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INTRODUCTION: This scoping review investigates the extent and nature of existing evidence on the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and related mechanisms of engagement and challenges in issues of caring for older persons through digital technologies. We map research and practice gaps, contributing factors and best practices in NGOs. The rising use of digital technology in health care and the role that NGOs have in supporting older people in this context is relevant to nurses and service development leaders, particularly in the context of a rapidly changing care in the 21st century. METHODS: A three-stage systematic and comprehensive search strategy based on the JBI methodology for scoping reviews was employed across multiple databases and grey literature sources. RESULTS: In this review, 8,348 abstracts were retrieved. After deduplication, 7,099 titles and abstracts were reviewed. A total of 263 publications were selected for full-text review and 50 included for analysis. NGOs use digital tools to directly engage older adults in programs (e. g., information delivery) and indirectly to collaborate with other organizations (e.g., training programs) to promote digital inclusion. Factors such as individual capabilities, trust and access, technological factors (accessibility and user-friendliness of technology), and socio-cultural and system-wide factors affect how NGOs engage with older adults. CONCLUSION: Our findings are summarized in the key domains: key organizations, mode of engagement, interorganizational process and digital technology are discussed and offer current insights into the varied engagement of NGOs with older people and its challenges concerning technology. Many interrelated factors, along with barriers and facilitators that influence older persons' engagement with technology, have been identified.

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The present research proposes a model to investigate the influence of institutional pressures on the adoption of circular economy (CE) principles, whether Industry 4.0 technologies support this adoption, and its effect on the performance of firms. To evaluate these relationships, we collected data from 248 companies operating in Brazil. Our findings reveal the importance of external stakeholders as drivers of the transition from the linear economy to CE, highlighting the normative pressures to foster CE adoption. The study brings additional evidence in support of Industry 4.0 technologies that embrace CE implementation and shows the positive effect of their integrated adoption on firm performance. Several managerial and theoretical implications emerge from this investigation: (i) efforts to adopt both CE principles and Industry 4.0 technologies positively impact the performance of firms, and CE implementation can be facilitated when integrated with these technologies; (ii) the institutional context shaped by normative and coercive pressures can have a significant influence on CE adoption; (iii) the discussion of these novel results posits theoretical insights on CE, Industry 4.0, and their relationships with firm performance.

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The growing use of information and communication technologies (ICT) has the potential to increase productivity and improve energy efficiency. However, digital technologies also consume energy, resulting in a complex relationship between digitalization and energy demand and an uncertain net effect. To steer digital transformation towards sustainability, it is crucial to understand the conditions under which digital technologies increase or decrease firm-level energy consumption. This study examines the drivers of this relationship, focusing on German manufacturing firms and leveraging comprehensive administrative panel data from 2009 to 2017, analyzed using the Generalized Random Forest algorithm. Our results reveal that the relationship between digitalization and energy use at the firm level is heterogeneous. However, we find that digitalization more frequently increases energy use, mainly driven by a rise in electricity consumption. This increase is lower in energy-intensive industries and higher in markets with low competition. Smaller firms in structurally weak regions show higher energy consumption growth than larger firms in economically stronger regions. Our study contributes to the literature by using a non-parametric method to identify specific firm-level and external characteristics that influence the impact of digital technologies on energy demand, highlighting the need for carefully designed digitalization policies to achieve climate goals.

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In this paper, we present findings from a qualitative interview study, which highlights the difficulties and challenges with quantifying carbon emissions and discusses how to move productively through these challenges by drawing insights from studies of deep uncertainty. Our research study focuses on the digital sector and was governed by the following research question: how do practitioners researching, working, or immersed in the broad area of sustainable digitisation (researchers, industry, NGOs, and policy representatives) understand and engage with quantifying carbon? Our findings show how stakeholders struggled to measure carbon emissions across complex systems, the lack of standardisation to assist with this, and how these challenges led stakeholders to call for more data to address this uncertainty. We argue that these calls for more data obscure the fact that there will always be uncertainty, and that we must learn to govern from within it.

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The metro is susceptible to disruption risks and requires a system response capability to build resilience to manage disruptions. Achieving such resilient response state requires readiness in both the technology side, e.g., utilizing digital technologies (DTs) to monitor system components, and the human factors side, e.g., fostering positive human coping capabilities; however, these two sides are usually considered independently, without sufficient integration. This paper aims to develop and empirically test a model in which monitoring-enabled DTs, employees' reactions, and their positive capabilities are simultaneously considered in terms of their interplay and impact on system response capability. The results showed that while DTs for monitoring physical components enhanced perceived management commitment and fostered collective efficacy, DTs for monitoring human components increased psychological strain and inhibited improvisation capability, creating a "double-edged sword" effect on system response capability. Additionally, explicit management commitment buffered the adverse effect of DTs-induced psychological strain on individual improvisation.

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This systematic review addresses a significant gap in the existing literature by examining the intricate relationship between management practices and Industry 4.0 technologies in shaping supply chain sustainability. While prior studies have explored their individual impacts, this review synthesizes and categorizes findings to identify nuanced trends that contribute to supply chain efficiency, waste reduction, and environmental footprints. To achieve the goal of the study, a rigorous search strategy was employed to select peer-reviewed journal articles focusing on total quality management, just-in-time, vendor-managed inventory, lean, manufacturer-led decentralized systems, blockchain, the internet of things, and big data in the context of supply chain sustainability. The selected studies underwent a thorough evaluation to ensure quality and relevance. The findings highlight key insights: the adoption of management practices, particularly total quality management and just-in-time, significantly contributes to reducing waste, enhancing efficiency, and minimizing environmental footprints across supply chains. Simultaneously, the integration of industry 4.0 technologies like blockchain, the Internet of things, and big data empowers data-driven decision-making, transparency, and traceability, amplifying sustainability efforts. In conclusion, this review contributes a novel perspective by synthesizing, categorizing, and analyzing the impact of management practices and Industry 4.0 technologies on supply chain sustainability. Its findings offer valuable insights for addressing contemporary challenges and advancing sustainable practices amid dynamic global scenarios.

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An increasing number of developments and trends are driving the expansion of the digital therapeutics (DTx) market in the pharmaceutical industry. Digital therapeutics are therapies intended to treat, diagnose, and prevent diseases by using patient-directed clinically assessed software applications, which can optimize the effectiveness and delivery of healthcare. These digital innovations became important as the world changed, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. Nowadays pharma companies are getting more comfortable with the idea of digital therapies. The majority of pharmaceutical companies are examining how to incorporate pharmaceuticals and digital therapies into their treatment regimens, leveraging digital tools to enhance patient outcomes and streamline healthcare delivery. A thorough overview of the most recent technological advancements in the creation of digital therapies shows particular technologies that are essential to the market's future growth. Moreover, the evaluation of digital therapeutics by clinical trial and real-world data is outlined. The critical quality attributes of DTx products and the challenges, including data management issues and regulatory obstacles, which make the creation, approval, and marketing of customized medicines more difficult, are covered in this review article. Overall, pharma companies are venturing into the world of digital therapeutics while acknowledging the limitations of the emerging field.

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Recently, the UN has suggested several green initiatives to adopt renewable energy consumption in human & economic activities. Therefore, most practitioners have followed the responsible production & consumption (RP&C) pattern under SDG 12 to increase economic progress. This study considers the top 15 circular economies that are ruthless in producing and consuming energy greenly. This study finds the circular economy, digital technologies, natural resource utilization, empowerment, environmental policy, and environmental degradation as decisive factors for the RP&C of energy. Similarly, the current empirical research utilizes an advanced series of estimators to investigate the study's objective. However, the long-term outcomes show a significant contribution to responsible production by circular economy while remaining insignificant for production. Under RP&C base models, this study obtains a 1.830% change in consumption and 0.135% in energy production via a significant shift in digital technologies. Furthermore, environmental policy and empowerment are positively associated with RP&C in the specified region. The role of natural resources is inversely but insignificantly related to responsible consumption and vice versa for the production side. Rising environmental concerns show a heterogeneous role for both models. This study also investigates the mediating role of digital technologies on circular economy, natural resources, and empowerment and supports the positive association in RP&C. This study suggests some implications to support SDG 12 further.

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Introduction: A substantial body of research indicates an increasing prevalence of mental health issues among university students in a range of countries. A number of psychosocial factors have been put forward in the research literature as possible explanations for this persistent decline in psychological wellbeing in higher education. The present study focused on the role of family factors and the use of digital technologies by students. Methods: A replication study was conducted at the University of the Americas (Chile) based on a previous study on psychosocial factors of academic learning patterns and mental health of university students at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Spain. A cross-sectional design was employed, using the same questionnaire, plus indicators of most frequently used digital technologies by the students. The questionnaire was administered online at the same time to all incoming students, gathering a sample of 4,523 students. A series of multiple regressions and ANOVAs was conducted to ascertain the extent to which family and digital factors could be identified as predictors of mental health indicators. Results: The most significant findings indicate that high levels of parental protection and control/discipline, and especially the high use of social media and smartphones, are particularly salient factors contributing to mental health problems in the learning process of higher education students. Discussion: The results suggest strategies to promote wellbeing, with a focus on the psychosocial diversity within an inclusive university community. Social and digital innovation, collective entrepreneurship, and participatory place-building may facilitate networks of artistic, cultural, ecological, and sports spaces to promote the sense of university community. A longitudinal follow-up on the same sample across academic years will reveal the extent to which these wellbeing initiatives are fruitful.

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INTRODUCTION: Patient education programmes focusing on risk factor modification and lifestyle changes are well established as part of cardiac rehabilitation in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). As participation rates are low, digital patient education programmes (DPE) are interesting alternatives to increase access. Understanding patients' perceptions of DPE are important in terms of successful implementation in clinical practice but are not well known. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess patients' perceptions of using a DPE in terms of end-user acceptance and usability, perceived significance for lifestyle changes and secondary preventive goal fulfilment in patients with CAD. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey-based study. The survey was distributed to all 1625 patients with acute coronary syndrome or chronic CAD with revascularisation, who were registered users of the DPE between 2020 and 2022 as part of cardiac rehabilitation. The survey contained 64 questions about e.g., acceptance and usability, perceived significance for making lifestyle changes and secondary preventive goal fulfilment. Patients who had never logged in to the DPE received questions about their reasons for not logging in. Data were analysed descriptively. RESULTS: A total of 366 patients (mean age: 69.1 ± 11.3 years, 20% female) completed the survey and among those 207 patients (57%) had used the DPE. Patients reported that the DPE was simple to use (80%) and improved access to healthcare (67-75%). A total of 69% of the patients were generally satisfied with the DPE, > 60% reported that the DPE increased their knowledge about secondary preventive treatment goals and approximately 60% reported having a healthy lifestyle today. On the other hand, 35% of the patients would have preferred a hospital-based education programme. Among the 159 patients (43%) who had never used the DPE, the most reported reason was a perceived need for more information about how to use the DPE (52%). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows an overall high level of patient acceptance and usability of the DPE, which supports its continued development and long-term role in cardiac rehabilitation in patients with CAD. Future studies should assess associations between participation in the DPE and clinical outcomes, such as secondary preventive goal fulfilment and hospitalisation.

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The increasing global demand for palm oil and its derivatives has led to significant environmental and social concerns, prompting the need for sustainable practices in oil palm production. In recent years, digital technologies have emerged as a potential solution to enhance sustainability in this sector. The objective of this review was to provide insights into the potential benefits and limitations of digital technologies in promoting sustainable practices in the oil palm industry, and to identify key challenges that must be addressed to ensure that digitalization contributes to sustainable development in this sector. To obtain valuable insights on this topic, this review employed a thorough analysis and exploration of relevant literature. Our findings highlight the transformative potential of digital technologies such as precision agriculture, data analytics, blockchain, and robotics to optimize resource utilization, improving efficiency, promoting social welfare, improving supply chain transparency, mitigating environmental impacts, and enhancing sustainability in oil palm production. However, the adoption of these technologies is hindered by several challenges, including high cost, lack of knowledge, and inadequate infrastructure. Our findings emphasize the importance of supportive policies, collaborative efforts, and targeted research to promote technology adoption and ensure equitable benefits across the oil palm industry. Recommendations are provided for industry stakeholders, policymakers, and researchers to leverage digitalization effectively and promote sustainable practices in the oil palm industry, ultimately contributing to global sustainability goals.

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Utilizing digital tools, particularly mobile technologies, is viewed as a critical strategy to improve the efficient use of healthcare services. Quasi-experimental research was carried out with residents to investigate the impact of mobile-based feedback (MBF) on residents' laboratory test ordering behavior.

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PURPOSE: This study aims to develop and propose the key criteria and elements necessary to be included in digital platforms for achieving high-quality monitoring of patients with chronic kidney failure. METHODS: The research was conducted from 2021 to 2023 in Moscow, Russia. A total of 75 patients comprised the experimental group (digital monitoring), while an equal number constituted the control group (standard nursing care). RESULTS: Patients in the experimental group highly rated the convenience (4.6 ± 0.3) and accessibility (4.7 ± 0.4) levels of the monitoring system compared to those in the control group (convenience: 3.8 ± 0.4, accessibility: 3.9 ± 0.3). Furthermore, it was found that the level of patient satisfaction in the experimental group (4.4 ± 0.3) noticeably exceeded that in the control group (3.9 ± 0.4). The effectiveness of digital platforms is supported by data on the timeliness of detecting changes in patient's health status. In the experimental group, the response time to deteriorating health conditions decreased by 30% compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The conclusions of our study underscore the necessity of integrating digital monitoring platforms into medical practice. Monitoring utilizing digital technologies has the potential to significantly enhance patient satisfaction levels as well as promptness in responding to changes in their health status.

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INTRODUCTION: Electronic devices and communication technologies are increasingly used to provide medical care to patients with high blood pressure. The main objective was to evaluate doctors' perception on the usefulness of digital technologies in hypertension. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the prevalence of use of digital technologies in the follow-up of patients with hypertension and to identify the barriers perceived by doctors for their implementation in the Argentine Republic. METHODS: Observational, cross-sectional, multicenter study, based on a self-administered questionnaire, in the Argentine Republic, and coordinated by the Epidemiology group of the Argentine Society of Arterial Hypertension. POPULATION: Doctors who care for patients with high blood pressure. RESULTS: 247 responses were obtained, 35.6% were women and 64.4% men; 92.3% indicated that the use of digital technologies was useful to improve therapeutic adherence; 54.7% received blood pressure results at home through some digital means; 41.3% regularly carry out teleconsultations, only 6.1% through specific digital health platforms, 29.1% through non-specific platforms, by telephone 21.9% and by email (asynchronous) 10.9%. The main perceived barriers were: availability, financial remuneration, regulations, connectivity problems and lack of time. CONCLUSION: The perception of professionals is favorable, as they considered these technologies useful to improve therapeutic adherence, which could have a facilitating effect on their implementation, although the perceived barriers are part of organizational issues to be resolved.

Introducción: Los dispositivos electrónicos y tecnologías de la comunicación se emplean cada vez más frecuentemente para brindar atención médica a los pacientes con hipertensión arterial. El objetivo principal del trabajo fue evaluar la percepción de los médicos sobre la utilidad de las tecnologías digitales en hipertensión arterial. Los objetivos secundarios fueron evaluar la prevalencia de uso de tecnologías digitales en el seguimiento de pacientes con hipertensión arterial e identificar las barreras percibidas por los médicos para la implementación de las mismas en la República Argentina. Métodos: Estudio observacional, de corte transversal, multicéntrico, basado en un cuestionario autoadministrado, en el ámbito de la República Argentina y coordinado por el grupo de Epidemiología de la Sociedad Argentina de Hipertensión Arterial. Población: Médicos que realizan atención de pacientes con hipertensión arterial. Resultados: Se obtuvieron 247 respuestas, 35.6% fueron mujeres y 64.4% hombres; el 92.3 % consideró de utilidad el uso de tecnologías digitales para mejorar la adherencia terapéutica. Reciben resultados de presión arterial en domicilio por algún medio digital 54.7%. Realizan habitualmente teleconsultas 41.3%, solamente el 6.1% por plataformas digitales específicas de salud, el 29.1% por plataformas no específicas, telefónicamente 21.9% y correo electrónico (asincrónicas) 10.9%. Las principales barreras percibidas fueron: disponibilidad, remuneración económica, reglamentación, problemas de conectividad y falta de tiempo. Conclusión: La percepción de los profesionales es favorable, considerándolas útiles para mejorar la adherencia terapéutica, por lo que podría tener un efecto facilitador en la implementación de las mismas, aunque las barreras percibidas forman parte de cuestiones organizacionales a resolver.

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In recent decades, policy makers around the world have been working on implementing various technologies into healthcare, and the Covid19 pandemic fueled this process. The specialized technological solutions for telecare - the use of technologies for care at a distance - are often adopted by users in different ways than intended, or are abandoned if the users cannot find applications that are meaningful to them. However, beyond specialized healthcare technologies, people are incorporating mundane digital technologies into their (health)care practices. In this paper, we draw on ethnographic research on the use of everyday digital technologies in Indian families where migrating children who are professional nurses care for their aging parents at a distance. Our findings show that 1) remote elder care is enacted through frequent calling which further fosters trust, necessary to provide healthcare remotely; 2) the motivation for older adults to engage with digital technologies is grounded in the value of family and affect which is consequential also for health; 3) technologies, too, require care-work in the form of everyday maintenance; and 4) in-person visits from children remain important, indicating that hybrid interaction is optimal for good care at a distance. We conclude that taking these findings into account may contribute to a more successful implementation of formal telecare systems.

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BACKGROUND: Digital health interventions (DHIs) have shown promising results for the management of chronic wounds. However, its effectiveness compared to usual care and whether variability in the type of intervention affects wound outcomes are unclear. OBJECTIVE: The main objective was to determine the effectiveness of DHIs on wound healing outcomes in adult patients with chronic wounds. The secondary objectives were to assess if there was any variation in wound healing outcomes across the various types of DHIs. METHODS: In total, 9 databases were searched for the literature up to August 1, 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, and quasi-experimental studies comparing the efficacy of DHIs with controls in improving wound outcomes in adult patients with chronic wounds were included. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were conducted independently by 2 reviewers. We assessed the quality of each RCT, cohort study, and quasi-experimental study separately using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, ROBINS-I, and the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tools checklists. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs were pooled using the random effects model, and heterogeneity was assessed by the I2 statistic. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were also performed. RESULTS: A total of 25 studies with 8125 patients were included in this systematic review, while only 20 studies with 6535 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Efficacy outcomes in RCTs showed no significant differences between the DHIs and control groups in terms of wound healing (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.93-1.12; P=.67) and all-cause mortality around 1 year (RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.55-2.12; P=.83). Compared with the control group, the use of DHIs was associated with significant changes in adverse events (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.22-0.89; P=.02). Subgroup analysis suggested a positive effect of the digital platforms in improving wound healing (RR 2.19, 95% CI 1.35-3.56; P=.002). Although meta-analysis was not possible in terms of wound size, cost analysis, patient satisfaction, and wound reporting rates, most studies still demonstrated that DHIs were not inferior to usual care in managing chronic wounds. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of our study demonstrate the viability of adopting DHIs to manage chronic wounds. However, more prominent, high-quality RCTs are needed to strengthen the evidence, and more detailed clinical efficacy research is required. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42023392415; https://tinyurl.com/4ybz6bs9.

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The article presents systematic review of National and foreign publications concerning strategy of digital society development, definitions and concepts of digital twins in health care. The analysis of development of digital twins of patients and application of digital twins of human organs in medicine is presented. The experience of digital twins functioning in health care management system in Russia and abroad is presented.

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The article presents review summarizing contemporary National and foreign experience of implementing digital technologies under provision of services in health care. The systematic analysis of data from Scopus, eLibrary, PubMed and others electronic databases permitted to select 30 sources in Russian and English for 2016-2023. Modern digitization trends affect collaborations of companies where vectors of modernization become development of unified digital framework based on common state information system of health care; common educational platform for medical knowledge enriching by AI capabilities, through development of organizational activities and workflows based on digital technologies and services utilizing digital transformation. The deficiency of tools evaluating efficiency of reading software products and scalability of health digitization processes become problematic issues. As of today, diagnostic technologies using AI systems, technologies of lung cancer screening, examination methods of patients with post-traumatic deformations of cheekbone-orbital complex, monitoring of readings of devices with digital registration, further office consulting of various levels and application of AI in neurosurgery were described already. The article also considers issues of telemedicine consultations and development of modernized care models. The authors expect that digital ecosystem in development addressing issues of legal concept of management, financing and system of patient legal protection will do everything necessary to mitigate cyber incidents.

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The research conducted in this article has determined that among Russians, preference for private medical services, including through online technologies, is given for the following reasons: the speed of service provision - 45.1%; lack of queues (44%); quality of medical procedure (39.8%); ease of making an appointment (32.1%); high professional level of the doctor (24.4%). Given the fact that the cost of medical services at a personal appointment is increasing, it is safe to say that the types and forms of services in the format of remote medical care will certainly increase in number and may become the most important trend in 2024 and subsequent years. An important factor in the availability and satisfaction of medical services, and hence its demand, is the use of digital technologies and the direction of development of programs using artificial intelligence in medicine. The article provides an overview of the artificial intelligence resources used and implemented in medicine and healthcare in Russia, and the prospects for their development in the short term.

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