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Heat treatment can enhance the microstructure uniformity and mitigate element segregation in the nickel-based superalloy GH3536 fabricated via laser directional energy deposition, augmenting its mechanical and corrosion properties. This study used laser beam oscillation to deposit GH3536 specimens and designed three heat treatment regimens: solution treatment (1177 °C/1 h), aging treatment (720 °C/8 h), and solution + aging treatment (1177 °C/1 h + 720 °C/8 h). The regulatory mechanisms of the treatments on the microstructure, tensile fracture, and corrosion behavior of the alloy were investigated. After solid solution treatment, the microstructure was completely recrystallized, and the long striped Laves phase was dissolved and transformed into granules; After aging treatment, a large amount of carbides precipitated at the grain boundaries. After solution treatment, the microstructure was completely recrystallized, and the striped Laves phase is dissolved and transformed into granules, improving the solid-solution strengthening effect of the GH3536 alloy; After aging treatment, a large amount of carbides precipitate at the grain boundaries, which enhanced the strength of the GH3536 alloy through the pinning effect and weakened the toughness. After solid solution and aging treatment, the tensile strength of GH3536 alloy increased to 840 MPa, and the elongation exceeded 39%, which were 22.90% and 9.7% higher than that of the as-deposited GH3536 alloy, respectively; During electrochemical corrosion, solid solution treatment and solution + aging treatment lead to more uniform microstructure, facilitating the formation of denser passivation films and enhancing corrosion resistance. After aging treatment, dendritic microstructures and precipitates are prone to induce potential differences, undermining the corrosion resistance.

Porous implants composed of periodically-repeating porous units have been applied in orthopedic surgeries to replace damaged bones. An important requirement for bone implants is to find a balance between biological and mechanical properties, that is, to ensure high pore connectivity and a certain strength. In this work, center-supported and perimeter-supported porous optimization models were established by a swarm intelligence optimization algorithm, and the corresponding titanium porous samples were fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF). The effects of cell topology and porosity on the compressive behavior of L-PBF titanium porous structures were systematically investigated by a combination of compression simulation and experiments. Compression simulation shows that the deformation failure behavior of center-supported and perimeter-supported porous structures consists of three stages: elastic deformation, plastic deformation and compression collapse, showing the characteristics of elastic-plastic porous materials. According to the compression test results, the compressive strength of center-supported and perimeter-supported structure samples are 151–188 MPa and 178–196 MPa, respectively, and the compressive stability of the perimeter-supported structure is better than that of the center-supported structure. The porosity error of center-supported structure is 1.6%–2.9%, and the porosity error of perimeter-supported structure is 3.1%–4.5%. The compressive strength of the same type of structure decreases with the increase of the porosity of the porous structure. The simulation/experimental compressive strength errors of center-supported and perimeter-supported structures are less than 6% and 5.9%, respectively. The constructed quasi-static compression model has certain guiding significance for the study of the fracture of the titanium implants under external force.

BackgroundHypertension management apps (HMAs) can be effective in controlling blood pressure, but their actual impact is often suboptimal. Establishing a user satisfaction evaluation indicator system for HMAs can assist app developers in enhancing app design and functionality, while also helping users identify apps that best meet their needs. This approach aims to improve the overall effectiveness of app usage. ObjectiveThis study aims to systematically collect data on HMAs and their user reviews in the United States and China. It analyzes app usage patterns and functional characteristics, identifies factors influencing user satisfaction from existing research, and develops a satisfaction evaluation indicator system to provide more accurate recommendations for improving user satisfaction. MethodsWe conducted a descriptive statistical analysis to assess the development status of HMAs in both countries and applied the task-technology fit model to evaluate whether the app functionalities align with business needs. We separately summarized the factors influencing user satisfaction in both countries from previous research, utilized the analytic hierarchy process to develop an evaluation indicator system for HMA user satisfaction, and calculated satisfaction levels. Based on these findings, we propose improvements to enhance app functionality and user satisfaction. ResultsIn terms of current development status, there were fewer HMAs and user reviews in China compared with the United States. Regarding app functional availability, fewer than 5% (4/91) of the apps achieved a demand fulfillment rate exceeding 80% (8/10). Overall, user satisfaction in both countries was low. ConclusionsIn the United States, user satisfaction was lowest for advertising distribution, data synchronization, and reliability. By contrast, Chinese apps need improvements in cost efficiency and compatibility.

BackgroundHypertension significantly impacts the well-being and health of individuals globally. Hypertension management apps (HMAs) have been shown to assist patients in controlling blood pressure (BP), with their efficacy validated in clinical trials. However, the utilization of HMAs continues to be suboptimal. Presently, there is a dearth of real-world research based on big data and exploratory mining that compares Chinese and American HMAs. ObjectiveThis study aims to systematically gather HMAs and their user reviews from both China and the United States. Subsequently, using data mining techniques, the study aims to compare the user experience, satisfaction levels, influencing factors, and asymmetry between Chinese and American users of HMAs. In addition, the study seeks to assess the disparities in satisfaction and its determinants while delving into the asymmetry of these factors. MethodsThe study sourced HMAs and user reviews from 10 prominent Chinese and American app stores globally. Using the latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic model, the research identified various topics within user reviews. Subsequently, the Tobit model was used to investigate the impact and distinctions of each topic on user satisfaction. The Wald test was applied to analyze differences in effects across various factors. ResultsWe examined a total of 261 HMAs along with their associated user reviews, amounting to 116,686 reviews in total. In terms of quantity and overall satisfaction levels, Chinese HMAs (n=91) and corresponding reviews (n=16,561) were notably fewer compared with their American counterparts (n=220 HMAs and n=100,125 reviews). The overall satisfaction rate among HMA users was 75.22% (87,773/116,686), with Chinese HMAs demonstrating a higher satisfaction rate (13,866/16,561, 83.73%) compared with that for American HMAs (73,907/100,125, 73.81%). Chinese users primarily focus on reliability (2165/16,561, 13.07%) and measurement accuracy (2091/16,561, 12.63%) when considering HMAs, whereas American users prioritize BP tracking (17,285/100,125, 17.26%) and data synchronization (12,837/100,125, 12.82%). Seven factors (easy to use: P

BackgroundAs a global medical problem, tinnitus can seriously harm human health and is difficult to alleviate, ranking among the top 3 complex diseases in the otolaryngology field. Traditional cognitive behavioral therapy and sound therapy require offline face-to-face treatment with medical staff and have limited effectiveness. Mobile health (mHealth), which, in recent decades, has been greatly applied in the field of rehabilitation health care, improving access to health care resources and the quality of services, has potential research value in the adjunctive treatment of tinnitus. ObjectiveThis study aimed to understand the research trends, product characteristics, problems, and research transformation of tinnitus treatment software by analyzing the research progress of mHealth for tinnitus treatment based on the literature and related marketed apps. MethodsBibliometric methods were used to describe the characteristics of the relevant literature in terms of the number and topics of publications, authors, and institutions. We further compared the features and limitations of the currently available tinnitus treatment software. ResultsData published until February 28, 2022, were collected. Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) standardized screening process, 75 papers were included. The country with the highest number of publications was Germany, followed by the United Kingdom and the United States, whereas China had only a single relevant study. The most frequently found journals were the American Journal of Audiology and the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology (18/75, 24%). With regard to publication topics, cognitive behavioral therapy started to become a hot topic in 2017, and research on mHealth apps has increased. In this study, 28 tinnitus treatment apps were obtained (n=24, 86% from product data and n=4, 14% from literature data); these apps were developed mainly in the United States (10/28, 36%) or China (9/28, 32%). The main treatment methods were sound therapy (10/28, 36%) and cognitive behavioral therapy (2/28, 7%). Of the 75 publications, 7 (9%) described apps in the market stage. Of the 28 apps, 22 (79%) lacked literature studies or evidence from professional bodies. ConclusionsWe found that, as a whole, the use of mHealth for treatment and intervention in tinnitus was showing a rapid development, in which good progress had been made in studies around sound therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, although most of the studies (50/75, 67%) focused on treatment effects. However, the field is poorly accepted in top medical journals, and the majority are in the research design phase, with a lack of translation of the literature results and clinical validation of the marketed apps. Furthermore, in the future, novel artificial intelligence techniques should be used to address the issue of staged monitoring of tinnitus.

Abstract The mobile health (mHealth) industry is an enormous global market; however, the dropout or continuance of mHealth is a major challenge that is affecting its positive outcomes. To date, the results of studies on the impact factors have been inconsistent. Consequently, research on the pooled effects of impact factors on the continuance intention of mHealth is limited. Therefore, this study aims to systematically analyze quantitative studies on the continuance intention of mHealth and explore the pooled effect of each direct and indirect impact factor. Until October 2021, eight literature databases were searched. Fifty-eight peer-reviewed studies on the impact factors and effects on continuance intention of mHealth were included. Out of the 19 direct impact factors of continuance intention, 15 are significant, with attitude (β = 0.450; 95% CI: 0.135, 0.683), satisfaction (β = 0.406; 95% CI: 0.292, 0.509), health empowerment (β = 0.359; 95% CI: 0.204, 0.497), perceived usefulness (β = 0.343; 95% CI: 0.280, 0.403), and perceived quality of health life (β = 0.315, 95% CI: 0.211, 0.412) having the largest pooled effect coefficients on continuance intention. There is high heterogeneity between the studies; thus, we conducted a subgroup analysis to explore the moderating effect of different characteristics on the impact effects. The geographic region, user type, mHealth type, user age, and publication year significantly moderate influential relationships, such as trust and continuance intention. Thus, mHealth developers should develop personalized continuous use promotion strategies based on user characteristics.

BackgroundBenign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most common disease in which vertigo is the main clinical manifestation, and it has become a global medical problem, affecting a wide range of areas and seriously affecting the quality of human life.ObjectiveThis article presents an analysis of the current characteristics of BPPV-related research and summarizes the current hot topics and trends, with the goal of inspiring future research into the prevention and treatment of BPPV, thereby improving the differential diagnosis and prevention of peripheral vertigo.MethodsA bibliometric approach was used to collect 1,219 eligible studies on BPPV from four databases—PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science—published between 1974 and 2022. The characteristics and status of the accumulated scientific output were processed using R and VOSviewer so that we could visualize any trends or hotspots.ResultsThe results showed a significant increase in the annual number of publications, with an average annual growth rate of 21.58%. A possible reason for the especially pronounced peak in 2021 was an increase in the prevalence of BPPV as a result of COVID-19. The new coronavirus became a focus of research in 2021. A total of 3,876 authors (of whom 1,097 were first authors) published articles in 307 different journals; 15.7% of the articles were published in Acta Oto-Larygologica, Otology and Neurotology, and Frontiers in Neurology. Acta Oto-Laryngologica was well ahead of the other journals in terms of growth rate and number of articles published. American scholars generated the largest number of articles overall, and the USA was involved in the greatest number of international collaborations, followed by Italy and China. The themes of the research centered around three topics, namely the treatment of BPPV, its influencing factors, and diagnosis.ConclusionsThere has been a major increase in BPPV-related research over the last 50 years, leading to an increase in related articles and rapid development of the field. Key directions for future research include the improvement of individualized treatment for residual symptoms after initial treatment of BPPV among the elderly; effective control of comorbidities such as osteoporosis; and secondary inner ear disease, such as Ménière's disease.

Excellent mechanical properties, including residual stress, ductility and strength, are important requirements for bone implants. In order to achieve this effect, titanium samples were manufactured by selective laser melting, and the prepared parts were subsequently subjected to three different heat treatment, which were 550 °C, 650 °C and 750 °C for 2 h, respectively. The results show that for as-built sample, relatively short lath-shaped α grains and a few needle-shaped α′ grains were present. After heat treatment, the α grains became thicker and longer, and the α′ grains became more. As the heat treatment temperature increases from 550 °C to 750 °C, the size of the lath-shaped α grains gradually decreases, and the small-sized needle-shaped α′ grains become denser. Moreover, the tensile strength, elongation and shrinkage of specimens increased as the heat treatment temperature increased. The fine microstructure of heat-treated samples also significantly promoted the improvement of tensile properties. The fracture mechanism of the specimens changed from brittle fracture to a mixed mode including ductile and brittle fracture, so that the tensile strength and ductility of the heat-treated specimens were well combined.

Objectives In solving the global challenge of sleep disorders, Mobile Health app is one of the important means to monitor, diagnose, and intervene in sleep disorders. This study aims to (1) summarize the status and trends of research in this field; (2) assess the production and usage of sleep mHealth apps; (3) calculate the conversion rate of grants that the proportion of newly developed apps from being funded and developed to published on application stores. Methods Using bibliometric and content analysis methods, based on “Research Paper-Product Output-Product Application” chain and considering the “Research Grants” of articles, we conducted a systematic review of eight databases, to identify relevant studies over the last decade. Results Over the past decade, 1399 authors published 313 papers in 182 journals and conferences. The number of publications increased with an average annual growth of 41.6%. The current focus area is research using cognitive behavioral therapy to intervene in sleep. Sleep-staging tracking is a shortcoming of this field. A total 368 sleep mHealth apps (233 newly developed and 135 existing) were examined in 313 papers; 323 grants supported 178 articles (56.9%). Only 12 of the newly developed apps are used in the real world, resulting in a 9% grant conversion rate. Conclusions In the last decade, the field of tracking, diagnosing, and intervening in sleep disorders using mHealth apps has shown a trend of rapid development. However, the conversion rate of products from being funded and developed for use by end-users is low.

BackgroundSleep disorders are a global challenge, affecting a quarter of the global population. Mobile health (mHealth) sleep apps are a potential solution, but 25% of users stop using them after a single use. User satisfaction had a significant impact on continued use intention. ObjectiveThis China-US comparison study aimed to mine the topics discussed in user-generated reviews of mHealth sleep apps, assess the effects of the topics on user satisfaction and dissatisfaction with these apps, and provide suggestions for improving users’ intentions to continue using mHealth sleep apps. MethodsAn unsupervised clustering technique was used to identify the topics discussed in user reviews of mHealth sleep apps. On the basis of the two-factor theory, the Tobit model was used to explore the effect of each topic on user satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and differences in the effects were analyzed using the Wald test. ResultsA total of 488,071 user reviews of 10 mainstream sleep apps were collected, including 267,589 (54.8%) American user reviews and 220,482 (45.2%) Chinese user reviews. The user satisfaction rates of sleep apps were poor (China: 56.58% vs the United States: 45.87%). We identified 14 topics in the user-generated reviews for each country. In the Chinese data, 13 topics had a significant effect on the positive deviation (PD) and negative deviation (ND) of user satisfaction. The 2 variables (PD and ND) were defined by the difference between the user rating and the overall rating of the app in the app store. Among these topics, the app’s sound recording function (β=1.026; P=.004) had the largest positive effect on the PD of user satisfaction, and the topic with the largest positive effect on the ND of user satisfaction was the sleep improvement effect of the app (β=1.185; P

BackgroundInternet-based online virtual health services were originally an important way for the Chinese government to resolve unmet medical service needs due to inadequate medical institutions. Its initial development was not well received. Then, the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic produced a tremendous demand for telehealth in a short time, which stimulated the explosive development of internet hospitals. The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University (SAHZU) has taken a leading role in the construction of internet hospitals in China. The pandemic triggered the hospital to develop unique research on health service capacity under strict quarantine policies and to predict long-term trends. ObjectiveThis study aims to provide policy enlightenment for the construction of internet-based health services to better fight against COVID-19 and to elucidate future directions through an in-depth analysis of 2 years of online health service data gleaned from SAHZU’s experiences and lessons learned. MethodsWe collected data from SAHZU Internet Hospital from November 1, 2019, to September 16, 2021. Data from over 900,000 users were analyzed with respect to demographic characteristics, demands placed on departments by user needs, new registrations, and consultation behaviors. Interrupted time series (ITS) analysis was adopted to evaluate the impact of this momentous emergency event and its long-term trends. With theme analysis and a defined 2D model, 3 investigations were conducted synchronously to determine users’ authentic demands on online hospitals. ResultsThe general profile of internet hospital users is young or middle-aged women who live in Zhejiang and surrounding provinces. The ITS model indicated that, after the intervention (the strict quarantine policies) was implemented during the outbreak, the number of internet hospital users significantly increased (β_2=105.736, P

Befitting from the interpretability and the capacity in capturing the underlying manifold structure, diffusion process (DP) has attracted increasing attention in the field of image retrieval. Within it, hierarchical diffusion process (HDP) has achieved satisfactory results in retrieved performance and complexity. However, the existing hierarchical diffusion process methods only diffuse the affinity values in low-level visual space without considering the high-level semantic information, which cause the problem of semantic gap. To overcome these problems, we propose a Graph Regularized Hierarchical Diffusion Process (GRHDP) method with relevance feedback, and apply it to retrieve medical images. The proposed algorithm firstly establishes a hierarchical structure of the images in medical image database and spreads the affinity values among query images and top-layer images by graph regularization diffusion. Then relevance feedback is introduced to adjust the similarity between query images and retrieved images in top layer, and the affinity values are diffused again according to labeled information of feedback. Finally, the similarity between queries and others in database can be obtained by interpolating the diffused results on the top layer from top to bottom. The experimental results show that our proposed GRHDP with relevance feedback has achieved better retrieval performance than manifold ranking and regularized diffusion process (RDP) when returning top retrieved images.

Background: The population of Chinese physicians is frequently threatened by abnormal death, including death by overwork or homicide. This is not only a health problem, but also a social problem that has attracted the attention of both hospitals and the government.Objective: This study aims to analyze the characteristics of abnormal death in physicians in Chinese hospitals from 2007 to 2020 and to investigate the relationship between abnormal death and physician workload, in order to provide information for policy makers and request improvement technologies.Methods: A mixed research method was used. In order to ensure accuracy and completeness, a relatively comprehensive search was conducted using multiple heterogeneous data sources on the abnormal death of physicians in Chinese hospitals from 2007 to 2020. The collected cases were then descriptively analyzed using the work-related overwork death risk concept framework and the deductive grounded theory approach. In addition, the workload of physicians was calculated between 2007 and 2019 based on three important workload indicators.Results: Between 2007 and 2020, 207 abnormal death events of physicians on the Chinese mainland were publicly reported. Among the 207 victims, the majority (~79%) died from overwork or sudden death. The number of victims who were men was 5.5 times higher than that of women, and victims were between the ages of 31–50 years. These physicians mainly belonged to the departments of surgery, anesthesiology, internal medicine, and orthopedics. Further analysis of the direct causes of death in cases of overwork death showed that 51 physicians (31.1%) died from cardiogenic diseases. Additionally, the per capita workload of physicians in China increased drastically by about 42% from 2007 to 2019, far exceeding physician workloads in Europe, Asia, and Australia (number of inpatients per physician in 2017: 72 vs. 55, 50, 45). The analysis revealed that there was a strong correlation between the number of abnormal deaths of physicians in China and the number of inpatients per physician (r = 0.683, P = 0.01).Conclusion: High-intensity working conditions may be positively correlated with the number of abnormal deaths among physicians. Smart hospital technologies have the potential to alleviate this situation.

BackgroundThe China Hospital Information Network Conference (CHINC) is one of the most influential academic and technical exchange activities in medical informatics and medical informatization in China. It collects frontier ideas in medical information and has an important reference value for the analysis of China's medical information industry development. ObjectiveThis study summarizes the current situation and future development of China's medical information industry and provides a future reference for China and abroad in the future by analyzing the characteristics of CHINC exhibitors in 2021. MethodsThe list of enterprises and participating keywords were obtained from the official website of CHINC. Basic characteristics of the enterprises, industrial fields, applied technologies, company concepts, and other information were collected from the TianYanCha website and the VBDATA company library. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the collected data, and we summarized the future development directions. ResultsA total of 205 enterprises officially participated in the exhibition. Most of the enterprises were newly founded, of which 61.9% (127/205) were founded in the past 10 years. The majority of these enterprises were from first-tier cities, and 79.02% (162/205) were from Beijing, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Shanghai, and Jiangsu Provinces. The median registered capital is 16.67 million RMB (about US $2.61 million), and there are 35 (72.2%) enterprises with a registered capital of more than 100 million RMB (about US $15.68 million), 17 (8.3%) of which are already listed. A total of 126 enterprises were found in the VBDATA company library, of which 39 (30.9%) are information technology vendors and 57 (45.2%) are application technology vendors. In addition, 16 of the 57 (28%) use artificial intelligence technology. Smart medicine and internet hospitals were the focus of the enterprises participating in this conference. ConclusionsChina's tertiary hospital informatization has basically completed the construction of the primary stage. The average grade of hospital electronic medical records exceeds grade 3, and 78.13% of the provinces have reached grade 3 or above. The characteristics are as follows: On the one hand, China's medical information industry is focusing on the construction of smart hospitals, including intelligent systems supporting doctors' scientific research, diagnosis-related group intelligent operation systems, and office automation systems supporting hospital management, single-disease clinical decision support systems assisting doctors' clinical care, and intelligent internet of things for logistics. On the other hand, the construction of a compact county medical community is becoming a new focus of enterprises under the guidance of practical needs and national policies to improve the quality of grassroots health services. In addition, whole-course management and digital therapy will also become a new hotspot in the future.

BackgroundContinued use of mHealth apps can achieve better effects in health management. Gamification is an important factor in promoting users’ intention to continue using mHealth apps. Past research has rarely explored the factors underlying the continued use of mobile health (mHealth) apps and gamification’s impact mechanism or path on continued use. ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the factors influencing mHealth app users’ intention to continue using mHealth apps and the impact mechanism and path of users’ feelings induced by gamification on continued mHealth app use. MethodsFirst, based on the expectation confirmation model of information system continuance, we built a theoretical model for continued use of mHealth apps based on users’ feelings toward gamification. We used self-determination theory to analyze gamification’s impact on user perceptions and set the resulting feelings (competence, autonomy, and relatedness) as constructs in the model. Second, we used the survey method to validate the research model, and we used partial least squares to analyze the data. ResultsA total of 2988 responses were collected from mHealth app users, and 307 responses were included in the structural equation model after passing the acceptance criteria. The intrinsic motivation for using mHealth apps is significantly affected by autonomy (β=.312; P

Abstract Background On average, 570 million users, 93% in China’s first-tier cities, log on to WeChat every day. WeChat has become the most widely and frequently used social media in China, and has been profoundly integrated into the daily life of many Chinese people. A variety of health-related information may be found on WeChat. The objective of this study is to understand how the general public views the impact of the rapidly emerging social media on health information acquisition. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was designed, distributed, collected, and analyzed utilizing the online survey tool Sojump. WeChat was adopted to randomly release the questionnaires using convenience sampling and collect the results after a certain amount of time. Results (1) A total of 1636 questionnaires (WeChat customers) were collected from 32 provinces. (2) The primary means by which respondents received health education was via the Internet (71.79%). Baidu and WeChat were the top 2 search tools utilized (90.71% and 28.30%, respectively). Only 12.41% of respondents were satisfied with their online health information search. (3) Almost all had seen (98.35%) or read (97.68%) health information; however, only 14.43% believed that WeChat health information could improve health. Nearly one-third frequently received and read health information through WeChat. WeChat was selected (63.26%) as the most expected means for obtaining health information. (4) The major concerns regarding health information through WeChat included the following: excessively homogeneous information, the lack of a guarantee of professionalism, and the presence of advertisements. (5) Finally, the general public was most interested in individualized and interactive health information by managing clinicians, they will highly benefit from using social media rather than Internet search tools. Conclusions The current state of health acquisition proves worrisome. The public has a high chance to access health information via WeChat. The growing popularity of interactive social platforms (e.g. WeChat) presents a variety of challenges and opportunities with respect to public health acquisition.

Abstract Background To explore the current situation, existing problems and possible causes of said problems with regards to physician-nurse communication under an environment of increasingly widespread usage of Hospital Information Systems and to seek out new potential strategies in information technology to improve physician-nurse communication. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 physicians and nurses in five leading tertiary grade A hospitals in Beijing, China (two physicians and two nurses in each hospital). The interviews primarily included three aspects comprising the current situation and problems of clinical physician-nurse communication, the application and problems of Hospital Information Systems, and assessments on the improvement of physician-nurse communication through the usage of information technology. The inductive conventional content analysis approach was employed. Results (1) Physicians and nurses are generally quite satisfied with the current situation of communication. However, the information needs of nurses are prone to being overlooked, and the communication methods are primarily synchronous communication such as face-to-face and phone communication. (2) Hospital Information Systems are gradually being used for physician-nurse communication; in the meantime, physicians and nurses face challenges with regards to the improvement of physician-nurse communication through the usage of information technology. Challenges differ based on the different stages of using the system and the different levels of understanding of physicians and nurses towards information technology. Their dissatisfaction mainly deals with system errors and the level of convenience in using the system. (3) In-depth interviews found that in general, physicians and nurses have a strong interest and trust in improving physician-nurse communication through appropriate information technology, e.g., communication methods such as information reminders for physicians and nurses through mobile devices and instant voice-to-text conversion methods. Conclusions There are objective risks in physician-nurse communication in Chinese hospitals, and clinical information systems lack solutions to the relevant problems. Developing a dedicated, mobile, quick and convenient module for physician-nurse communication within existing hospital information system with automatic reminders for important information that segregates between synchronous and asynchronous communication according to the different types of information could help improve physician-nurse communication.

Background. In China, there were 584 state-level, poverty-stricken counties until January 2019. The central government has invested a large amount of funds and preferential policies to alleviate poverty in these areas. The Whole Population Preventive Healthcare Pilot Project (WPPHCPP) aims to explore the use of limited funds to achieve healthy poverty alleviation through free regular physical examinations and comprehensive health management for the entire population in impoverished regions. Objective. By demonstrating the prevalence of hypertension in populations of poverty-stricken counties in Western China and evaluating health management outcomes after implementing the WPPHCPP, we can provide a foundation for the future development and promotion of improved public health. Subjects and Methods. Through the WPPHCPP, the entire population in the pilot area was required to undergo free physical examinations. The examinations screened for hypertension revealed the epidemiology of adult hypertension. Based on blood pressure levels and risk factor exposures, risk classifications for hypertensive patients were performed. Corresponding intervention and management strategies for different risk levels were provided by a joint management team consisting of family physicians from three different levels of local medical institutions (village, town, and county). Healthcare management outcomes including awareness, treatment, and hypertension disease rates were compared between the period before and after the intervention and management. Results. By the end of 2017, among the 452,200 permanent residents in the region, 285,458 adults had completed the physical examination. The prevalence of hypertension was 18.5%, which was lower than the national average of rural areas (28.8%). The prevalence of hypertension in men (18.7%) was slightly higher than that of women (18.3%). The prevalence of hypertension increases with age; for people aged >65 years, it was 39.2%. There were 15,074 newly discovered hypertensive patients in the WPPHCPP, accounting for 29.6% of the total hypertensive population in the region. Regarding the management outcomes, the rates of management and standardized management of hypertension increased each year between 2015 and 2017. Although the rate of disease control management decreased slightly, the overall level of management remained significant. The awareness and treatment rates of hypertension also increased over the years and peaked at 95.0% and 94.9%, respectively, in 2017. The disease control rate was 45.6% in 2016, which was the highest among the years assessed. All the above parameters were better than the national average of rural areas. From 2015 to 2017, the number of people with high-risk factors for hypertension and percentage of high-risk patients decreased from 33,064 to 26,982 and 27.4% to 24.6%, respectively. The percentage of the population exposed to cigarettes and alcohol decreased from 30.6% to 27.2% and 25.1% to 22.0%, respectively. The number of deaths due to hypertensive cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases decreased each year and was 275 (39.55/100,000 people) in 2017, which was the lowest rate measured. The annual growth of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases remained negative. Conclusions. The overall prevalence of hypertension in the studied area was lower than the national average of rural areas. The health management model of “government-led joint efforts of three levels of medical institutions (village, town, and county) with active participation of local village communities” improved the management outcomes of hypertensive patients and fulfilled the latest advocacy of the prevention and control of chronic diseases by the United Nations. This model can be considered an effective model for healthcare management practice in similar situations.

Background There are many problems with fitness trackers, such as device usability, which limit their large-scale application, and relevant studies are limited in terms of their sample size and evaluation methods. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the perceived usability of various mainstream fitness trackers on the market, and to learn about user feedback on feature preferences for each device. Methods Trial use of seven mainstream fitness trackers (two smart watches and five smart wristbands) followed by a survey study were applied. The questionnaire was specifically developed for this study, which included two parts (user preferences and device usability in five dimensions). We recruited users to test the devices for at least 30 days and asked experienced users to provide feedback in order to evaluate each device, including the rating and user preference of each device. Results We received 388 valid questionnaires, in which users rated their responses on a five-point Likert scale. (1) User preference: the average user satisfaction was 3.50–3.86 (points), and the rating for willingness to buy averaged between 3.36 and 3.59. More users were willing to wear (58.3–81.3%) and purchase (56.8–83.0%) the devices than were not. The top three general feature preferences were daily activity tracking, heart health monitoring, and professional fitness tracking. The top three health-related feature preferences were heart rate monitoring, daily pedometer, and professional fitness tracking. (2) Usability evaluation: product design was rated from 3.57 to 4.00; durability, 3.63–4.26; ease of use, 3.70–3.90; added features, 3.30–3.83; and user-rated accuracy, 3.44–3.78. A significant difference was observed in the rating of product design and durability among the different devices (p < 0.05) score. Conclusions Users generally had positive subjective intent regarding fitness trackers but were less satisfied with their cost effectiveness. The users preferred health related features such as heart health monitoring, and professional fitness tracking. The rating of most of the current mainstream fitness trackers was fair with some significant differences among the devices. Thus, further improvement is needed.

Background As the world’s second-largest economy, China has launched health reforms for the second time and invested significant funding in medical informatics (MI) since 2010; however, few studies have been conducted on the outcomes of this ambitious cause. Objective This study analyzed the features of major MI meetings held in China and compared them with similar MI conferences in the United States, aiming at informing researchers on the outcomes of MI in China and the US from the professional conference perspective and encouraging greater international cooperation for the advancement of the field of medical informatics in China and, ultimately, the promotion of China’s health reform. Methods Qualitative and quantitative analyses of four MI meetings in China (i.e., CMIAAS, CHINC, CHITEC, and CPMI) and two in the US (i.e., AMIA and HIMSS) were conducted. Furthermore, the size, constituent parts and regional allocation of participants, topics, and fields of research for each meeting were determined and compared. Results From 1985 to 2016, approximately 45,000 individuals attended the CMIAAS and CPMI (academic), CHINC and CHITEC (industry), resulting in 5,085 documented articles. In contrast, in 2015, 38,000 and 3,700 individuals, respectively, attended the American HIMSS (industry) and AMIA (academic) conferences and published 1,926 papers in the latter. Compared to those of HIMSS in 2015, the meeting duration of Chinese industry CHITEC was 3 vs. 5 days, the number of vendors was 100 vs. 1,500+, the number of sub-forums was 10 vs. 250; while compared to those of AMIA, the meeting duration of Chinese CMIAAS was 2 vs. 8 days, the number of vendors was 5 vs. 65+, the number of sub-forums was 4 vs. 26. HIMSS and AMIA were more open, international, and comprehensive in comparison to the aforementioned Chinese conferences. Conclusions The current MI in China can be characterized as “hot in industry application, and cold in academic research.” Taking into consideration the economic scale together with the huge investment in MI, conference yield and attendee diversity are still low in China. This study demonstrates an urgent necessity to elevate the medical informatics discipline in China and to expand research fields in order to maintain pace with the development of medical informatics in the US and other countries.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to systematically review the research literature with regards to treatments and intervention methods for hereditary hearing loss. Our goal was to provide reference guidelines for the rational use of medication and gene-targeted therapy for patients with hereditary hearing loss and discuss the future development of research in this area. Method: We searched two core databases, PubMed and Web of Science, for relevant literature relating to potential treatments and interventional methods for hereditary hearing loss. Then, we used Microsoft Excel to perform basic statistical analysis of the data, the R language to perform bibliometric analyses, and VOSviewer and CiteSpace to visualize data. In addition, we clustered and descriptively analyzed the data and identified the relative importance of each approach with regard to precise patient outcomes. Results: In this study, we followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standardized screening process and identified a total of 103 research articles. The average annual growth rate of publications in this area was 12.73%. The country with the highest number of publications and citations was the United States; 80 of these publications (associated with 76.92% of funding) were supported by grants from 16 countries. Potential treatments and interventions were clustered according to the stage of research and showed that 8.74% remain in the research design stage, 59.22% are in the clinical validation stage, and 32.04% are being applied in the clinic. The main research focus in this field is cochlear implants and gene therapy. Conclusions: Hereditary hearing loss is in a critical period of transition from preventive to therapeutic research. Gene-targeted interventions represent one of the most promising and effective treatments. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.24309193 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]