JMIR Formative Research

People experiencing homelessness have worse oral health outcomes and a huge health informational asymmetry compared to the general population. Screening programs present a viable option for this population, however, barriers to access, such as lower levels of health literacy, lack of information, and mistrust, narrow their chances to participate.

Caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia face ongoing psychological and emotional burdens due to the chronic and relapsing nature of the disorder and the complexity of caregiving. Prolonged exposure to caregiving stress characterized by emotional exhaustion, role overload, and lack of social support has been consistently associated with poor mental health outcomes among caregivers, including depression, anxiety

Large language models (LLMs) can aid students in mastering a new topic fast but for the educational institutions responsible for assessing and grading the academic level of students it can be difficult to discern whether a text originates from a student’s own cognition or if it is synthesized by an LLM. Universities have traditionally relied on a submitted written thesis as proof of higher-level learning, on which to grant grades and diplomas. But what happens when LLMs can mimic the academic writing of subject matter experts? This is now a real dilemma. The ubiquitous availability of LLMs challenges trust in the master’s thesis as evidence of subject matter comprehension and academic competences.

Disparities in electronic health record systems hinder cross-border continuity of care, particularly where labor mobility and tourism intersect (eg, between the Philippines and Taiwan). Both nations collect claim data, yet neither fully aligns with international standards such as the HL7 International Patient Summary (IPS).

Rural living adults are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes compared to their urban counterparts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) is an evidence-based intervention that reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes through increased physical activity and modest weight loss, but overall reach remains limited, specifically in rural communities.

Despite potential risks, artificial intelligence-based chatbots that simulate psychotherapy are becoming more widely available and frequently used by the general public. A comprehensive way of evaluating the quality of these chatbots is needed.

Providing patients with information about their health and treatment options is important to ensure care that best reflects patient needs, values, and preferences. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs), measures of health status, are regularly collected in clinical contexts and scores can be returned to patients in personalized decision aids. One example of a PRO-based decision aid is the Arthritis care through Shared Knowledge (A.S.K.) report, which shares individual PRO data on knee and hip arthritis-related pain and functional limitations with patients. However, given that using such data in clinical consultations is unfamiliar to many patients, support may be required to ensure this information is understood and used as intended.

Challenges in emergency medicine include overcrowding, insufficient emergency care resources, and extended Emergency Department (ED) waiting times. These issues contribute to delays in treatment and unfavorable outcomes. This situation particularly worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic and events with large crowds. The integration of augmented reality (AR) smart glasses could potentially enhance patient care in the ED.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in significant physical, emotional, and social consequences, often leading to profound grief and unresolved emotional burdens. As individuals with SCI must navigate these challenges daily for the rest of their lives, there is a pressing need for accessible and effective support programs. While expressive writing has shown potential in facilitating emotional processing and aiding coping after trauma, loss, and health-related adversity, its impact on individuals who have suddenly lost physical abilities due to SCI remains underexplored.

The global incidence of blindness has continued to increase, despite the enactment of a Global Eye Health Action Plan by the World Health Assembly. This can be attributed, in part to an aging population, but also to the limited diagnostic resources within lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The advent of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) within healthcare could pose a novel solution to combating the prevalence of blindness globally.

Worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to further gaps in mental health care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries such as Vietnam, where care is inaccessible for 90% of those who need it. There has subsequently been a considerable increase in the use of digital mental health interventions such as smartphone apps. Presently, the evidence for such interventions is limited, especially in cases in which the interventions have been adapted from evidence-based in-person formats. Implementation science aims to promote the incorporation of scientific findings into practice. A key determinant of implementation success is an intervention’s usability. Hurdles to usability include an intervention being too confusing or time-intensive to use. Facilitators include incorporating a greater number of engagement features and integrating human support.

Limited access to specialist weight management services restricts the implementation of novel pharmacotherapies for obesity such as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) in the UK National Health Service (NHS). Second Nature, a commercial digital health company, offers a remotely delivered program combining a GLP-1RA medication (semaglutide) with digital behavioral support, potentially providing a scalable solution. However, evidence for long-term effectiveness in this real-world context is limited.