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Introduction: Serious educational games are digital games designed to support teaching or learning objectives that have become popular among children. However, a set of principles is needed to develop a successful educational game. Therefore, this study aimed to provide a comprehensive and valid framework for designing children's serious educational games. Methods: The conceptual framework is developed in two phases. First, a scoping review was conducted in PubMed, Ovid (APA PsycInfo), EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, and gray literature on August 1, 2022. Papers in English that reported the serious educational games’ principles for children were included. Second, the extracted data from the previous step was reviewed and discussed by the research team to develop the initial framework. Then, it was distributed to 20 experts with relevant knowledge and experience in two rounds to validate and apply their comments within the framework. Results: Of the 12916 papers identified, 15 were included in this study. In the proposed framework named CoDHP, the results were classified into four topics, including (a) content aspects, (b) design requirements, (c) highlighted attributes, and (d) children's preferences. Content aspects comprise four classes (goals and limits, child learning content, learning context, and a long-term program) with 16 principles. Design requirements contain 11 classes (stories and storylines, player characters, game mechanics, interactivity, game challenge, game rules, game help, entertaining games, user interface, accessibility, and setting) with 47 principles, of which 15 are highlighted. Regarding children's preferences for the game elements, various similarities and differences were extracted. For instance, both girls and boys prefer fun and popular games. Based on experts' comments, 21 supplementary principles were recommended to complete the content and design requirements. Conclusion: Game designers or researchers can use the proposed framework as a formative guide to design successful serious games or evaluate children's digital games.

Abstract Background and Aims Conventional medical training routes of bronchoscopy may decrease patients' comfort and increase procedure‐related morbidity. Virtual reality (VR)‐based bronchoscopy is a beneficial and safe solution for teaching trainees. The aim of this systematic review was to study the effectiveness of VR‐based bronchoscopy simulators on the learning outcomes of medical trainees. Methods Well‐known sources (i.e., Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and Medline via PubMed) were systematically searched using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines on December, 2021. Peer‐reviewed English papers that used VR‐based simulation for bronchoscopy training were included. The articles that were studying other technologies, or those that were unrelated to the topic, were excluded. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklists for quasi‐experimental studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Results Out of 343 studies, 8 of them met our inclusion criteria. An appropriate control group and statistical analysis were the most common and unavoidable sources of bias in included non‐RCTs, and lack of blinding in participants was the most common source of bias in RCTs. The included studies evaluated learning outcomes regarding dexterity (N = 5), speed (N = 3), the accuracy of procedures (N = 1), and the need for verbal assistance (N = 1). Based on the results, 100% (5/5) and 66% (2/3) of studies showed that the use of VR‐based simulation on the learning outcomes of medical trainees led to improvement in manual ability (i.e., dexterity) and swiftness of execution (i.e., speed in performance), respectively. Additionally, improving the accuracy of subjects' performance, and reducing the need for verbal guidance and physical assistance was reported in studies that evaluated these variables. Conclusion VR bronchoscopy simulator as a training method for teaching medical trainees, especially for novices has the potential to improve medical trainees' performance and reduce complications. Further studies are needed to evaluate the positive effects of VR‐based simulation on the learning outcomes of medical trainees.

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has become a global concern. Iran is one of the countries affected most by the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. As a result, the use of information technology (IT) has a variety of applications for pandemic management. The purpose of this study was to develop a conceptual framework for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic via IT management, based on extensive literature review and expert knowledge. Methods The conceptual framework is developed in three stages: (1) a literature review to gather practical experience with IT applications for managing the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) a study of Iranian documents and papers that present Iran’s practical experience with COVID-19, and (3) developing a conceptual framework based on the previous steps and validating it through a Delphi approach in two rounds, and by 13 experts. Results The proposed conceptual framework demonstrates that during pandemics, 22 different types of technologies were used for various purposes, including virtual education, early warning, rapid screening and diagnosis of infected individuals, and data management. These objectives were classified into six categories, with the following applications highlighted: (1) Prevention (M-health, Internet search queries, telehealth, robotics, Internet of things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data, Virtual Reality (VR), social media); (2) Diagnosis (M-health, drones, telehealth, IoT, Robotics, AI, Decision Support System (DSS), Electronic Health Record (EHR)); (3) Treatment (Telehealth, M-health, AI, Robotic, VR, IoT); (4) Follow-up (Telehealth, M-health, VR), (5) Management & planning (Geographic information system, M-health, IoT, blockchain), and (6) Protection (IoT, AI, Robotic and automatic vehicles, Augmented Reality (AR)). In Iran, the use of IT for prevention has been emphasized through M-health, internet search queries, social media, video conferencing, management and planning objectives using databases, health information systems, dashboards, surveillance systems, and vaccine coverage. Conclusions IT capabilities were critical during the COVID-19 outbreak. Practical experience demonstrates that various aspects of information technologies were overlooked. To combat this pandemic, the government and decision-makers of this country should consider strategic planning that incorporates successful experiences against COVID-19 and the most advanced IT capabilities.

Child abuse refers to any form of maltreatment, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect that occurs to children under 18 years of age. Digital games and virtual reality (VR) can be used as beneficial solutions for dealing with child maltreatment concerns. This study aimed to present a conceptual framework for showing the applications of these technologies in managing child abuse. The framework is developed in two stages: (1) a scoping review to gather digital games and VR applications for child abuse issues through the search in PubMed, Ovid (APA PsycInfo), Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and grey literature and (2) developing a conceptual framework based on the review results and validating it by 12 experts. The proposed conceptual framework shows that digital games and VR have been used for six main topics: (1) medical education, (2) prevention, (3) screening, (4) diagnosis, (5) treatment, and (6) forensic medicine in response to child abuse issues. Studies have more focused on child sexual abuse prevention, behavioral monitoring of sexual offenders in forensic medicine, and knowledge or performance assessment of students in medical education. Serious games (SGs), computer simulation, and immersive VR were common technologies for children, students, and forensic medicine, respectively. The experts believe the combination of immersive features of VR with SGs can further encourage user engagement. It appears that digital games and VR can play a positive role in child abuse management. Given the extensive capabilities of these technologies, further studies are needed to show all their potential applications for child abuse problems.

Background: When it comes to rehabilitation following many injuries and disabilities, exercise therapy is a long, arduous, and tedious process. Therefore, there is a need to employ new methods to increase the frequency, duration, and intensity of the exercises, and to boost motivation and satisfaction of the patients in a way that they can better perform the exercises. In this regard, virtual reality (VR) is an emerging technology that can be an effective tool in mitigating therapeutic challenges. Objectives: The main objective of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of VR-based exercise therapy to highlight areas for future studies in rehabilitation. Methods: The scoping review methodology was used to comprehensively search for and identify related papers in MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, EMBASE, IEEE, and Web of Science, while grey literature was also searched. Studies that used VR for exercise therapy were included in the current review. Quality assessment was performed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database. The consensus was reached following two reviewers’ independent inclusion screening, data extraction, and appraisal. Results: Among 2887 identified studies, 26 papers were eligible to be included in this review. The results showed the positive effects of VR-based exercise therapy in a variety of conditions or disorders. With regard to treatment objectives, VR-based exercise therapy has been more commonly considered for the improvement of pain (41%), functional ability (31%), and muscular strength (24%). According to the findings, compared to other VR devices, Nintendo Wii and Kinect are 41% and 24% more common, respectively. Conclusions: This review provides evidence for the potential effectiveness of virtual reality-based exercise therapy for the improvement of rehabilitation outcomes. However, further higher-quality research is needed to confirm the observed positive effects.

The pandemics of major infectious diseases often cause public health, economic, and social problems. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), as two novel technologies, have been used in many fields for emergency management of disasters. The objective of this paper was to review VR and AR applications in the emergency management of infectious outbreaks with an emphasis on the COVID-19 outbreak. A search was conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, IEEE, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and related websites for papers published up to May 2, 2020. The VR technology has been used for preventing or responding to infections by simulating human behaviors, infection transmission, and pathogen structure as a means for improving skills management and safety protection. Telehealth, telecommunication, and drug discovery have been among the other applications of VR during this pandemic. Moreover, AR has also been used in various industries, including healthcare, marketing, universities, and schools. Providing high-resolution audio and video communication, facilitating remote collaboration, and allowing the visualization of invisible concepts are some of the advantages of using this technology. However, VR has been used more frequently than AR in the emergency management of previous infectious diseases with a greater focus on education and training. The potential applications of these technologies for COVID-19 can be categorized into four groups, i.e., 1) entertainment, 2) clinical context, 3) business and industry, and 4) education and training. The results of this study indicate that VR and AR have the potential to be used for emergency management of infectious diseases. Further research into employing these technologies will have a substantial impact on mitigating the destructive effects of infectious diseases. Making use of all the potential applications of these technologies should be considered for the emergency management of the current pandemic and mitigating its negative impacts.

Background and aim: COVID-19 has become an international emergency. The use of digital solutions can be effective in managing, preventing, and overcoming the further spread of infectious disease outbreaks. Accordingly, the use of mobile-health (m-health) technologies has the potential to promote public health. This review aimed to study the application of m-health solutions for the management of the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: The search strategy was done in Medline (PubMed), Embase, IEEE, and Google Scholar by using related keywords to m-health and COVID-19 on July 6, 2020. English papers that used m-health technologies for the COVID-19 outbreak were included. Results: Of the 2046 papers identified, 16 were included in this study. M-health had been used for various aims such as early detection, fast screening, patient monitoring, information sharing, education, and treatment in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. M-health solutions were classified into four use case categories: prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and protection. The mobile phone-based app and short text massaging were the most frequently used modalities, followed by wearables, portable screening devices, mobile-telehealth, and continuous telemetry monitor during the pandemics. Conclusion: It appears that m-health technologies played a positive role during the COVID-19 outbreak. Given the extensive capabilities of m-health solutions, investigation and use of all potential applications of m-health should be considered for combating the current Epidemics and mitigating its negative impacts.

Introduction: Medical Terminology is one of the specialized courses of the Health Information Technology (HIT) educational program, requires the recollection of numerous words, and educational tools could improve learning in this course. Mobile applications have been used as educational software and have recently received much attention. This study was conducted with the purpose of determining the effect of mobile educational content on study frequency, motivation, and educational improvement among HIT students. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 12 HIT students (in their second semester) of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Educational improvement of students was examined using pretest and posttest scores and the effect of the software on students’ motivation and study frequency was determined using a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by professors and its reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics (paired t-test and McNemar’s test). Results: The use of educational software had a meaningful relationship with educational improvement (P < 0.001) and students’ motivation (P = 0.013); however, it did not have a significant relationship with study frequency. Conclusion: The use of mobile educational software along with traditional methods of study can lead to academic improvement and motivation among students in the medical terminology course.

The resource-based relative value scale (RBRVS) system is used to reimburse physician services in health care systems. The aim of the present study was to study the features of RBRVS system in order to provide a framework to estimate reimbursement of physician services based on the resources used. This narrative study was carried out by surveying 90 articles and other documents. The adoption of the RBRVS system required the use of the Current Procedure Terminology (CPT) code to determine Relative value units (RVUs) of physicians’ work and practice expenses as major components. Geographic practice cost index (GPCI) and conversation factor were the modifier factors. With the employment of this system, the actual costs assigned to each medical service, even in offices, are determined and patient’s out-of-pocket payment is conducted fairly.

Emergency management of the emerging infectious disease outbreak is critical for public health threats. Currently, control of the COVID-19 outbreak is an international concern and has become a crucial challenge in many countries. This article reviews significant information technologyIT) applications in emergency management of COVID-19 by considering the prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery phases of the crisis. This review was conducted using MEDLINE PubMed), Embase, IEEE, and Google Scholar. Expert opinions were collected to show existence gaps, useful technologies for each phase of emergency management, and future direction. Results indicated that various IT-based systems such as surveillance systems, artificial intelligence, computational methods, Internet of things, remote sensing sensor, online service, and GIS geographic information system) could have different outbreak management applications, especially in response phases. Information technology was applied in several aspects, such as increasing the accuracy of diagnosis, early detection, ensuring healthcare providers’ safety, decreasing workload, saving time and cost, and drug discovery. We categorized these applications into four core topics, including diagnosis and prediction, treatment, protection, and management goals, which were confirmed by five experts. Without applying IT, the control and management of the crisis could be difficult on a large scale. For reducing and improving the hazard effect of disaster situations, the role of IT is inevitable. In addition to the response phase, communities should be considered to use IT capabilities in prevention, preparedness, and recovery phases. It is expected that IT will have an influential role in the recovery phase of COVID-19. Providing IT infrastructure and financial support by the governments should be more considered in facilitating IT capabilities.