SummaryObesity is a global epidemic with major healthcare implications and costs. Mobile technologies are potential interventions to promote weight loss. An early systematic review of this rapidly growing area of research was conducted. Electronic databases were searched for articles published between January 1998 and October 2011. Data sources included Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Ongoing research was searched for using clinical trials databases and registers. Out of 174 articles retrieved, 21 met the inclusion criteria of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on mobile technology interventions facilitating weight loss in overweight and obese adults with any other comparator. A narrative synthesis was undertaken. Seven articles were included and appraised using the Cochrane risk of bias tool: four presented a low risk of bias and three presented a high risk of bias. There is consistent strong evidence across the included multiple high-quality RCTs that weight loss occurs in the short-term because of mobile technology interventions, with moderate evidence for the medium-term. Recommendations for improving the reporting and quality of future trials are made including reporting weight loss in percent to meet clinical standards, and including features such as long-term follow-up, cost-effectiveness and patient acceptability.

BackgroundThe study investigated the feasibility of conducting a future Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) of a mobile health (mHealth) intervention for weight loss and HbA1c reduction in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).MethodsThe intervention was a small wearable mHealth device used over 12 weeks by overweight people with T2DM with the intent to lose weight and reduce their HbA1c level. A 4 week maintenance period using the device followed. The device records physical activity level and information about food consumption, and provides motivational feedback based on energy balance. Twenty-seven participants were randomised to receive no intervention; intervention alone; or intervention plus weekly motivational support. All participants received advice on diet and exercise at the start of the study. Weight and HbA1c levels were recorded at baseline and weeks 6, 12, and 16. Qualitative interviews were conducted with participants who received the intervention to explore their experiences of using the device and involvement in the study including the training received.ResultsOverall the device was perceived to be well-liked, acceptable, motivational and easy to use by participants. Some logistical changes were required during the feasibility study, including shortening of the study duration and relaxation of participant inclusion criteria. Descriptive statistics of weight and HbA1c data showed promising trends of weight loss and HbA1c reduction in both intervention groups, although this should be interpreted with caution.ConclusionsA number of methodological recommendations for a future RCT emerged from the current feasibility study. The mHealth device was acceptable and promising for helping individuals with T2DM to reduce their HbA1c and lose weight. Devices with similar features should be tested further in larger studies which follow these methodological recommendations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12911-016-0331-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Introduction Home assessments are integral to the occupational therapy role, providing opportunities to personalise and integrate care. However, they are resource intensive and declining in number. A 3-month service development within one United Kingdom National Health Service acute hospital setting explored the concept of using digital technology to undertake remote home assessments. Methods Four work streams explored the concept’s feasibility and acceptability: real-world testing; user consultations; narrative case study collection; traditional visit resource use exploration. Project participants were occupational therapists and patient and public representatives recruited via snowball sampling or critical case sampling. Qualitative data were thematically analysed identifying key themes. Analysis of quantitative data provided descriptive statistics. Findings The remote home visit concept was feasible within four specific contexts. Qualitative themes suggest acceptability depends on visitor safety, visitor training, visitor induction and standardisation of practice. Consultees perceived the approach to have potential for resource savings, personalisation and integration of care. Barriers to acceptance included data security, data governance, technology failure and threat to occupational therapists’ role and skills. Conclusion Applying digital technology to occupational therapy home assessment appears feasible and acceptable within a specific context. Further research is recommended to develop the technology, and test and investigate perceived benefits within wider contexts and stakeholder groups.

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Non-invasive thermal imaging and temperature measurement by microwave radiometry has been investigated for medical diagnostic applications and monitoring hyperthermia treatment of cancer, in the context of heterogeneous body structure. The temperature measured by a radiometer is a function of the emission and propagation of microwaves in tissue and the receiving characteristics of the radiometric probe. Propagation of microwaves in lossy media was analysed by a spectral diffraction approach. Extension of this technique via a cascade transmission line model provides an efficient algorithm for predicting the field patterns of aperture antennas contacting multi-layered tissue. A coherent radiative transfer analysis was used to relate the field pattern of a radiating antenna to its receiving characteristics when used as a radiometer probe, leading to a method for simulating radiometric data. Measurements and simulations were used to assess the effect of overlying fat layers upon radiometer response to temperature hot spots in muscle-type media. Results suggest that dielectric layering in tissue greatly influences measured temperatures and should be accounted for in the interpretation of radiometric data.

The benefits of developing occupational therapists as clinical academics are well recognised. They include improved healthcare outcomes and experiences for service users, efficiencies for organisations and increased prominence of occupational therapy within healthcare. Yet occupational therapists describe uncertainty about how best to navigate clinical academic career pathways. We suggest that occupational therapists can increase their research aspirations, confidence and capacity by following a four-step method, weaving together clinical, academic and personal development. We outline our view of clinical academic development as a process with flexibility to incorporate occupational therapists' diversity of interests and circumstances. By demystifying and illuminating the process of clinical academic development, we believe that occupational therapists may be able to weave more clinical academic development opportunities into their careers and increase the profession's research capacity.

Availability and access to information is critical for a highly effective response to an ongoing event however, information reported by citizens is based on their context, bias and subjective interpretation, and the channel of communication may be too narrow to provide clear, accurate reporting. This can often lead to inadequate response to an emergency, which can in turn result in loss of property or even lives. Excessive response to an emergency can also result in a waste of highly resources. The authors' solution to address this problem is to make the citizen act as a camera for the control room by exploiting the user's mobile camera. The system is designed to provide a live view of the citizen's immediate surroundings, while control room personnel can provide instructions. In this paper, the authors introduce their approach and share initial insights from a focus group validation session and then four evaluations with users within a separate but closely related domain. They discuss their observations, evaluation results and provide a set of recommendations for the Emergency Response domain.