CONSORT-EHEALTH: improving and standardizing evaluation reports of Web-based and mobile health interventions

Background

Web-based and mobile health interventions (also called “Internet interventions” or "eHealth/mHealth interventions") are tools or treatments, typically behaviorally based, that are operationalized and transformed for delivery via the Internet or mobile platforms. These include electronic tools for patients, informal caregivers, healthy consumers, and health care providers. The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement was developed to improve the suboptimal reporting of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). While the CONSORT statement can be applied to provide broad guidance on how eHealth and mHealth trials should be reported, RCTs of web-based interventions pose very specific issues and challenges, in particular related to reporting sufficient details of the intervention to allow replication and theory-building.

Objective

To develop a checklist, dubbed CONSORT-EHEALTH (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials of Electronic and Mobile HEalth Applications and onLine TeleHealth), as an extension of the CONSORT statement that provides guidance for authors of eHealth and mHealth interventions.

Methods

A literature review was conducted, followed by a survey among eHealth experts and a workshop.

Results

A checklist instrument was constructed as an extension of the CONSORT statement. The instrument has been adopted by the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) and authors of eHealth RCTs are required to submit an electronic checklist explaining how they addressed each subitem.

Conclusions

CONSORT-EHEALTH has the potential to improve reporting and provides a basis for evaluating the validity and applicability of eHealth trials. Subitems describing how the intervention should be reported can also be used for non-RCT evaluation reports. As part of the development process, an evaluation component is essential; therefore, feedback from authors will be solicited, and a before-after study will evaluate whether reporting has been improved.     

Simulation Platform: A cloud-based online simulation environment

For multi-scale and multi-modal neural modeling, it is needed to handle multiple neural models described at different levels seamlessly. Database technology will become more important for these studies, specifically for downloading and handling the neural models seamlessly and effortlessly. To date, conventional neuroinformatics databases have solely been designed to archive model files, but the databases should provide a chance for users to validate the models before downloading them. In this paper, we report our on-going project to develop a cloud-based web service for online simulation called “Simulation Platform”. Simulation Platform is a cloud of virtual machines running GNU/Linux. On a virtual machine, various software including developer tools such as compilers and libraries, popular neural simulators such as GENESIS, NEURON and NEST, and scientific software such as Gnuplot, R and Octave, are pre-installed. When a user posts a request, a virtual machine is assigned to the user, and the simulation starts on that machine. The user remotely accesses to the machine through a web browser and carries out the simulation, without the need to install any software but a web browser on the user’s own computer. Therefore, Simulation Platform is expected to eliminate impediments to handle multiple neural models that require multiple software.     

Mid-twentieth-century anatomical transparencies and the depiction of three-dimensional form

Before the advent of digital visualization, the "anatomical transparency"--layered images of organ systems, printed on a transparent medium--flourished in the mid-twentieth century as an interactive means to represent complex anatomical relationships to medical professionals and lay audiences. This article introduces the transparency work of medical illustrators Gladys McHugh and Ernest W. Beck, situating it in the historical context of strategies to represent three-dimensional anatomical relationships using print media.     

Conflict of interest in oncology publications: a survey of disclosure policies and statements

BACKGROUND:

Disclosure of conflicts of interest in biomedical research is receiving increased attention. The authors sought to define current disclosure policies and how they relate to disclosure statements provided by authors in major oncology journals.

METHODS:

The authors identified all oncology journals listed in the Thomson Institute for Scientific Information and sought their policies on conflict‐of‐interest disclosure. For a subset of journals with an Impact Factor >2.0, they catalogued the number and type of articles and the details of the published disclosures in all papers from the 2 most recent issues.

RESULTS:

Disclosure policies were provided by 112 of 131 journals (85%); 99 (88%) of these requested that authors disclose conflicts of interest (mean Impact Factor for these journals: 4.6), whereas the remaining 13 (12%) did not (mean Impact Factor: 2.9). Ninety‐three journals (94%) required financial disclosure, and 42 (42%) also sought nonfinancial disclosures. For a subset of 52 higher‐impact journals (Impact Factor >2.0), we reviewed 1734 articles and identified published disclosures in 51 journals (98%). Many of these journals (31 of 51, 61%) included some disclosure statement in >90% of their articles. Among 27 journals that published editorials/commentaries, only 14 (52%) included disclosures with such articles. There was no publication of any nonfinancial conflicts of interest in any article reviewed.

CONCLUSIONS:

Disclosure policies and the very definition of conflict of interest varied considerably among journals. Although most journals had some policy in this area, a substantial proportion did not publish disclosure statements consistently, with deficiencies particularly among editorials and commentaries. Cancer 2012;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

ScienceOpen的“互联网+学术出版”模式介绍、分析及启示

【目的】 研究传统学术出版行业与互联网技术相融合的学术出版模式,以更好地促进科学研究的发展与传播,为我国探索新兴的学术期刊出版模式提供借鉴。【方法】 以ScienceOpen为例,对其基于互联网思维的学术出版模式进行详细介绍和分析。【结果】 ScienceOpen将预出版和OA出版相结合,采用非匿名的公开评审模式,使传统学术期刊出版流程得到优化,并通过合集、群组的方式,更好地促进了互联网时代学术交流与合作。【结论】 基于互联网的学术出版平台必须具有平等、开放、协作、分享的基本特征,使科研人员可以参与学术论文出版、传播的全过程,并可基于社交网络进行分享和评价,提高科研成果发布和传播的效率。     

民国中医药期刊的办刊特色及启示

【目的】研究民国中医药期刊的办刊特色,为当今科技期刊提供借鉴。【方法】利用原始文献进行分析考证,对民国时期（1912—1949）全国各地出版发行的具有代表性的中医药期刊进行梳理,重点研究其办刊特色,归纳出共性特征。【结果】民国中医药期刊的主办者和核心作者多为业内名家,注重期刊策划和个性打造,重视国内国际学术交流,期刊资源得到了最大化利用。【结论】业界名家办刊撰稿,为期刊发展提供了优势资源;注重期刊策划,彰显了刊物特色;重视中外学术交流,提高了期刊的学术层次;整合利用期刊资源,使期刊与医学教育、图书出版等优势互补。民国中医药期刊的办刊理念和模式,为当今中医药期刊乃至科技期刊提供了启示。     

Cloud computing and trans-border health data: Unpacking U.S. and EU healthcare regulation and compliance

The emerging market of cloud computing poses many challenges for policy-makers, healthcare organizations and the IT industry, as health data and information is increasingly transferred across national or state borders where little consensus exists about which authorities have jurisdiction over the data. This review of U.S. and EU regulation and compliance of national and trans-border data flows, focuses on cloud computing in the health sector. As transatlantic regulatory frameworks are developed to keep pace with the fast-moving market of cloud computing, evidence suggests that cloud clients and providers need to work together to meet stringent compliance rules to avoid penalties and potential reputational damage. Traditional sourcing relationships where cloud providers act as ‘conduits’ for health data are being superseded by more stringent demands to become ‘business associates’ of their clients, with shared responsibilities and accountabilities for the protection and security of health data.     

可摘局部义齿支架三维CAD方法的初步研究

目的:通过对KennedyⅡ类2亚类可摘局部义齿支架的三维计算机辅助设计,探索其CAD方法。方法:采用基于点云及曲线曲面的混合建模技术,按照临床设计原则,在牙列缺损三维重建模型上对卡环、支托、舌杆及加强网等支架部件分别构建其组织面、磨光面等,完成支架的三维设计。结果:初步建立了可摘局部义齿支架的三维计算机辅助设计方法,得到了个性化的局部义齿支架的三维几何模型。结论:混合建模技术可以实现可摘局部义齿支架的三维计算机辅助设计。     

加拿大阿尔伯塔大学图书馆数字学术研究及其启示

介绍了阿尔伯塔大学图书馆数字集合内容、部门设置及团队成员,指出了其在开展包括ERA、开放获取、研究数据管理、图书馆出版学术服务方面的优势,提出开放图书馆数字资源、开拓图书馆出版服务、推进资源元数据建设和注重文献资源的长期保存等建议。