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BackgroundIn remote areas, connected health (CH) is needed, but as local resources are often scarce and the purchasing power of residents is usually poor, it is a challenge to apply CH in these settings. In this study, CH is defended as a technological solution for reshaping the direction of health care to be more proactive, preventive, and precisely targeted—and thus, more effective. ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to explore the identity of CH stakeholders in remote areas of Taiwan and their interests and power in order to determine ideal strategies for applying CH. We aimed to explore the respective unknowns and discover insights for those facing similar issues. MethodsQualitative research was conducted to investigate and interpret the phenomena of the aging population in a remote setting. An exploratory approach was employed involving semistructured interviews with 22 participants from 8 remote allied case studies. The interviews explored perspectives on stakeholder arrangements, including the power and interests of stakeholders and the needs of all the parties in the ecosystem. ResultsResults were obtained from in-depth interviews and focus groups that included identifying the stakeholders of remote health and determining how they influence its practice, as well as how associated agreements bring competitive advantages. Stakeholders included people in government sectors, industrial players, academic researchers, end users, and their associates who described their perspectives on their power and interests in remote health service delivery. Specific facilitators of and barriers to effective delivery were identified. A number of themes, such as government interests and power of decision making, were corroborated across rural and remote services. These themes were broadly grouped into the disclosure of conflicts of interest, asymmetry in decision making, and data development for risk assessment. ConclusionsThis study contributes to current knowledge by exploring the features of CH in remote areas and investigating its implementation from the perspectives of stakeholder management. It offers insights into managing remote health through a CH platform, which can be used for preliminary quantitative research. Consequently, these findings could help to more effectively facilitate diverse stakeholder engagement for health information sharing and social interaction.

Commercial banks constitute a crucial segment of China's financial system, and their efficient operation is directly linked to the development of other sectors within the national economy. The sustainable profitability of these banks is vital for maintaining the stability of China's financial system. In the context of the current digital economy, it is of great theoretical and practical significance to conduct an in-depth analysis of the impact of financial technology (fintech) development on the sustainable profitability of commercial banks and its underlying mechanisms. Such research can promote the digital transformation of commercial banks, enhance risk supervision policies, and mitigate systemic financial risks. This study utilizes EViews software Version 13 to analyze annual data from 13 listed commercial banks in China over the period from 2011 to 2021. It examines the influence of fintech on the profitability of these banks, considering their unique characteristics and drawing insights from the existing literature on the mechanisms through which fintech affects bank profitability. Employing both a static panel fixed effects variable-intercept model and a dynamic panel generalized method of moments (GMM) model, the empirical findings indicate that fintech development significantly impacts the profitability of listed commercial banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange as a case study to investigate the effects of blockchain technology applications on transaction prices within the carbon trading market. Utilizing an event study methodology, the research demonstrates that blockchain technology significantly enhances the transparency, security, and efficiency of the carbon market, thereby exerting a positive influence on transaction prices. Nonetheless, the study also identifies several challenges associated with blockchain applications, including increased costs, heightened energy consumption, transaction delays, and substantial learning costs. To mitigate these issues, the study proposes optimizing blockchain architecture, incorporating Layer 2 technologies to expedite transaction processes, and developing innovative regulatory frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Technology-based health care has been promoted as an effective tool to enable clinicians to work smarter. However, some health stakeholders believe technology will compel users to work harder by creating extra work.Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate how and why electronic health (eHealth) has been applied in Taiwan and to suggest implications that may inspire other countries facing similar challenges.Methods: A qualitative methodology was adopted to obtain insightful inputs from deeper probing. Taiwan was selected as a typical case study, given its aging population, advanced technology, and comprehensive health care system. This study investigated 38 stakeholders in the health care ecosystem through in-depth interviews and focus groups, which provides an open, flexible, and enlightening way to study complex, dynamic, and interactive situations through informal conversation or a more structured, directed discussion.Results: First, respondents indicated that the use of technology can enable seamless patient care and clinical benefits such as flexibility in time management. Second, the results suggested that a leader's vision, authority, and management skills might influence success in health care innovation. Finally, the results implied that both internal and external organizational governance are highly relevant for implementing technology-based innovation in health care.Conclusions: This study provided Taiwanese perspectives on how to intelligently use technology to benefit health care and debated the perception that technology prevents human interaction between clinicians and patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to understand the adverse drug reactions (ADRs) for non-statin antihyperlipidaemic drugs included in the China Anti-hyperlipidemic Drug Database., Design: An approach of Chinese national database analysis was employed to screen clinical trials involving non-statin antihyperlipidaemic drugs from 1989 to 2019., Setting: The database was provided by the China National Medical Products Administration Information Centre., Participants: In total, 117 clinical studies with 8800 patients were selected from 2650 clinical trials of the Anti-hyperlipidemic Drug Database., Interventions: The non-statin antihyperlipidaemic drugs were divided into three groups: (1) fibrates (fenofibrate, gemfibrozil, bezafibrate, etofylline clofibrate); (2) nicotinic acid and derivatives (niacin, acipimox) and (3) others (probucol, cholestyramine)., Results: The results of this study show that first, gastrointestinal symptoms were the most common reactions (6.975%), which account for approximately 50% of the reported cases with ADRs. Second, cholestyramine (16.418%) and gemfibrozil (13.158%) were the most common gastrointestinal side effect-causing non-statin antihyperlipidaemic drugs, which account for one-third of the population. Third, niacin (7.879%) and gemfibrozil (5.000%) were the most likely cause of liver disease symptoms. Finally, niacin (10.909%) and acipimox (18.847%) were the major non-statin antihyperlipidaemic drugs with skin symptoms., Conclusion: This study revealed that gastrointestinal symptoms were the most common ADRs of fibrates, probucol and cholestyramine in the Chinese population. For nicotinic acid and derivatives, the ADRs of skin symptoms were the most common in China., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)