Developing and Utilizing Digital Technology in Healthcare for Assessment and Monitoring

Book excerpt: This book discusses the current trends in nursing and healthcare in relation to the integration of information technological interventions across the care continuum. The use of such interventions in healthcare has increased rapidly in recent years, partly due to the rise in technological gadgets/applications used in daily routines (e.g. actigraphy bracelets, smartphones) and their unique properties that can be utilized in assessing, monitoring and managing a patient’s condition remotely. This book highlights the areas and the ways in which these interventions can facilitate patient assessment and monitoring and complement conventional treatments in the management of disease-induced or treatment-induced side effects. Furthermore, the book describes the development of such interventions and examines how they are designed to promote adherence and acceptance by the user. To this end, the book also discusses the need for personalizing the technological experience according to the user’s preferences and needs. Drawing on the latest studies in these areas, it not only provides suggestions for undertaking research in this context, but also offers insights into how these technologies impact patients’ clinical outcomes. Lastly, it addresses the challenges of utilizing such technologies and future directions. Providing multiple perspectives on the topic, the book appeals to a wide range of readers, including nurses, clinicians, researchers, technology experts and students, making them familiar with a broad selection of technological interventions and their application in clinical practice. Moreover, it highlights the factors that need to be considered in the development (and testing) of future interventions, in particular in nursing, and provides inspiration for future studies.