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In the EDU-AI project (Adapting Computing Education for an AI-Driven Future: Empirical Insights and Guidelines for Integrating Generative AI into Curriculum and Practice), we investigate the application of generative AI by IT professionals, how students view this technology in higher education, as well as faculty adaptation and changing teaching strategies due to generative AI. This presentation will be based on a report from the EDU-AI project where we summarize ongoing research and discuss findings, related to higher education teaching and learning. These findings include adoption patterns with generative AI, generative AI advantages (such as increased productivity, enhanced learning, and innovative problem-solving), challenges with generative AI (such as ethical considerations, data biases, and potential misuse), and possible AI competence requirements in future labor market.

The Nordic countries are, together with the United States, forerunners in online record access (ORA), which has now become widespread. The importance of accessible and structured health data has also been highlighted by policy makers internationally. To ensure the full realization of ORA’s potential in the short and long term, there is a pressing need to study ORA from a cross-disciplinary, clinical, humanistic, and social sciences perspective that looks beyond strictly technical aspects. In this viewpoint paper, we explore the policy changes in the European Health Data Space (EHDS) proposal to advance ORA across the European Union, informed by our research in a Nordic-led project that carries out the first of its kind, large-scale international investigation of patients’ ORA—NORDeHEALTH (Nordic eHealth for Patients: Benchmarking and Developing for the Future). We argue that the EHDS proposal will pave the way for patients to access and control third-party access to their electronic health records. In our analysis of the proposal, we have identified five key principles for ORA: (1) the right to access, (2) proxy access, (3) patient input of their own data, (4) error and omission rectification, and (5) access control. ORA implementation today is fragmented throughout Europe, and the EHDS proposal aims to ensure all European citizens have equal online access to their health data. However, we argue that in order to implement the EHDS, we need more research evidence on the key ORA principles we have identified in our analysis. Results from the NORDeHEALTH project provide some of that evidence, but we have also identified important knowledge gaps that still need further exploration.

Informal caregivers (ICs), including the patient's spouse, close relatives, or friends, play an important role in caregiving individuals with head and neck cancer (HNC). AI-based chatbots might offer information and assistance related to caregiving. This study presents the viewpoints of ICs and healthcare professionals (HCPs) on using AI-based chatbots in caring for individuals with HNC. A total of six focus groups were conducted with 15 ICs and 13 HCPs from three Swedish university hospitals. The study uncovers a widespread hesitancy toward the intention to use AI-based chatbots among ICs and HCPs. Factors contributing to this reluctance include their distrust in chatbot-provided information, negative past experiences of using chatbots, and lack of human connection in chatbot interactions. Embracing a holistic approach is crucial when designing chatbots, ensuring active user engagement and incorporating their perspectives into the design process.

Background Having online access to electronic health records (EHRs) may help patients become engaged in their care at an early age. However, little is known about adolescents using patient portals. A national survey conducted within the Nordic eHealth project NORDeHEALTH provided an important opportunity to advance our understanding of adolescent users of patient portals. The present study explored reasons for reading the EHRs, the perceived usefulness of information and functions in a patient portal and the association between frequency of use and encouragement to read the EHR.

Methods Data were collected in a survey using convenience sampling, available through the Swedish online health portal during 3 weeks in January and February 2022. This study included a subset of items and only respondents aged 15–19. Demographic factors and frequencies on Likert-style questions were reported with descriptive statistics, while Fisher’s exact test was used to explore differences in use frequency based on having been encouraged to read by a healthcare professional (HCP).

Results Of 13 008 users who completed the survey, 218 (1.7%) were unique users aged 15–19 (females: 77.1%). One-fifth (47/218, 21.6%) had been encouraged by HCPs to read their records, and having been encouraged by HCPs was related to higher use frequency (p=0.018). All types of information were rated high on usefulness, while some functions were rated low, such as blocking specific clinical notes from HCPs and managing services for family members. The main reason for reading their health records online was out of curiosity.

Conclusions Adolescents who read their records online perceive it to be useful. Encouragement by HCPs can lead to increased use of patient portals among adolescents. Findings should be considered in the future design of patient portals for adolescents.

Introduction

Poor usability is a barrier to widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHR). Providing good usability is especially challenging in the health care context, as there is a wide variety of patient users. Usability benchmarking is an approach for improving usability by evaluating and comparing the strength and weaknesses of systems. The main purpose of this study is to benchmark usability of patient portals across countries.

Methods

A mixed-methods survey approach was applied to benchmark the national patient portals offering patient access to EHR in Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. These Nordic countries have similar public healthcare systems, and they are pioneers in offering patients access to EHR for several years. In a survey of 29,334 patients, both patients’ quantitative ratings of usability and their qualitative descriptions of very positive and very negative peak experiences of portal use were collected.

Results

The usability scores ranged from good to fair level of usability. The narratives of very positive and very negative experiences included the benefits of the patient portals and experienced usability issues. The regression analysis of results showed that very positive and negative experiences of patient portal use explain 19–35% of the variation of usability scores in the four countries. The percentage of patients who reported very positive or very negative experiences in each country was unrelated to the usability scores across countries.

Conclusions

The survey approach could be used to evaluate usability with a wide variety of users and it supported learning from comparison across the countries. The combination of quantitative and qualitative data provided an approximation of the level of the perceived usability, and identified usability issues to be improved and useful features that patients appreciate. Further work is needed to improve the comparability of the varied samples across countries.

The ‘Design Methods in Connected Health’ workshop aims to bridge the gap between research, practice, and design in the field of Connected Health. Connected Health refers to the integration of various technologies, such as wireless, digital, and telehealth, to create a patient-centric healthcare model that improves care delivery and outcomes. This workshop explores innovative design approaches that enhance user experience, accessibility, and the effectiveness of electronic health technologies. Drawing from disciplines like Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Information Systems (IS), Health Informatics, and Healthcare, participants engage in discussions and collaborative activities to examine diverse design methods and their impact on user engagement and health outcomes. The workshop's objectives include sharing best practices, fostering collaboration, and ultimately drafting a joint scientific paper based on the insights gained. Through dynamic activities, such as a gallery walk, participants critically assess design methods and collaborate to determine the most suitable approaches for Connected Health applications.

Background: Informal caregivers, often family members or friends, play a crucial role in supporting individuals with chronic illnesses, disabilities, or age-related needs. However, the demands of caregiving can be overwhelming, leading to stress, burnout, and negative impacts on caregivers’ well-being. IT applications have emerged as potential solutions to support informal caregivers, but their design and evaluation often lack a comprehensive understanding of caregivers’ needs and preferences. By understanding caregivers’ perspectives on these issues, this review aimed to inform the development of more effective and user-centered IT solutions that truly support caregivers’ needs.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping review to outline design recommendations for IT applications gathered from informal caregivers. In addition, this study presents evaluations of the use of IT applications by informal caregivers.

Methods: A five-step scoping review methodology was used to map relevant literature in the following manner: (1) research question identification, (2) relevant study identification, (3) selection of pertinent studies for review, (4) data charting from the selected literature, and (5) summarization and reporting of results. A structured search was conducted across the PubMed, Scopus, IEEE Xplore Digital Library, Web of Science, and ACM Digital Library databases. In addition, reference list hand searches and keyword searches in Google Scholar were undertaken. The inclusion criteria comprised research articles (journal and conference) focusing on IT applications tailored for informal caregivers, primarily qualitative studies. Two reviewers independently identified articles for review and extracted the data. Conflicts were resolved through discussion, with a third reviewer consulted if consensus could not be attained. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

Results: A total of 82 articles were selected for the scoping review—44 (54%) related to design and 39 (48%) related to evaluation of IT applications. Six overarching themes emerged related to designing IT applications: information access, support systems, streamlining care-related tasks, fostering informal caregivers’ well-being, communication with formal health care professionals, and task support. Furthermore, 3 broad themes emerged related to the evaluation of IT applications for informal caregivers: facilitators of using IT applications, barriers to using IT applications, and suggestions for improving IT applications for informal caregivers.

Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to map the literature on the design and evaluation of IT applications for informal caregivers. This scoping review outlines current practices and recommendations for designing and evaluating the use of IT applications for informal caregivers. It identifies 6 key design themes and 3 evaluation themes, offering valuable insights for future development in this field. These findings provide a road map for enhancing user-centric IT solutions in informal caregiver support technologies.

Informal caregivers, crucial contributors to healthcare, face myriad challenges in supporting individuals with health needs. While IT applications offer promising solutions, some caregivers hesitate to adopt them, favoring traditional communication approaches with healthcare and support providers. This study, conducted in Sweden, presents why caregivers are reluctant to use IT applications. Through a qualitative approach involving group interviews with caregiver association members, four key themes emerged, namely, need for in-person support with grief and stress, need for private support spaces, cognitive impairment, and financial constraints. Understanding these barriers is crucial for developing inclusive caregiving strategies that balance IT-based solutions with in-person assistance, promoting a sustainable caregiving support ecosystem.