| 1. |
- Flyborg, Johan
(author)
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The use of the intelligent powered toothbrush in health technology
- 2022
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- BackgroundApplied health technology is a research field that ties together several disciplines to improve and preserve the health and quality of life of individuals and society. Helping especially elderly to meet the above goals is an important and necessary task and assistive technology and collection of health data are part of this work.AimsPaper I aims to investigate whether the use of a powered toothbrush could maintain oral health in a group of individuals with MCI and if changes in oral health affect various aspects of quality of life. Paper II and III aims to examine the capacity of a powered toothbrush as a carrier and mediator of health-related data.MethodsFor papers I and II, the participants were recruited from the Swedish site of the multicenter project Support Monitoring And Reminder Technology for Mild Dementia and for paper III from the Department of Health at Blekinge Institute of Technology. In all three papers, a powered toothbrush has been used as a tool, sensor carrier and transmitter of data. For Quality-of-life assessment two instruments are used, The QoL-AD and OHIP 14.ResultsBy introducing an intelligent powered toothbrush in the group of older individuals with mild cognitive impairment we have showed that they, regardless of cognitive level,improved their scores for plaque index, bleeding index and deepened periodontal pockets ≥ 4mm, over 12 months. The quality-of-life instrument related to oral health improved in parallel with the improvement in oral health. Furthermore, it is possible to use the intelligent powered toothbrush both as a carrier for healt related sensors and to transfer user data via Bluetooth technology to a single-core processor that stores or forwards the data via Wifi to an external computer for processing, analysis and storage. A fesibility study regarding temperature sensor for measuring body temperature during toothbrushing have been evaluated and found to be comparable to traditional oral temperature measurement. ConclusionsAn intelligent powered toothbrush is a well-functioning tool for maintaining oral health in older people with mild cognitive impairment as well as for collecting and transferring brush and health data to external units for storage and analysis.
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| 2. |
- Ghani, Zartashia, 1980-, et al.
(author)
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Short Term Economic Evaluation of the Digital Platform "Support, Monitoring and Reminder Technology for Mild Dementia" (SMART4MD) for People with Mild Cognitive Impairment and their Informal Caregivers
- 2022
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In: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. - : IOS Press. - 1387-2877 .- 1875-8908. ; 86:4, s. 1629-1641
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: A randomized controlled trial of the SMART4MD tablet application was conducted for persons with mild cognitive impairment (PwMCI) and their informal caregivers to improve or maintain quality of life. Objective: The objective was to conduct economic evaluation of SMART4MD compared to standard care in Sweden from a healthcare provider perspective based on a 6-month follow-up period. Methods: Three hundred forty-five dyads were enrolled: 173 dyads in the intervention group and 172 in standard care. The primary outcome measures for PwMCI and informal caregivers were quality-adjusted life years (QALY). The results are presented as incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, and confidence intervals are calculated using non-parametric bootstrap procedure. Results: For PwMCI, the mean difference in total costs between intervention and standard care was (sic)12 (95%CI: -2090 to 2115) (US$ =(sic) 1.19) and the mean QALY change was -0.004 (95%CI: -0.009 to 0.002). For informal caregivers, the cost difference was -(sic)539 (95%CI: -2624 to 1545) and 0.003 (95%CI: -0.002 to 0.008) for QALY. The difference in cost and QALY for PwMCI and informal caregivers combined was -(sic)527 (95%CI: -3621 to 2568) and -0.001 (95%CI: -0.008 to 0.006). Although generally insignificant differences, this indicates that SMART4MD, compared to standard care was: 1) more costly and less effective for PwMCI, 2) less costly and more effective for informal caregivers, and 3) less costly and less effective for PwMCI and informal caregivers combined. Conclusion: The cost-effectiveness of SMART4MD over 6 months is inconclusive, although the intervention might be more beneficial for informal caregivers than PwMCI.
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| 3. |
- Behrens, Anders, et al.
(author)
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CoGNIT Automated Tablet Computer Cognitive Testing in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment : Feasibility Study
- 2022
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In: JMIR Formative Research. - : JMIR Publications Inc.. - 2561-326X. ; 6:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Early diagnosis of cognitive disorders is becoming increasingly important. Limited resources for specialist assessment and an increasing demographical challenge warrants the need for efficient methods of evaluation. In response, CoGNIT, a tablet app for automatic, standardized, and efficient assessment of cognitive function, was developed. Included tests span the cognitive domains regarded as important for assessment in a general memory clinic (memory, language, psychomotor speed, executive function, attention, visuospatial ability, manual dexterity, and symptoms of depression). Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of automatic cognitive testing with CoGNIT in older patients with symptoms of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: Patients older than 55 years with symptoms of MCI (n=36) were recruited at the research clinic at the Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH), Karlskrona, Sweden. A research nurse administered the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) and the CoGNIT app on a tablet computer. Technical and testing issues were documented. Results: The test battery was completed by all 36 patients. One test, the four-finger-tapping test, was performed incorrectly by 42% of the patients. Issues regarding clarity of instructions were found in 2 tests (block design test and the one finger-tapping test). Minor software bugs were identified. Conclusions: The overall feasibility of automatic cognitive testing with the CoGNIT app in patients with symptoms of MCI was good. The study highlighted tests that did not function optimally. The four-finger-tapping test will be discarded, and minor improvements to the software will be added before further studies and deployment in the clinic. © 2022 JMIR Publications Inc.. All right reserved.
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| 4. |
- Berner, Jessica, et al.
(author)
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Technology anxiety and technology enthusiasm versus digital ageism
- 2022
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In: Gerontechnology. - : International Society for Gerontechnology (ISG). - 1569-1101 .- 1569-111X. ; 21:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Europe has called attention to the importance of the e-inclusion of older adults. Society is indicating that the developers, websites, and devices are causing age bias in technology. This affects living independently, the values of ethical principles associated with an older person, and digital ageism: which is an age-related bias in artificial intelligence systems. Objective: This research attempts to investigate the instrument technology anxiety and enthusiasm, and assistive technology devices during the period 2019- 2021. This instrument may be a way to redress misconceptions about digital ageism. The assistive technology device that we will investigate in this study is the adoption of a service that is designed for online health consultations. Method: The participants are part of the longitudinal Swedish National Study on Aging and Care. Technology anxiety and technology enthusiasm are two factors, which aim to measure technophilia (vs technophobia) in older adults. The age range is 63 -99 years of age in 2019 T1 and 66 -101 in 2021 T2. Wilcoxon rank test was conducted to investigate technology enthusiasm, technology anxiety, and how they changed with time. An Edwards Nunnally index was then calculated for both variables to observe a significant change in score from T1 to T2. Mann Whitney U test was used to investigate the variables sex and health status with technology anxiety & technology enthusiasm in T1 & T2. Age, Cognitive function MMSE, and digital social participation were investigated through a Kruskall-Wallis test. A logistic regression was conducted with the significant variable. Results: Between 2019-2021, change in technology enthusiasm was based on less digital social participation (OR: 0.608; CI 95%: 0.476- 0.792). Technology anxiety was significantly higher due to age (OR: 1.086, CI 95%: 1.035-1.139) and less digital social participation (OR: 0.684; CI 95%: 0.522- 0.895). The want for online healthcare consultations was popular but usage was low. Conclusion: Staying active on- line and participating digitally may be a way to reduce digital ageism. However, digital ageism is a complex phenomenon, which requires different solutions in order to include older people and reduce an inaccurate categorisation of this group in the digital society.
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| 5. |
- Berner, Jessica, et al.
(author)
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Technology anxiety and technology enthusiasm versus digital ageism
- 2022
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In: Gerontechnology. - : International Society for Gerontechnology. - 1569-1101 .- 1569-111X. ; 21:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Europe has called attention to the importance of the e-inclusion of older adults. Society is indicating that the developers, websites, and devices are causing age bias in technology. This affects living independently, the values of ethical principles associated with an older person, and digital ageism: which is an age-related bias in artificial intelligence systems. Objective: This research attempts to investigate the instrument technology anxiety and enthusiasm, and assistive technology devices during the period 2019-2021. This instrument may be a way to redress misconceptions about digital ageism. The assistive technology device that we will investigate in this study is the adoption of a service that is designed for online health consultations. Method: The participants are part of the longitudinal Swedish National Study on Aging and Care. Technology anxiety and technology enthusiasm are two factors, which aim to measure technophilia (vs technophobia) in older adults. The age range is 63 -99 years of age in 2019 T1 and 66 -101 in 2021 T2. Wilcoxon rank test was conducted to investigate technology enthusiasm, technology anxiety, and how they changed with time. An Edwards Nunnally index was then calculated for both variables to observe a significant change in score from T1 to T2. Mann Whitney U test was used to investigate the variables sex and health status with technology anxiety & technology enthusiasm in T1 & T2. Age, Cognitive function MMSE, and digital social participation were investigated through a Kruskall-Wallis test. A logistic regression was conducted with the significant variable. Results: Between 2019-2021, change in technology enthusiasm was based on less digital social participation (OR: 0.608; CI 95%: 0.476-0.792). Technology anxiety was significantly higher due to age (OR: 1.086, CI 95%: 1.035-1.139) and less digital social participation (OR: 0.684; CI 95%: 0.522-0.895). The want for online healthcare consultations was popular but usage was low. Conclusion: Staying active online and participating digitally may be a way to reduce digital ageism. However, digital ageism is a complex phenomenon, which requires different solutions in order to include older people and reduce an inaccurate categorisation of this group in the digital society © 2022,Gerontechnology. All Rights Reserved.
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| 6. |
- Boutry, Céline, et al.
(author)
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The Adjuvanted Recombinant Zoster Vaccine Confers Long-Term Protection Against Herpes Zoster : Interim Results of an Extension Study of the Pivotal Phase 3 Clinical Trials ZOE-50 and ZOE-70
- 2022
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In: Clinical Infectious Diseases. - : Oxford University Press. - 1058-4838 .- 1537-6591. ; 74:8, s. 1459-1467
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Efficacy against herpes zoster and immune responses to the adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine plateaued at high levels between 5.1 and 7.1 years (mean) post-vaccination, suggesting that its clinical benefit in older adults is sustained for at least 7 years post-vaccination. Background This ongoing follow-up study evaluated the persistence of efficacy and immune responses for 6 additional years in adults vaccinated with the glycoprotein E (gE)-based adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) at age >= 50 years in 2 pivotal efficacy trials (ZOE-50 and ZOE-70). The present interim analysis was performed after >= 2 additional years of follow-up (between 5.1 and 7.1 years [mean] post-vaccination) and includes partial data for year (Y) 8 post-vaccination. Methods Annual assessments were performed for efficacy against herpes zoster (HZ) from Y6 post-vaccination and for anti-gE antibody concentrations and gE-specific CD4[2+] T-cell (expressing >= 2 of 4 assessed activation markers) frequencies from Y5 post-vaccination. Results Of 7413 participants enrolled for the long-term efficacy assessment, 7277 (mean age at vaccination, 67.2 years), 813, and 108 were included in the cohorts evaluating efficacy, humoral immune responses, and cell-mediated immune responses, respectively. Efficacy of RZV against HZ through this interim analysis was 84.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 75.9-89.8) from the start of this follow-up study and 90.9% (95% CI, 88.2-93.2) from vaccination in ZOE-50/70. Annual vaccine efficacy estimates were >84% for each year since vaccination and remained stable through this interim analysis. Anti-gE antibody geometric mean concentrations and median frequencies of gE-specific CD4[2+] T cells reached a plateau at approximately 6-fold above pre-vaccination levels. Conclusions Efficacy against HZ and immune responses to RZV remained high, suggesting that the clinical benefit of RZV in older adults is sustained for at least 7 years post-vaccination.
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| 7. |
- Christiansen, Line, 1986-
(author)
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Using Mobile Health Technology to Support Health-related Quality of Life : From the Perspective of Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment
- 2022
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The prevalence of cognitive impairment and illness increases with age. For older adults, maintaining or improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the early stages of cognitive impairment is important to prevent consequences related to the progression of the condition. This thesis aims to identify factors affecting HRQoL and describe how mHealth technology can support HRQoL in older adults with cognitive impairment.Four studies were conducted using quantitative and qualitative approaches. A cross-sectional design was used to identify factors affecting older adults’ HRQoL (Study I) and investigate the relationship between mHealth technology use and self-rated quality of life (QoL) (Study III). A phenomenographical design was used to describe variations in older adults’ perceptions of mHealth technology and its impact on HRQoL (Study II). A prospective longitudinal design was used to examine older adults’ HRQoL changes over time (Study IV).Participants were selected from two longitudinal population studies using a purposive sampling strategy to include those aged 55 years and above with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia. Data were obtained from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Data from the quantitative studies were analysed using statistical analysis, including descriptive and comparative analysis and regression analysis, while data from the qualitative study were examined using phenomenographical analysis in consecutive steps.The results showed that most older adults experienced good HRQoL with regard to both physical and mental health. The likelihood of having good-to-excellent QoL increased with age and was higher among males and those with higher education levels. Those diagnosed with dementia reported poorer HRQoL. Factors associated with low HRQoL included dependency in activities of daily living, receiving informal care and feelings of loneliness and pain. The use of mHealth technology was perceived as supportive in maintaining social interactions and facilitating independent living. The technology literacy levels among the study sample varied significantly. Those who reported having moderate-to-high technical skills and using the internet regularly via mHealth technology had higher odds of experiencing good-to-excellent QoL. No significant changes were observed in the older adults’ HRQoL over time in relation to the non-use and use of a customized mHealth application.The indicators of HRQoL are clinically relevant for the secondary prevention of dementia to help maintain good HRQoL in older adults with incipient cognitive impairment. The technology-related differences reflect the risk of digital exclusion. To improve preconditions for being digitally involved in society, societal initiatives that aim to empower the technology literacy level of older adults are needed.
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| 8. |
- Criten, Sladjana, et al.
(author)
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Oral health status among 60-year-old individuals born in 1941-1943 and 1954-1955 and 81-year-old individuals born in 1922-1924 and 1933-1934, respectively : a cross-sectional study
- 2022
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In: Clinical Oral Investigations. - : Springer Berlin/Heidelberg. - 1432-6981 .- 1436-3771. ; :11, s. 6733-6742
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective This study aimed to analyze the oral health status of four different birth cohorts: two cohorts of 60-year-olds born in 1941-1943 and 1954-1955 and 2 cohorts of 81-year-olds born in 1920-1922 and 1933-1934. Material and methods The study was based on data from an ongoing longitudinal population project, The Swedish National Study on Aging and Care (SNAC). Oral health status was repeatedly examined clinically and radiographically in 2001-2003 and 2014-2015, including 60- and 81-year-olds, in total 412 individuals. Statistical analyses were performed using independent-samples t test and Pearson's chi(2) test. Results More individuals were dentate in 2014-2015 compared to 2001-2003 in the two age groups: 60 and 81 years (p < 0.001 for both). The mean number of teeth increased in the 60-year-olds from 24.2 to 27.0 and in the 81-year-olds from 14.3 to 20.2. The numbers of at least one intact tooth increased for both age groups (p < 0.001 and p < 0.004, respectively). In the age groups 81 years, there was an increase in having at least one PPD >= 6 mm (p < 0.016) and bone loss >= 5 mm (p < 0.029) between the two examinations. No such differences were found in the age groups of 60 years. Conclusion Over 13 years, oral health improved for both 60- and 81-year-old age groups. The most significant changes were in the 81-year-olds where oral health had improved except for periodontal status.
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| 9. |
- Ghazi, Sarah Nauman, 1989-, et al.
(author)
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Psychological Health and Digital Social Participation of the Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Blekinge, Sweden—An Exploratory Study
- 2022
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In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 19:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- COVID-19 has affected the psychological health of older adults directly and indirectly through recommendations of social distancing and isolation. Using the internet or digital tools to participate in society, one might mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on psychological health. This study explores the social participation of older adults through internet use as a social platform during COVID-19 and its relationship with various psychological health aspects. In this study, we used the survey as a research method, and we collected data through telephonic interviews; and online and paper-based questionnaires. The results showed an association of digital social participation with age and feeling lack of company. Furthermore, in addition, to the increase in internet use in older adults in Sweden during COVID-19, we conclude that digital social participation is essential to maintain psychological health in older adults.
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| 10. |
- Javeed, Ashir, 1989-, et al.
(author)
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An Intelligent Learning System for Unbiased Prediction of Dementia Based on Autoencoder and Adaboost Ensemble Learning
- 2022
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In: Life. - : MDPI. - 2075-1729. ; 12:7, s. 1-18
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Dementia is a neurological condition that primarily affects older adults and there is stillno cure or therapy available to cure it. The symptoms of dementia can appear as early as 10 yearsbefore the beginning of actual diagnosed dementia. Hence, machine learning (ML) researchershave presented several methods for early detection of dementia based on symptoms. However,these techniques suffer from two major flaws. The first issue is the bias of ML models caused byimbalanced classes in the dataset. Past research did not address this issue well and did not takepreventative precautions. Different ML models were developed to illustrate this bias. To alleviate theproblem of bias, we deployed a synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) to balance thetraining process of the proposed ML model. The second issue is the poor classification accuracy ofML models, which leads to a limited clinical significance. To improve dementia prediction accuracy,we proposed an intelligent learning system that is a hybrid of an autoencoder and adaptive boostmodel. The autoencoder is used to extract relevant features from the feature space and the Adaboostmodel is deployed for the classification of dementia by using an extracted subset of features. Thehyperparameters of the Adaboost model are fine-tuned using a grid search algorithm. Experimentalfindings reveal that the suggested learning system outperforms eleven similar systems which wereproposed in the literature. Furthermore, it was also observed that the proposed learning systemimproves the strength of the conventional Adaboost model by 9.8% and reduces its time complexity.Lastly, the proposed learning system achieved classification accuracy of 90.23%, sensitivity of 98.00%and specificity of 96.65%.
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| 11. |
- Romare, Charlotte, et al.
(author)
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Burden of care related to monitoring patient vital signs during intensive care; a descriptive retrospective database study
- 2022
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In: Intensive & Critical Care Nursing. - : Elsevier. - 0964-3397 .- 1532-4036. ; 71
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: The aim of this study was to describe burden of care related to monitoring patient vital signs of intensive care unit patients in a Swedish hospital. Setting: Data collected by “The Swedish Intensive Care Registry” from one general category II intensive care unit in a Swedish hospital was included in this study. Data from year 2014 to 2020 was analysed comprising a total of 3617 intensive care episodes and 29,165 work shifts. Research methodology: This is a retrospective database study. Descriptive statistics gave an overview of the dataset. To test for differences between variables related to burden of care for “Documentation of monitoring” Mann Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis test was performed using STATA. Results: “Documentation of monitoring” was reported to generate a prominent burden of care during intensive care. Nearly all patients had continuous monitoring. Comparison for burden of care related to “Documentation of monitoring” for sexes generated no statistically significant difference. Comparison for burden of care related to “Documentation of monitoring” among age groups, diagnose groups and time of day generated statistically significant differences. Conclusion: Monitoring patient vital signs was clearly present during intensive care, hence impacting intensive care nurses’ clinical practice. Further research is endorsed to improve and facilitate monitoring to keep improving patient safety.
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| 12. |
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