Intelligent Assistive Technologies for Dementia


Book Description

The increasingly widespread implementation and use of intelligent assistive technologies (IATs) is reshaping dementia care. This volume provides an up-to-date overview of the current state of IATs for dementia care. The new essays collected here examine what IATs will mean for clinical practice and the ethical and regulatory challenges they will pose.




Youth Mental Health


Book Description

Experts discuss the potential of early intervention to transform outcomes for people with mental disorders. Mental illness represents one of the largest disease burdens worldwide, yet treatments have been largely ineffective in improving the quality of life for millions of affected individuals—in part because approaches taken have focused on late-stage disorders in adulthood. This volume shifts the focus by placing the developmental stage of “youth” at the center of mental health. The contributors challenge current nosology, explore mechanisms that underlie the emergence of mental disorders, and propose a framework to guide early intervention. Offering recommendations for the future, the book holds that early intervention in youth has the potential to transform outcomes for people with mental disorders and to reconfigure the landscape of mental health. The contributors discuss epidemiology, classification, and diagnostic issues, including the benefits of clinical staging; the context for emerging mental disorders, including both biological and sociocultural processes; biological mechanisms underlying risk for psychopathology, including aspects of neural circuitry; and developing and implementing prevention and early intervention, including assessment and intervention modalities and knowledge translation in early treatment of schizophrenia. Contributors Nicholas B. Allen, Mario Alvarez-Jimenez, G. Paul Amminger, Shelli Avenevoli, Hannah F. Behrendt, Tolulope Bella-Awusah, Maximus Berger, Byron K. Y. Bitanihirwe, Drew Blasco, John D. Cahill, Joanne S. Carpenter, Andrew M. Chanen, Eric Y. H. Chen, Shane D. Colombo, Christoph U. Correll, Christopher G. Davey, Kim Q. Do, Damien A. Fair, Helen L. Fisher, Sophia Frangou, John Gleeson, Robert K. Heinssen, Ian B. Hickie, Frank Iorfino,Matcheri S. Keshavan, Kerstin Konrad, Phuong Thao D. Le, Francis Lee, Leslie D. Leve, Sarah A. Lieff, Cindy H. Liu, Beatriz Luna, Patrick D. McGorry, Urvakhsh Meherwan Mehta, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Shreya V. Nallur, Cristopher Niell, Merete Nordentoft, Dost Öngür, George C. Patton, Tomáš Paus, Ulrich Reininghaus, Bernalyn Ruiz, Fred Sabb, Akira Sawa, Michael Schoenbaum, Gunter Schumann, Elizabeth M. Scott, Jai Shah, Vinod H. Srihari, Ezra Susser, John Torous, Peter J. Uhlhaas, Swapna K. Verma, T. Wilson Woo, Stephen J. Wood, Lawrence H. Yang, Alison R. Yung




New Insights in the Health Benefits of Art


Book Description

In 2019, the World Health Organization demonstrated with a scoping review that art-based activities, regardless of their characteristics, have promising health benefits. More specifically, practicing art-based activities was demonstrated to contribute to core determinants of health, to play a key role in health promotion and prevention—especially with regard to the onset of mental illness and age-related physical decline—and to assist in acute and end-of-life care. This report also underscored, first, a lack of robust data on art’s health benefits, meaning data obtained with gold-standard experimental study designs (i.e., randomized control trials) and second, that certain topics (e.g., social health) and populations (e.g., older community dwellers) have been underexamined. In addition, little is known about both the mechanisms of art’s health benefits and how to implement an art-based activity for health purposes in practice.




Healthcare Transformation with Informatics and Artificial Intelligence


Book Description

Artificial intelligence (AI) is once again in the news, with many major figures urging caution as developments in the technology accelerate. AI impacts all aspects of our lives, but perhaps the discipline of Biomedical Informatics is more affected than most, and is an area where the possible pitfalls of the technology might have particularly serious consequences. This book presents the papers delivered at ICIMTH 2023, the 21st International Conference on Informatics, Management, and Technology in Healthcare, held in Athens, Greece, from 1-3 July 2023. The ICIMTH conferences form a series of scientific events which offers a platform for scientists working in the field of biomedical and health informatics from all continents to gather and exchange research findings and experience. The title of the 2023 conference was Healthcare Transformation with Informatics and Artificial Intelligence, reflecting the importance of AI to healthcare informatics. A total of 252 submissions were received by the Program Committee, of which 149 were accepted as full papers, 13 as short communications, and 14 as poster papers after review. The papers cover a wide range of technologies, and topics include imaging, sensors, biomedical equipment, and management and organizational aspects, as well as legal and social issues. The book provides a timely overview of informatics and technology in healthcare during this time of extremely fast developments, and will be of interest to all those working in the field.




What Young People Want from Mental Health Services


Book Description

Young people experience one of the highest rates of mental health problems of any group, but make the least use of the support available to them. To reach young people in distress, we need to understand what this digital generation want from mental health professionals and services. Based on interviews with nearly 400 young people, this book offers a vision of youth mental health issues and services through the eyes of young people themselves. It offers professionals important insights into the meaning of identity and agency for this generation and explores how these issues play out in young people’s expectations of mental health support. It shows how, despite young people’s immersion in digital technology, genuine and trusting relationships remain a key ingredient in their priorities for support. It considers what access to mental health support means for a generation who have grown up with the immediacy enabled by digital technology. Young people’s accounts also provide crucial insights into how they are using digital resources to manage their own mental health – in ways often not appreciated by professionals who design internet interventions. What Young People Want From Mental Health Services offers clear guidance to counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists, youth workers, social workers, service providers and policymakers about how to work with youth and design their services so they are a better match for young people today. It contributes to a growing movement calling for a ‘Youth Informed Approach’ to mental health to address the needs of young people.




Digital Health: A Transformative Approach


Book Description

Digital Health: A Transformative Approach is designed to prepare Australia and New Zealand's future health and social care workforce for the rapidly evolving digital health landscape. It is the first local health informatics title reflecting Australasia-specific contexts and its learning objectives are aligned to National Digital Health Strategies and Frameworks. A scaffolded approach to learning, makes this text suitable for all health and social care professionals, from early learners developing skills, to those more capable who want to adapt and lead in digital health. The text is supported by online case studies that will assist development of digital professionalism and understanding requirements of digital technology across clinical, research, education and administration in diverse health and social care environments. - Information presented across four units and 12 chapters that support learning and teaching and help build learners' work readiness - Scaffolded approach across three levels of capability – empowered, transitional, and entrusted - suitable for undergraduate, postgraduate and ongoing professional development - Supported by an Elsevier Adaptive Quizzing (EAQ) to provide formative assessment across the three levels - Includes telehealth, electronic medical/health records, clinical technologies, disaster planning, interoperability and precision health care - Additional online case studies to support advanced learning.




Handbook of Research on Advances in Digital Technologies to Promote Rehabilitation and Community Participation


Book Description

Digital technologies hold immense potential to transform the field of rehabilitation and enable greater community participation for individuals with disabilities. In the Handbook of Research on Advances in Digital Technologies to Promote Rehabilitation and Community Participation, a comprehensive exploration of these cutting-edge technologies and their impact is presented, and it delves into various digital solutions, such as virtual reality, tele-rehabilitation, mobile apps, rehabilitation platforms, and more. The book sheds light on the applications to promote rehabilitation and enhance community involvement. It provides a profound understanding of how these technologies can facilitate remote rehabilitation, foster self-management of illnesses, support independent living, and enhance communication and social participation. Furthermore, it emphasizes the accessibility of information and resources that digital technologies provide, unlocking new possibilities for individuals with disabilities. However, this research goes beyond mere exploration and also examines the challenges and opportunities associated with these digital advancements. The ethical considerations that arise in the utilization of these technologies are addressed, emphasizing the need for responsible and considerate implementation.




Technology and Adolescent Health


Book Description

Technology and Adolescent Health: In Schools and Beyond discusses how today's adolescents are digital natives, using technology at home and in school to access information, for entertainment, to socialize and do schoolwork. This book summarizes research on how technology use impacts adolescent mental health, sleep, physical activity and eating habits. In addition, it identifies monitoring and screening technology-based tools for use with adolescents. - Summarizes the effects of digital technology use on adolescent mental health - Advises on best practices for adolescent technology use in home and schools - Identifies digital tools to monitor adolescent health - Includes effects on sleep, addiction, socialization, eating and exercise habits - Provides both the positive and negative consequences of technology use




Telepsychiatry and Health Technologies


Book Description

The only current book on the topic, Telepsychiatry and Health Technologies: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals is a practical, comprehensive, and evidence-based guide to patient-centered clinical care delivered in whole or in part by technological devices and applications. Not a technology-centered "health informatics" book, but rather one that describes basic technological concerns and emphasizes clinical issues and workflows, it is designed for psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health clinicians who seek to learn the modes, models, and methods of telepsychiatry. More than 30 practitioners of telepsychiatry across the core mental health disciplines were involved in development of the text, contributing knowledge and clinical examples. Rich with case studies and hands-on guidance, the book introduces strategies, then clearly illustrates how to put them into practice. The editors believe that psychiatry increasingly will focus on the treatment of populations, and that technology offers the best hope of doing so efficiently and effectively.Careful thought went into the book's conception and design, resulting in a marriage of structure and content that meets the needs of today's clinicians: The editors employed a unique process of manuscript development, first outlining each chapter in its entirety, then assigning sections to contributors selected for their specific clinical experience and therapeutic expertise. The result is a text that flows logically and creates synergy across chapters without duplication. The book provides "how-to" guidance on setting up a new telepsychiatry practice or integrating technologies into a current practice, covering critically important topics such as data collection, security, and electronic health records. Technologies addressed include telephony, smartphones, apps, e-mail, secure texting, and videoconferencing, all of which are increasingly being used in the assessment and treatment of patients with psychiatric disorders. More than 30 case examples of patients or programs are included, illustrating the range of clinical techniques that can be used and the types of patient that can be treated using available technologies -- whether in person, online, or in a hybrid form of care combining both modalities. Every chapter concludes with a summary of major learning objectives or findings covered. Telepsychiatry and Health Technologies: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals is destined to become a core resource in the training of mental health professionals from all disciplines, as well as an indispensable reference for those already integrating new technologies into their practices.