Holistic Human-Serving Digitization of Health Care Needs Integrated Automated System-Level Assessment Tools

Abstract

Digital health tools, platforms, and artificial intelligence– or machine learning–based clinical decision support systems are increasingly part of health delivery approaches, with an ever-greater degree of system interaction. Critical to the successful deployment of these tools is their functional integration into existing clinical routines and workflows. This depends on system interoperability and on intuitive and safe user interface design. The importance of minimizing emergent workflow stress through human factors research and purposeful design for integration cannot be overstated. Usability of tools in practice is as important as algorithm quality. Regulatory and health technology assessment frameworks recognize the importance of these factors to a certain extent, but their focus remains mainly on the individual product rather than on emergent system and workflow effects. The measurement of performance and user experience has so far been performed in ad hoc, nonstandardized ways by individual actors using their own evaluation approaches. We propose that a standard framework for system-level and holistic evaluation could be built into interacting digital systems to enable systematic and standardized system-wide, multiproduct, postmarket surveillance and technology assessment. Such a system could be made available to developers through regulatory or assessment bodies as an application programming interface and could be a requirement for digital tool certification, just as interoperability is. This would enable health systems and tool developers to collect system-level data directly from real device use cases, enabling the controlled and safe delivery of systematic quality assessment or improvement studies suitable for the complexity and interconnectedness of clinical workflows using developing digital health technologies.

Under the Tech Umbrella: Assessing the Landscape of Telemedicine Innovations (Telemechron Study)

“…An analysis of recent studies within this realm [ 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 ] reveals a diverse tapestry of themes and a wide array of focal points in the field of technology assessment (TA). From a nuanced exploration of the One Health paradigm [ 47 ] to considerations of sustainability [ 49 ] and the intricate landscape of personalized medicine [ 50 ], these studies consistently highlight several key dimensions.…”

“…With a strategic focus on the development of tailored assessment tools designed to navigate the intricacies of digital technologies [ 48 , 51 , 57 ], these tools are recognized as indispensable assets in ensuring accurate, efficient, and contextually relevant evaluations in the rapidly evolving landscape of digital health.…”

Pioneering a Framework for Robust Telemedicine Technology Assessment (Telemechron Study)

“…Tailored Assessment Tools (IV): Frameworks support the development of tailored assessment tools that navigate the complexities of digital technologies in telemedicine. These tools are recognized as indispensable for accurate, efficient, and contextually relevant evaluations in the rapidly evolving landscape of digital health [2,5,11,16].…”

Digital health technologies need regulation and reimbursement that enable flexible interactions and groupings

“…There are safety and performance challenges with the grouping of DHTs, especially those built up of individual medical device (MD) and non-MD DHTs, due to networked-device interactions, and other emergent system properties 19 . Ensuring interoperability and applicability across various demographics poses significant hurdles, necessitating a thorough examination of each system component.…”