Table 1.
Description of five widely used eHealth applications.
| Description | Shaw domain |
|---|---|
| Thuisarts.nl | |
| https://www.thuisarts.nl. Non-commercial public website in the Netherlands, launched by the Dutch College of General Practitioners. It provides patients with understandable and reliable medical information combined with automated (non-personal) advice. It includes the content of evidence-based guidelines on 600 topics. Each topic consists of several ‘patient situations’ (e.g. I have the flu, my child has the flu) and provides information on what to do and when to contact the GP. It includes illustrations, short videos, patient decision aids and eHealth self-management tools. It has an extremely high in-country use (24 million visitors in 2018) [37]. https://gpinfo.nl is the English version of Thuisarts.nl, covering a selection of medical topics. | Inform, monitor, track |
| Liva Healthcare | |
| https://livahealthcare.com. Innovative digital health programs to improve a variety of lifestyle behaviours by creating bonds between the lifestyle coach and the patient. The digital behavioural change programs consist of real-time personal coaching and pre-recorded videos, group-based interventions, tailored health plans, goal-tracking and self-monitoring, and fixed evidence-based curriculums personalised to support people at risk of or living with chronic conditions. Developed in Denmark in 2015 and was recently implemented in Norway, UK and Australia. | Inform, monitor, track Interaction |
| SHUTi | |
| https://www.somryst.com. An online intervention for the treatment of insomnia in adults. It is a fully automated, interactive and tailored web-based program that incorporates the primary tenets of face-to-face Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), including sleep restriction, stimulus control, cognitive restructuring, sleep hygiene and relapse prevention. Developed in the United States. | Inform, monitor, track Interaction |
| Babylon | |
| https://www.babylonhealth.com. AI system that can receive data about a patient’s symptoms, compare the information to a database of known conditions and illnesses, and then identify a course of action and related risk factors. It contains a virtual GP appointment, digital prescriptions, digital health check, instant symptom chequer, online view of medical records, and a chatbot. It is now an integrated part of the UK-based NHS. It can be used by patients who have registered for the service. Patients register with ‘GP at Hand’ and can then consult a digital GP within minutes of registration; however, they have to switch from their current GP practice to Babylon. Certain GPs work specifically for Babylon, with whom the patient registers. Video appointments are possible 24/7 in collaboration with 7 clinics in London and 1 clinic in Birmingham. | Inform, monitor, track Interaction Data utilisation |
| SkinVision | |
| https://www.skinvision.com/nl/. International skin cancer detection app allows patients to check suspicious skin spots themselves, promoting timely, appropriate care. It is available as either a freely downloadable app or a paid service, which various health insurers reimburse. A user can self-assess the skin cancer risk of a skin lesion by taking a photo with his/her smartphone, which is then processed by an algorithm. The user receives feedback on the risk presented by the skin lesion. SkinVision was developed by an official dermatology clinic regulated by the Dutch healthcare system, and can replace a normal dermatology consultation. Patients can also choose to send the photo to their healthcare professional, who will also receive the algorithm’s outcome as support in their diagnosis. The app also has a tracking function that can track skin spots over time. https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/apps/f/firstcheck-app/. is a similar version from New Zealand | Inform, monitor, track Interaction Data utilisation |
AI: Artificial Intelligence; CBT: cognitive behavioural therapy; GP: general practitioner; NHS: National Health Service; UK: United Kingdom.