Current Issue : October-December Volume : 2025 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
The integration of artificial intelligence into Patient Benefit Management (PBM) represents a transformative paradigm shift in healthcare administration and delivery. This technical article explores the multifaceted applications of AI technologies in revolutionizing how healthcare benefits are managed, optimized, and delivered to patients. From sophisticated machine learning algorithms that personalize benefit packages to automation systems that streamline administrative workflows, AI is fundamentally reshaping the PBM landscape. This article examines core technological frameworks enabling these advancements, data-driven approaches to benefit personalization, operational efficiency enhancements, and clinical decision support systems. By addressing both current implementations and future directions, this comprehensive analysis provides healthcare stakeholders with actionable insights for leveraging AI to create more responsive, efficient, and patient-centered benefit management systems....
Background: Diabetes is common among nursing home residents, with approximately one in four affected, a figure expected to rise. Despite the complexity of care required, educational support for nursing home staff remains limited. This study will aim to co-design and evaluate a digital intervention to improve staff knowledge, confidence, and practices in diabetes care. Methods: The study will follow a logic model across three workstreams. Workstream 1 (WS1) will inform the model inputs through three phases: (1) a scoping review will be conducted to summarise existing diabetes education initiatives in nursing home settings; (2) approximately 20 semi-structured interviews will be carried out with nursing home staff to explore perceived barriers and supports in delivering diabetes care; and (3) a modified Delphi process involving 50–70 diverse stakeholders will be used to establish educational priorities. Workstream 2 (WS2) will involve co-designing a digital diabetes education intervention, informed by WS1 findings. Co-design participants will include nursing home staff, diabetes professionals, and people living with diabetes or their carers. Workstream 3 (WS3) will consist of a mixed-methods evaluation of the intervention. Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires will assess staff knowledge, confidence, and attitudes. The usability of the intervention will also be measured. Following implementation, focus groups with approximately 32 staff members will be conducted to explore user experiences and perceived impact on resident care. Discussion: This study will address an important gap in staff education and support, aiming to improve diabetes care within nursing home settings through a digitally delivered, co-designed intervention....
Background: Early rehabilitation is crucial for predicting post-stroke outcomes. In rural Thailand, previous works identified limited access to prompt rehabilitation services, discontinuity of home visits, and a lack of interdisciplinary management, hindering comprehensive resolution. Objective: This participatory action research-based pilot quasi-experimental study investigated the effects of personalized intermediate care (IMC) programs led by physical therapists on clinical outcomes in post-ischemic stroke older adults living in rural areas. Methods: Participatory stakeholders (two physical therapists, a physician, a nurse, and a nutritionist) convened to coordinate with relevant stakeholders (community leaders, village health volunteers (VHVs), and family caregivers (CGs)). Thirtyfour acute post-stroke patients were included in the study. The interventions consisted of three action research cycles (planning, action, observation, and reflection) of home-based neurorehabilitation and comprehensive treatments by a healthcare professional network for six months and another six-month follow-up. The primary outcome was the Barthel index for activities of daily living (BI-ADL). The modified Rankin scale (mRS) was a secondary outcome for assessing disability levels. Results: Results showed that the BI-ADL gradually and significantly increased from a baseline median (IQR) of 55 (15) to 100 (20) after 6 months (p < 0.05). This improvement of the BI-ADL was maintained after 12 months (100 (15)). Furthermore, the mRS at 6 months post-discharge reduced considerably from the first month of rehabilitation (p < 0.05). Conclusions: In conclusion, the early and continuous personalized IMC rehabilitation program effectively enhanced ADL and reduced disability levels and should be disseminated to the community....
Nutritional health is essential for older people with dementia. Their feeding is a challenge for which caregivers are not always ready, and an intervention that supports them may have a significant social impact. The aim of this project is to design and evaluate the impact of systematic nursing intervention with formal caregivers to promote nutritional health for older people with dementia. This is a “Nursing Methodology Research” study conducted with formal caregivers of older people with dementia in four Colombian nursing homes. It includes three consecutive phases: (1) systematic intervention design under Whittemore and Grey’s parameters, (2) intervention validation with seven international experts, and (3) measurement of intervention impact, which included a quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test design. The “Nurturing Neurons—Formal Caregivers” intervention met the criteria of systematic health interventions. In response to the work and personal requirements of formal caregivers, the intervention used a tele-support modality. Its content validity ratio (CVR) ranged from 0.88 to 0.92; its content validity index (CVI) was 0.90. The experience was positive for the participant caregivers (94.9%) and professional providers (92.5%). The overall caregivers’ caring competence changed from the medium, 78.1, to the high category, 91.5 (p < 0.001). Their perceived burden of care changed from 70.4 to 63.6 (p < 0.001). In conclusion, “Nurturing Neurons—Formal Caregivers” achieved a positive impact, with changes in the structure, processes, and outputs to promote the nutritional health of older people with dementia. It led to a significant improvement in formal caregivers’ caring competence and decreased their perceived care burden. Its cost– benefit was favorable; it generated health equity for a vulnerable population and achieved unexpected benefits in the context....
Objective: To explore the relationship between intergenerational care and life satisfaction of older adults, and to analyze the chain mediating effect of children’s emotional support and depression in this relationship, so as to provide scientific reference for improving the quality of life of older adults. Methods: In total, 2970 older adults ≥60 years old from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were selected as the study subjects. The process plug-in of SPSS was used, and the chain mediating effect test was carried out following the Bootstrap method. Results: Intergenerational care was positively correlated with children’s emotional support and life satisfaction (r = 0.123, 0.141, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with depression (r = −0.096, p < 0.001). The mediating effects of children’s emotional support and depression were significant between intergenerational care and life satisfaction, with a mediating effect of 0.023 (95% CI: 0.015– 0.033), 0.028 (95% CI: 0.014–0.043), and the chained mediating effect of children’s emotional support-depression was also significant, with a mediating effect of 0.006 (95% CI: 0.004–0.008). The total indirect effect of children’s emotional support and depression between intergenerational care and life satisfaction was 0.057, accounting for 26.03% of the total effect. Conclusions: Intergenerational care not only directly affects life satisfaction of older adults, but also indirectly affects life satisfaction through the independent mediating effect of children’s emotional support and depression, as well as the chain mediating effect of children’s emotional support-depression. It is essential to create a positive and inclusive social environment for the intergenerational care of older adults....
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