This chapter examines the significant challenges faced by global healthcare systems in navigating the complex legislative, economic, and infrastructure landscapes necessary to fully realize the potential of healthcare informatics (HI) in a post-pandemic world. Focusing on the dynamic field of global HI education, the chapter addresses the multifaceted obstacles involved in training a diverse and global healthcare workforce. Drawing from recent research in HI, the chapter identifies key challenges, including (i) inadequate and insufficient training, (ii) fragmented training programs that lack integration into the healthcare curricula, (iii) a lack of context-specific training tailored to occupational and situational needs, (iv) varied reception and acceptance of HI training among health workers, and (v) insufficient diversity and unequal access to training opportunities across different health worker groups. To overcome these challenges, the chapter proposes targeted funding to ensure sustained investment in workforce training, strong legislative frameworks to guide the implementation and use of HI, and the development of standardized infrastructure to integrate healthcare technologies across systems. By analyzing current trends and best practices, this chapter provides valuable insights and recommendations for policymakers, health managers, educators, and practitioners. This chapter aims to equip stakeholders with effective strategies to address workforce training challenges and enhance the global healthcare system’s ability to leverage HI effectively. <!----> <!----> <!----> <!---->

Nasal congestion is a common occurrence and one of the most common symptoms in practice found among many diagnoses with various epidemiological patterns that is bothersome for patients. It is often described as fullness, or stuffiness with reduced airflow related often to a disease state. Such conditions contributing to congestion could be chronic rhinitis, allergic rhinitis, rhinosinusitis, polyposis, and non-allergic rhinitis

Background: The Davidson Airway Function & Nasal Evaluation (DAFNE) Scoring System was developed as an intuitive and research-based scoring system that could be validated through beta testing and easily introduced to healthcare providers of several subspecialties who treat nasal obstruction and breathing disorders (MDs, PAs, PTs, APRNs, DDSs, and DCs). This scoring system was shown to increase the knowledge of airway function, nasal measurement parameters, and identification of proper treatment options for sleep and breathing disorders. The basis for the DAFNE score was developed from a systematic review of nasal measurement data. Methods: Electronic searches of PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE Cochrane Library, and Scopus of publications between 1988-2022 were used to identify studies validating nasal function measurement parameters to create the algorithm for the DAFNE Score™. The systematic review was accomplished using the 2020 ‘Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews’ (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria for systematic review. Primary outcomes measurements demonstrated reliability, repeatability and validity of the DAFNE measurement technologies, data and output. Conclusions: The data analysis and systematic review uncovered a need and framework to develop and validate a web-based software algorithm for global access to improve the understanding of data interpretation of nasal measurements from three nasal measurement technologies. DAFNE Scoring should be used as an adjunct tool in routine clinical practice and research to further understand the technology data output and how to collaborate with other healthcare providers to improve patient outcomes.

Purpose: To evaluate the improvement of ADHD related symptoms in school-aged children ages 5 to 12 in treatment with a monobloc appliance (MOA) for Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB). Methods: A retrospective review of questionnaire scores of ADHD symptoms from school-aged children being treated with a MOA for SDB. Data was obtained from parent survey questionnaires of 40 school-aged children in three dental offices in treatment with an MOA for SDB showing symptoms of ADHD yet to be confirmed with a formal diagnosis between 2019 and 2021. ADHD symptom scores were ascertained by a parent survey questionnaire completed at the initial visit before MOA treatment, and 2 to 6 months, and 7+ months during MOA treatment. Results: At the 7+ month endpoint, 17 of the 28 (61%) children ages 5 to 12 saw at least a 1-point drop in the sum of their questionnaire scores indicating an improvement in ADHD symptoms after initiating treatment with an MOA. Although there was a reduction of the overall average symptom score from the initial visit to 2 to 6 months ( M = 4.06, SD ± 1.55), a statistically significant improvement in ADHD symptoms occurred at the 7+ month endpoint ( M = 15.29, SD ± 4.50) during MOA treatment. Conclusions: Treatment with an MOA may be highly effective in addressing the dual pathologies of SDB and ADHD in school-age children ages 5 to 12.

Historically, the most common and familiar form of telemedicine, hospital-based telemedicine, has been a form of health information evolving over the past decades, as early as the 1950s. The most basic form of telehealth came in the form of a telephone call to reduce the number of office visits in 1879, and in the form of technology as we know it today in the form of an app on a smartphone. From wired messages to radio, to phones, to closed-circuit televisions, to smartphones, the need for telemedicine has never been more necessary than during pandemic times. As the author looks at the efficiency of telemedicine and the extent of outreach involved during pandemic times, this chapter discusses the evolution of telemedicine, the concept, and how it impacts the future of healthcare.

Background: The diagnosis of nasal airway disorders relies on questionnaires, subjective data, and objective data. Interpretation of objective data obtained from measurement technology is not well understood by providers and researchers who use the equipment to test nasal airway function, justifying the need to cre-ate a new clinical tool. The Davidson Airway Function & Nasal Evaluation (DAFNE) Scoring System is a web-based scoring system that allows healthcare providers (MDs, PAs, PTs, APRNs, DMDs, DDSs, SLPs, and DCs) and researchers who treat nasal obstruction and breathing disorders to make more accurate diagnostic decisions, select the appropriate treatment for individualized patient care, monitor treatment progression and outcomes, and show how to approach a collaborative care model with other healthcare professionals. The current technologies, such as 4-phase rhinomanometry, use a simple approach that relies on a measurement tracing intersecting a color-coded y-axis on a four-quadrant graph with diagnostic numeric data output de-scribing nasal airflow and resistance. This is a good source of biofeedback demonstrating abnormal nasal breathing patterns but lacks interpretation guidelines to describe the severity of disease. The more sophisti-cated proprietary DAFNE approach uses multiple parameters which include airflow restriction, speed, vol-ume, and patient characteristics to identify patients’ disease progression much more accurately. Additionally, it explains how to segregate patients into appropriate treatment options which minimizes risks and compli-cations associated with sleep and breathing disorders while improving patient outcomes. Methods: Electronic searches of PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE Cochrane Library, and Scopus of publications between 1988-2022 were necessary to identify studies which determined the ranges of nasal function measurement parameters among three airway measurement technologies used in writing the DAFNE Score algorithm. The performance of DAFNE was evaluated compared to the research data and patient demographics used in previous studies. Results: By using primary outcome measurements from the literature, we were able to create a reliable, re-peatable, and validated tool to facilitate patient identification, treatment stratification, and collaboration for sleep and nasal breathing dysfunction. Subsequently, we found DAFNE could be used to identify the appro-priateness of a sleep study. Conclusions: DAFNE Scoring System has demonstrated the ability to detect high risk patients in the pediatric and adult populations susceptible of sleep apnea and breathing dysfunction needing a sleep study and treatment to improve nasal airway function and sleep. DAFNE Scoring System should be used as an adjunct tool in routine clinical practice and research to further understand the technol-ogy data output, identify patients at risk, stratify treatment options, progress, and stabilization after treatment, and how to collaborate with other healthcare providers to improve patient outcomes.