a center promoted by the “la Caixa” Foundation, and the ...

Prevention instead of reaction: Intelligent, networked systems for structural monitoring

2025-04-30

The safety and durability of transport and building infrastructure are in the interests of both operators and users. To maintain the best possible building condition at the lowest possible cost, effective monitoring is required to improve condition assessment. Although there are suitable monitoring systems, they are usually not properly networked, not directly integrated into the building management system and their data is often not usable in the long term due to incomplete documentation and non-standardised evaluation procedures. In the PreMainSHM project, a team at Graz ...

To improve screenings with technology, focus on people first

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: