JMIR Formative Research

After breast cancer, cervical cancer (CC) is one of the leading causes of female mortality. CC accounts for more than 7.5% of female cancer deaths worldwide. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease in women and the leading cause of CC in almost 99% of all CC cases. HPV vaccination could prevent up to 70% of HPV-related CC and 90% of genital warts. HPV vaccination is the bedrock of primary prevention and helps reduce the incidence and death rates of HPV-associated CC.

Digitalization in geriatric rehabilitation presents unique challenges, making it essential to align eHealth solutions with patients’ digital skills. The Quickscan Digital Skills (QDS) is a tool designed to help health care professionals match eHealth interventions to individual skill levels.

Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) rely on sustainable and interoperable IT infrastructures to support coordination, data management, and long-term collaboration across geographically distributed primary care practices. Large federated initiatives, such as the German DESAM-ForNet (Initiative of German Practice-Based Research Networks) program, face substantial sociotechnical challenges, as diverse user groups, heterogeneous local systems, and multiple governance levels must align around shared digital solutions.

Individuals with one or more socially stigmatized identities experience extensive health disparities, resulting in poorer health outcomes. However, most studies consider the effects of only individual stigmatized identities.

Achieving optimal adherence to anticoagulation therapy is a major challenge in the management of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Mobile health (mHealth) technologies may offer a scalable approach to supporting medication adherence and self-management.

Nipah virus (NiV) infection is considered one of the deadliest infectious diseases, with a case fatality rate of approximately 71%. In Bangladesh, the primary risk factor for NiV infection is the consumption of raw date palm sap (DPS) contaminated with excreta from fruit bats (ie, members of the family). Recently, the increasing use of social media among Bangladeshi youth has enabled business groups to widely advertise and sell raw DPS. This increased access, combined with young people perceiving consumption of raw DPS as an “adventurous event,” may facilitate an increase in incidences of NiV infection.

US overdose deaths continue to exceed 77,000 per year, the majority of which involve opioids. One evidence-based response to this crisis is overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND). There is a large national (US) network of citizens and first response agencies connected through an app called , who are engaged in facilitating rapid layperson cardiopulmonary resuscitation administration in cases of public emergencies. Our goal is to recruit these first response agencies to provide targeted messaging about OEND to this large subpopulation of motivated layperson responders. This study focuses on the first step: the feasibility of our national efforts to recruit first response agencies to participate in our project.

Social media platforms have become integral to daily life, particularly among younger users. While they offer opportunities for connection, they also introduce new psychological stressors. Prior research has often relied on simplistic metrics such as screen time, failing to capture complex emotional and behavioral dimensions of digital engagement. There is a growing need to understand how design features and user experiences contribute to problematic social media use (PSMU), especially in adult populations.

Collection of multimodal data (video, audio, and text) can yield digital biomarkers relevant to mental health, fatigue, and cognition. However, the feasibility and signal characteristics in operational populations remain underexplored.

Artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled digital health kiosks are increasingly used in workplaces and communities to promote health awareness, especially in low- and middle-income countries. However, evidence on their real-world use, user acceptability, and immediate behavioral responses remains limited, especially outside formal clinical care.

Rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) have increased among women over the past 2 decades. Medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is effective but underused. Gender-specific treatments for women have been associated with improved substance use outcomes. However, these treatments have not specifically targeted women’s engagement in MOUD, and the impact of existing gender-specific treatments is restricted by in-person delivery.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the crucial role of smartphone apps in public health, but it has also revealed challenges in terms of user acceptance and trust, as well as the secure integration of medical data. To overcome these, the COMPASS initiative (Coordination on Mobile Pandemic Apps Best Practice and Solution Sharing)—part of the German Network University Medicine (NUM) program—developed a structured framework for the coordinated development and delivery of pandemic apps, with a focus on usability, accessibility, security, and scalability. By incorporating expertise from 9 university hospitals and external partners, COMPASS provided a modular approach to pandemic app development that balances technology, regulation, and public acceptance. The framework includes governance, best practices, compliance, research compatibility, interoperability, and a scalable technology platform. In addition, standardized app components and templates were created to support an effective pandemic response. Real-world validation was provided by study-specific apps such as the Mainz Gutenberg Study COVID-19 app (University Medical Center Mainz) and the SentiSurv app (University Medical Center Mainz), which generated nearly 1 million data points from over 25,000 participants. COMPASS successfully developed study-specific apps, improved core functionalities, and contributed to larger digital health projects such as the InnovationHub CAEHR. Beyond its immediate applications, COMPASS serves as a scalable blueprint for future mobile health solutions, with a focus on data protection, user trust, and open-source collaboration. By integrating important technological, ethical, and user-oriented considerations, it sets a new standard for digital health innovation and ensures sustainable and widely accepted pandemic preparedness.