Andrea Duarte-Díaz

Canary Islands Health Research Institute Foundation (FIISC)

BACKGROUND As information and communication technologies are increasingly integrated to enhance care quality, digitalization is transforming health systems. Digital health tools offer promising solutions within mental health, particularly in the treatment of depression, which currently affects 5% of the global population and has been predicted to b...

Introduction Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) presents a global health challenge. The interplay between affective symptoms and patient empowerment significantly influences glycaemic control and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study aims to identify T2DM patient subgroups and analyze differential responses to person-centered intervention...

Introduction Person-Centered Care (PCC) and Digital Health Literacy (DHL) interventions can enhance understanding of online health information and empower patients, optimizing healthcare. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can provide flexible access and adapted educational resources and are a useful selfcare strategy to chronic patients. The aim...

Introduction The rise in life expectancy correlates with increased chronic diseases, intensifying the complexity of caregiving for chronic patients. This often imposes a substantial burden on caregivers, elevating the risk of role fatigue. This study aims to assess the impact of a group educational intervention targeted at caregivers of patients wi...

Introduction This study assesses a Patient Decision Aid (PtDA) based on a Spanish Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in primary care (PC). Methods The study involved: (1) developing a web-based PtDA for GAD patients from an evidence-based CPG, and (2) assessing PtDA effectiveness in a randomized contr...

Introduction The main objective is to design and evaluate the acceptability and effectiveness of a Patient Decision Aid (PtDA) for Shared Decision Making (SDM) in patients with Diabetic Macular Edema (DME). In the initial phase, we will explore the information and research needs related to the DME itself and the available treatments, which both pat...

Introduction Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP) offer information and exchange possibilities for people with chronic diseases. This could be especially valuable for self-management in patients with multimorbidity. The first phase of this project is based on building a Patient Journey Map through a co-creation process with professionals and pati...

Introduction A decade has passed since Couët et al. (2013)¹ provided the first comprehensive exploration of the extent to which healthcare providers involve patients in decision- making. The evolving nature of patient involvement practices emphasizes the imperative for an updated review of studies using the OPTION-12 scale² to identify the state of...

Introduction In 2013, the Observing Patient Involvement in Decision Making instrument (OPTION-5) was developed to measure levels of shared decision-making (SDM) in consultations.¹ Since then, it has been used in numerous studies. We aimed to synthesize these studies to systematically assess the level of SDM, as measured with the OPTION-5. Methods...

Introduction Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (DM2) is a chronic condition demanding continuous healthcare. Effective management involves patient engagement, emphasizing person-centered care and shared decision-making (SDM). This study aims to assess SDM and explore its relationship with diabetes control, health behaviors, and distress. Methods In this pr...

Introduction Empowering people living with multimorbidity (multiple chronic conditions) to gain greater confidence in managing their health can enhance their quality of life. Education focused on self-management is a key tool for fostering patient empowerment and is mostly provided on an individual basis. Virtual communities of practice (VCoP) pres...

Background Depression is a significant public health issue that can lead to considerable disability and reduced quality of life. With the rise of technology, mobile health (mHealth) interventions, particularly smartphone apps, are emerging as a promising approach for addressing depression. However, the lack of standardized evaluation tools and evid...

Introduction Identifying stakeholders’ needs is crucial to informing decisions and policy development. This study aims to identify healthcare and social-related needs and effective strategies associated with COVID-19 from the first-person perspectives of patients and healthcare providers. Methods Cross-sectional online survey design including qual...

BACKGROUND Shared decision making (SDM) is a crucial aspect of patient-centered care in the field of healthcare. While several SDM training programs for health care professional have been developed, only a few have been evaluated. In Spain, Evaluation of SDM training programs in for healthcare professionals, in field generalized anxiety disorder (G...

Introduction The aim of this systematic review is to assess the relationship between patient empowerment and other empowerment-related constructs, and affective symptoms and quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods A systematic review of the literature was conducted, according to the PRISMA guidelines. Studies addressing adult pat...

BACKGROUND Depression is a significant public health issue that can lead to considerable disability and reduced quality of life. With the rise of technology, mobile health (mHealth) interventions, particularly smartphone apps, are emerging as a promising approach for addressing depression. However, the lack of standardized evaluation tools and evid...

The diagnosis of breast cancer (BC) can make the affected person vulnerable to suffering the possible consequences of the use of low-quality health information. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) may be a useful and efficient resource to improve digital health literacy and person-centred care in this population. The aim of this study is to co-crea...

Introduction Autogenic training consists of reaching a state of deep relaxation through mental representations of physical sensations in different parts of the body. It is a promising technique for improving the psychological well-being of people with chronic diseases, but there are no clinical practice guidelines recommending the use of autogenic...

Introduction Long-term cocaine use is associated with a wide range of cognitive deficits and neuropsychiatric pathologies. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an emerging therapeutic strategy that stimulates the prefrontal cortex and may improve cognitive inhibitory control and decision-making. This systematic review aimed to eva...

Introduction The use of mobile applications in the treatment of health issues is more frequently becoming common practice. Apps are fast, versatile, and manageable tools that allow the empowerment of patients and professionals, and can reduce the possible stigmatization suffered by some patients, mainly in mental health. There are more than 325,000...

Introduction Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most frequent metabolic complications associated with pregnancy, affecting both the prognosis of the pregnant woman and the newborn. Pregestational DM type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 (T2DM) and gestational DM (GDM) are associated with an increased risk of pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, fetal...

Introduction Aromatherapy is the field of herbal medicine that uses essential oils distilled from flowers, roots, and herbs and other plant compounds to promote physical and psychological well-being. Essential oils are absorbed into the body in different ways, with the inhaled and topical routes being the most widely used. The aim of this review wa...

The artificial pancreas (AP) is equipped with a glucose monitoring sensor, an insulin pump and an integrated mathematical algorithm that determines insulin infusion based on the glucose levels detected by the sensor. Research has shown that AP can help patients with type-1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) to improve the control of their glucose levels, but...

Objective The aim of the present study is to identify factors associated with patient empowerment in people living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Canary Islands (Spain). Methods Secondary cross‐sectional analysis was carried out of data obtained in the INDICA study: A 24‐month cluster randomized‐controlled trial evaluating the effecti...

Citation: Aparicio Betancourt, M.; Duarte-Díaz, A.; Vall-Roqué, H.; Seils, L.; Orrego, C.; Perestelo-Pérez, L.; Barrio-Cortes, J.; Beca-Martínez, M.T.; Molina Serrano, A.; Bermejo-Caja, C.J.; et al. Global Healthcare Needs Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed gaps and areas of need in health systems worldwide. This work aims to map the evide...

Following publication of the original article [1], it was reported that the Given- and Family Names of the authors were transposed. The correct author list is given in this Correction article and the original article [1] has been updated.

Background Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most prevalent mental health problems. Patients with GAD have unmet needs related to the information received about their disorder, its treatments and their participation in the decision-making process. The aim of this study is to develop and assess the acceptability of a patient decision...

In Spain, there is not a national strategy to promote shared decision making (SDM) in clinical practice, and it is still not a requisite for improving the quality of health services, in either the legal norms or professionals’ educational curricula. However, several national strategies in specific health areas increasingly include the principles of...

Introduction: In cross-sectional analyses, higher levels of patient empowerment have been related to lower symptoms of anxiety and depression. The aims of this study are: (1) to assess if patient empowerment predicts anxiety and depression symptoms after 12 and 24 months among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and (2) to analyze whether a ch...

Background: Meditation is defined as a form of cognitive training that aims to improve attentional and emotional self-regulation. This systematic review aims to evaluate the available scientific evidence on the effectiveness and safety of mantra-based meditation techniques (MBM), in comparison to passive or active controls, or other active treatme...

Objectives: The main objective of this work was to explore and characterize the current landscape of mobile applications available to treat mood disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, and dysthymia. Methods: We developed a tool that makes both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store searchable using keywords and that facilitates t...

Background: Digital health literacy (DHL) increases the self-efficacy and empowerment of pregnant and lactating women (PLW) in using the Internet for health issues. The European project IC-Health aimed to improve DHL among PLW, through the co-creation of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Methods: The co-creation of the MOOCs included focus gr...

Introduction About 70 percent of metastatic breast, lung, and prostate cancers affect the bones. When this phase of the disease affects the spine, the mobility and quality of life of patients are severely impaired. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has become a feasible option in the palliative treatment of vertebral metastases due to its minimal invas...

Long-term cocaine use is associated with cognitive deficits and neuro-psychiatric pathologies. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an emerging therapeutic strategy relating to changes in brain activity. It stimulates the prefrontal cortex and is involved in inhibitory cognitive control, decision making and care. This systematic r...

BACKGROUND There are thousands of health apps available, including for mood disorders. However, their access is unstructured, and most are never download nor used. Their outcomes are rarely systematically measured and therefore effectiveness is disputed, even potentially damaging. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed and continues to pose a significant...

Background The Stepped Care Model (SCM) proposes a sequential approach in the treatment of depression, applying interventions of increasing intensity according to the level of severity of the individual. Methods A systematic review was carried out until January 2020 in eight electronic databases. We included randomized (RCT) and non-randomized con...

Shared decision making (SDM) aims to involve patients in the decisions about their care, considering their preferences, values and concerns about the different treatment options. However, research shows that people with mental health problems have considerable unmet information needs about their condition. This community-based cross-sectional study...

BACKGROUND Self-management education is a fundamental aspect in the health care of people with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) to develop the necessary skills for the improvement of health outcomes. Patients are required to have the competencies to manage electronic information resources, that is, an appropriate level of digital health literacy (DHL). The E...

Background Self-management education is a fundamental aspect in the health care of people with diabetes to develop the necessary skills for the improvement of health outcomes. Patients are required to have the competencies to manage electronic information resources—that is, an appropriate level of digital health literacy. The European project IC-He...

Introduction Patients with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) have concerns and needs about their health and the healthcare they receive. Patient decision aids (PtDAs) are tools that assist patients in making health decisions, when there is uncertainty about treatment choice, incorporating their personal preferences and values about the available t...

Objective To identify the information needs and research priorities that women with breast cancer (BC), their families and BC experts perceive on the fertility preservation. Methods We conducted two Delphi‐based studies through three online rounds. The first was aimed to identify information and research needs; the second one to assess the importa...

Background. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most prevalent health problems worldwide. Besides metabolic and cardiovascular complications, nearly one in four patients with T2DM suffer from comorbid depression and it has been reported higher incidence and prevalence of anxiety disorders. Beyond metabolic and cardiovascular risk improvem...

Background. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most prevalent health problems worldwide. Besides metabolic and cardiovascular complications, nearly one in four patients with T2DM suffer from comorbid depression and it has been reported higher incidence and prevalence of anxiety disorders. Beyond metabolic and cardiovascular risk improvem...

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a health condition sensitive to patient's preferences and values regarding the benefits and risks of the different treatment options. In this sense, patient decision aids (PtDA) can play an important role in helping patients to incorporate their values, needs, and preferences into the decision-making process, thu...

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a health condition sensitive to patient’s preferences and values regarding the benefits and risks of the different treatment options. In this sense, patient decision aids (PtDA) can play an important role in helping patients to incorporate their values, needs and preferences into the decision-making process, thus...

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a health condition sensitive to patient’s preferences and values regarding the benefits and risks of the different treatment options. In this sense, patient decision aids (PtDA) can play an important role in helping patients to incorporate their values, needs and preferences into the decision-making process, thus...