Social Prescribing (SP) is an approach which aims of improving health and well-being and connecting patients to community services. Examples of these services include physical activity and cultural activities. Despite its benefits, SP has still not been fully implemented in Portugal. This case study is part of a larger study on Social Prescribing Local System (SPLS) implementation, which comprised a quantitative approach, a pilot study and a qualitative approach, and aims at exploring patients' and healthcare workers' perspectives on SP. The study was carried out to understand the motivations of different stakeholders for participating in the pilot project, the anticipated benefits for patients, healthcare professionals, and the health unit, as well as their perceptions and experiences within the scope of the SP project. Data collection was carried out in December 2020 through semi-structured individual interviews and a focus group. A total of seven participants were included, of which one patient, one museum representative and five healthcare professionals. Different common dimensions related to SP emerge, including health and well-being, social interaction and community engagement, accessibility and inclusivity, motivation and adherence, collaboration and coordination, and education and awareness. The patient considered the adequacy of the activity to the patient's state of health and capabilities, adoption of a phased approach, with a focus on progress, in order to promote long-term adherence as facilitators. For the museum, disseminating its activities to healthcare professionals and patients through different channels such as posters at the health center, social media pages, and training sessions can significantly enhance visibility and engagement, while direct phone contact and digital publications can further promote adherence, ensuring a comprehensive and coordinated approach to patient participation and institutional benefit. Healthcare professionals identified several benefits, including reduction of social isolation and sedentarism, as well as a means of strengthening the therapeutic relationship with patients. The design and implementation of SP programs should be participative and involve all stakeholders participating in the process. Barriers to adherence included time for activity and the associated costs or prerequisites, availability of activities and lack of perceived interest in health.
In this paper advanced Sentiment Analysis techniques were applied to evaluate public opinions reported by rail users with respect to four major European railway companies, i.e., Trenitalia and Italo in Italy, SNCF in France and Renfe in Spain. Two powerful language models were used, RoBERTa and BERT, to analyze big amount of text data collected from a social platform dedicated to customers reviews, i.e., TrustPilot. Data concerning the four European railway companies were first collected and classified into subcategories related to different aspects of the railway sector, such as train punctuality, quality of on-board services, safety, etc. Then, the RoBERTa and BERT models were developed to understand context and nuances of natural language. This study provides a useful support for railways companies to promote strategies for improving their service.
The purpose of the study was to examine the role of personalization in motivating senior citizens to use AI driven fitness apps. Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation was applied to examine the motivation of senior citizens. The responses from participants were collected through structured interviews. The participants belonged to South Asian origin belonging to India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. The authors adopted a content analysis approach where the gathered interview responses were coded in the context of elements of Vroom’s theory. The findings of the study indicated that a highly personalized approach in the context of motivation, expectancy, instrumentality and valence will motivate senior citizens to use AI based fitness apps. The study contributes to the personalization of AI fitness apps for senior citizens.
5G technology is transforming healthcare by enhancing precision, efficiency, and connectivity in diagnostics, treatments, and remote monitoring. Its integration with AI and IoT is set to revolutionize healthcare standards. This study aims to establish the state of the art in research on 5G technology and its impact on healthcare innovation. A systematic review of 79 papers from digital libraries such as IEEE Xplore, Scopus, Springer, ScienceDirect, and ResearchGate was conducted, covering publications from 2018 to 2024. Among the reviewed papers, China and India emerge as leaders in 5G health-related publications. Scopus, Springer Link, and IEEE Xplore house the majority of first-quartile (Q1) papers, whereas Science Direct and other sources show a higher proportion in the second quartile (Q2) and lower rankings. The predominance of Q1 papers in Scopus, Springer Link, and IEEE Xplore underscores these platforms’ influence and recognition, reflecting significant advancements in both practice and theory, and highlighting the expanding application of 5G technology in healthcare.
Measuring the performance of healthcare organizations has become a crucial yet challenging task, which is the focus of this study. The paper’s primary goal is to identify the key factors that shape healthcare organizations’ performance management systems in Serbia, which can serve as useful guidelines for implementing sustainable solutions. Additionally, the aim is to emphasize the importance of a broad implementation of performance measurement systems to facilitate strategy implementation and enhance organizational effectiveness. The empirical research involved an online survey of 280 respondents, including managers, executives, and operational staff from both private and public healthcare organizations in Serbia. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 20. The study identifies key challenges, including the lack of a developed performance measurement system, weak support from information and management systems for performance improvement, and an organizational structure that does not support performance enhancement. Furthermore, it has been found that a deeper understanding of the essence of measurement significantly contributes to identifying problems in its application in the healthcare sector. It was also observed that the more challenges identified in the measurement process, the less favourable the perception of the flexibility and adaptability of the system.
This research aims to identify the development of research theme trends that were carried out from 1999 to 2024. Thus, the study’s results can provide recommendations regarding research themes that can be developed to meet theoretical and practical needs. Researchers use bibliometric analysis to obtain the appropriate analysis. This analysis method can be developed to support the dynamic development of public health science with settings and researchers from developing countries, both through quantitative and qualitative interpretation. The analysis results show that over 25 years, public health science, from the perspective of researchers and developing countries, has experienced dynamic development. This change was driven by the emergence of various issues in society itself. For example, the 1999–2009 shows that lifestyle changes have resulted in multiple diseases. In the following period, the concept of sustainability emerged, which encouraged awareness of sustainable development and resource scarcity that would affect public health quality. As for the 2020–2024 period, the emergence of Covid 19 changed the previous research paradigm.
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