L.P.A. Simons
Please Note
19 records found
1
Dementia is one of the most pressing health problems in the world. Still, the good news is that it is much better preventable than (advanced-stage) treatable. Over the years, a new narrative has come up: heart health = brain health. But its translation into healthcare interventions has been slow. In this design approach, we propose two empowerment options for patients, caregivers, and their health professionals. Firstly, we describe how cardiac health successes in enticing senior citizens to large lifestyle improvements may be used for treating early-stage dementia and cognitive decline. Biologically, this uses causality between blood pressure and cardiovascular health on the one hand and dementia outcomes on the other. Practically, it enables daily success feedback, which empowers patients in their health improvement experiments. Secondly, we describe and user-test an AI Health Research Assistant to extract the best available lifestyle findings from literature, to keep up with over 100,000 new health publications flooding us every year. Our user test highlights challenges and opportunities for a Health AI, especially regarding claim transparency, data quality, and risks of hallucinations. We suggest research metadata criteria to evaluate ambiguous or conflicting health science claims.
Beyond Average Results in Hypertension E-Support and Self-Management
Three Pilot Studies With Social Learning
Designing and Evaluating an LLM-based Health AI Research Assistant for Hypertension Self-Management
Using Health Claims Metadata Criteria
A majority of employees over the age of 40 have hypertension, impacting their health and performance. A two-week self-management support (SMS) intervention was tested, with daily feedback and microlearning cycles to improve health self-management competences. On average, participants (n = 8) reduced their blood pressure from 145/92 mmHg to 126/86 mmHg. User evaluation confirmed the importance of core SMS aspects: information transfer, daily monitoring, enhancing problem solving/decision making, self-treatment using a tailored action plan, coping skills, and skilful coach follow-up. Several lessons are drawn on microlearning, peer coaching, health results, intrinsic motivation, and social learning, which appear useful for other health improvement initiatives.
Hypertension Self-Management Success in 2 weeks
3 Pilot Studies
Health 2050
Faster cure via bioinformatics and quantified self; a design analysis
Four areas make up 75% of our healthcare costs: cardio-, onco-, neuro- and metabolic diseases. These are largely preventable, even reversible. Instead, they are currently often ‘managed’ and made chronic, not cured. This is too costly. Research is showing new opportunities for enhancing our body’s self-repair in a matter of hours or days. Our research question: what could be an intervention- and bio-feedback portfolio to promote health self-repair within hours or days? There are large cross-domain differences regarding: intervention aims, (self-)measurement options, focus on symptoms vs. causes, plus degree of attention for health self-management. Given recent research into rapid cure, we advise advanced daily bioinformatics feedback, using molecular biomarkers. This creates a quantified self ‘endoself’, showing key biological opportunities for cure and self-repair. Thus, we shift from the current ‘antibiotics/external fix’ paradigm of healthcare to a ‘wound healing’ paradigm, improving use of resources in health.
E-health relationships diabetes
50 weeks evaluation
Hybrid e-health support was given to 11 insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) patients, with electronic support plus a multi-disciplinary health support team. Challenges were low ICT and health literacy. After 50 weeks, attractiveness and feasibility of the intervention were perceived as high: recommendation 9.5 out of 10 and satisfaction 9.6 out of 10. Technology acceptance model (TAM) surveys showed high usefulness and feasibility. Acceptance and health behaviours were reinforced by the prolonged health results: aerobic and strength capacity levels were improved at 50 weeks, plus health related quality of life (plus biometric benefits and medication reductions, reported elsewhere). Regarding e-health theory, we conclude that iterative skill growth cycles are beneficial for long-term adoption and e-relationships. Next, the design analysis shows opportunities for additional affective and social support, on top of the strong benefits already apparent from the direct progress feedback loops used within the health coach processes.
Globally, the burden of disease is rising. High performance employees and organisations need to improve their health self-management options and skills. Unfortunately, there are an overwhelming number (> 500,000) of new health publications every year. We aim to design a health AI on top of Scholar Google, to support rapid employee do-it-yourself (DIY) health improvement. Thus, we analysed user requirements, based on design analyses for two cases: hypertension and type-2 diabetes (T2D), two major diseases of affluence in our society, which are reversible with healthy living. We show how a hybrid AI may empower employees instead of medicalising them. To conclude, we propose a next level of quantified self for worker health self-management.
Health Literature Hybrid AI for Health Improvement
A Design Analysis for Diabetes & Hypertension
Health 2050: Bioinformatics for Rapid Self-Repair
A Design Analysis for Future Quantified Self
EHealth WhatsApp for social support
Design lessons
WhatsApp was evaluated as group support tool for a high impact healthy lifestyle intervention, with 11 young professionals. Users valued the WhatsApp group as an attractive social support addition to the existing eTools and personal coaching. Based on preliminary results: 1) the WhatsApp group generated higher participation than most other social media; 2) deploying social media use motives; 3) possibly due to the relatively high 'presence' and 'engagement' attributes of WhatsApp; 4) contributing to healthy behaviours and health advocacy. Peer coaching was confirmed as promising. However, participation declined after the initial weeks. A design lesson was that users wanted more support for community forming. Several improvement suggestions are provided.
eHealth WhatsApp Group for Social Support
Preliminary Results
In this explorative pilot study, 11 young professionals volunteered. Despite their time-constrained schedules, 81 user inputs were generated in the first weeks, and the users valued the WhatsApp group as an attractive social support addition to the existing eTools and personal coaching which have a more functional focus on individual progress. Based on preliminary results: a) the WhatsApp group generated higher participation than most other social media, b) deploying social media use motives, c) possibly due to the relatively high ‘presence’ and ‘engagement’ attributes of WhatsApp, and d) contributing to healthy behaviours and health advocacy. ...
In this explorative pilot study, 11 young professionals volunteered. Despite their time-constrained schedules, 81 user inputs were generated in the first weeks, and the users valued the WhatsApp group as an attractive social support addition to the existing eTools and personal coaching which have a more functional focus on individual progress. Based on preliminary results: a) the WhatsApp group generated higher participation than most other social media, b) deploying social media use motives, c) possibly due to the relatively high ‘presence’ and ‘engagement’ attributes of WhatsApp, and d) contributing to healthy behaviours and health advocacy.
Improving Employee Health
Lessons from an RCT
Diabetes Lifestyle (e)Coaching 50 Weeks Follow Up
Technology Acceptance & e-Relationships
employability. As part of a larger employer vitality program and a work site RCT
(Randomized Controlled Trial, n=59 intervention arm) to assess cardiac risk impacts, we conducted a design analysis on a hybrid eHealth solution. The control condition was a six weeks waiting list and then start of the hybrid eHealth support (n=57).
Based on preliminary 6 week- and 3 month-results, the hybrid eHealth support
generated statistically significant risk factors improvement (like LDL cholesterol). The waiting list condition yielded no significant improvements. The late start after the waiting list did yield significant improvements, but not as large as a direct start. The direct start also appears to yield higher satisfaction and intention to recommend.
Our analysis supports three types of conclusions. First, the hybrid eHealth intervention did significantly improve physical risk factor variables after 6 weeks. Motivation and measurement alone (waiting list) did not. Second, theory on timing of health support for patient appeared generalizable to employees: it did help to offer support at a moment of high motivation, instead of later. Third, a design analysis was conducted regarding service mix efficacy in relation to key requirements for designing ICT-enabled lifestyle interventions. This resulted in several recommendations and improved service adoption. ...
employability. As part of a larger employer vitality program and a work site RCT
(Randomized Controlled Trial, n=59 intervention arm) to assess cardiac risk impacts, we conducted a design analysis on a hybrid eHealth solution. The control condition was a six weeks waiting list and then start of the hybrid eHealth support (n=57).
Based on preliminary 6 week- and 3 month-results, the hybrid eHealth support
generated statistically significant risk factors improvement (like LDL cholesterol). The waiting list condition yielded no significant improvements. The late start after the waiting list did yield significant improvements, but not as large as a direct start. The direct start also appears to yield higher satisfaction and intention to recommend.
Our analysis supports three types of conclusions. First, the hybrid eHealth intervention did significantly improve physical risk factor variables after 6 weeks. Motivation and measurement alone (waiting list) did not. Second, theory on timing of health support for patient appeared generalizable to employees: it did help to offer support at a moment of high motivation, instead of later. Third, a design analysis was conducted regarding service mix efficacy in relation to key requirements for designing ICT-enabled lifestyle interventions. This resulted in several recommendations and improved service adoption.