JMIR Formative Research

Despite widespread use of symptom rating scales in psychiatry, these tools are limited by reliance on self-report, infrequent administration, and lack of predictive power. This constrains clinicians’ ability to monitor illness trajectories or anticipate adverse outcomes like relapse. Actigraphy, a passive wearable-based method for measuring sleep and physical activity, offers objective, high-resolution behavioral data that may better reflect symptom fluctuations. Prior research has shown associations between actigraphy features and mood or psychosis symptoms, but most studies have focused on narrow diagnostic groups or fixed time windows, limiting clinical translation.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of mortality, and exercise has been shown to reduce both. Health conditions, environmental factors, and logistical challenges are often barriers for participation in pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). Given the barriers many individuals with COPD face when attending health care centers for PR, virtual home-based cycling exercise could be an option.

Oral nicotine pouches (ONPs) have become a popular alternative nicotine product in recent years, especially among youth. This is concerning given the substantial health risks associated with nicotine use at an early age. Social media channels that are popular among youth (eg, TikTok) are being used to promote ONPs. Understanding the ways that individuals communicate about ONPs on popular social media, like TikTok, is critical for informing public health efforts aimed at protecting youth from the harms of nicotine.

Telemedicine, particularly teleconsultation, has emerged as a viable alternative to in-person consultation, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. Preanesthetic consultations are mandatory before surgery to assess perioperative risk. However, little data exists regarding the combined economic and ecological impacts of replacing in-person consultation with teleconsultation in this context.

Early detection and awareness are critical in reducing the burden of cancer. However, a significant proportion of university students in Bangladesh remain inadequately informed about cancer risks and preventive measures.

Literature on the development of mHealth tools for public health interventions is scarce. This scarcity creates a knowledge gap, and new tools may repeat the mistakes of past implementations.

Trauma exposure, including sexual harm, is prevalent in adolescents. A key resulting symptom relates to re-experiencing mental images of trauma, such as intrusive memories and flashbacks. Established treatments are used to address flashback memories but are hard to access, often leave remaining symptoms, and require extensive exposure to traumatic materials. An emerging approach with adult populations suggests intrusive imagery symptoms can be precisely targeted with simple cognitive tasks.

Diabetes mellitus requires continuous self-management to prevent complications. Patients frequently rely on online resources and mobile apps for diabetes-related information; however, these often lead to information overload, limited personalization, and difficulty in navigation. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots may address these challenges by providing accessible, personalized, and responsive guidance.

The prevalence of food and drug allergies has been steadily increasing in Germany. These conditions not only impair the quality of life of those affected but also place an additional burden on the healthcare system. At the same time, an increasing number of people are using the internet and other digital sources to seek health-related information.

Large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT offer significant opportunities for medical education. However, empirical data on actual usage patterns, perceived benefits, and limitations among medical students remain limited.

The use of smartphones and interest in mobile health (mHealth) has grown in recent years with physical activity apps demonstrating potential to facilitate behaviour change. However, there remains limited understanding of what specifically motivates children to engage meaningfully with these tools.

Although rates of tobacco use in California have declined overall, adults in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV), particularly Hispanic/Latinos (“Latinos”), have disproportionately high rates of tobacco use, tobacco-related illness, and mortality. Residents of the SJV also have limited access to cessation support services, and need accessible, non-clinical alternatives. Given high smartphone use rates among Latinos and residents of rural communities, digital health tools may present an accessible approach to expand cessation support.