Research

Scientific contributions to digital health

This section showcases Dr. Guido Giunti’s scientific contributions to digital health, focusing on topics such as gamification, AI in healthcare, and patient-centered design.

What People Say About Multiple Sclerosis on Twitter

This study identified the main topics people discuss about multiple sclerosis (MS) on Twitter and the sentiment linked to each. We analysed English-language tweets using Latent Dirichlet Allocation for topic modelling and SentiStrength for sentiment analysis. Conversations fell into four categories, and those about the burden of the condition and related chronic conditions were the most negative. (more…)

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Can “Vibe Coding” Turn Health Professionals into App Builders?

This study explored whether vibe coding, building software by describing it in natural language to a generative AI tool, enables health professionals without programming skills to develop digital health applications. In a three-hour workshop, medical students built working mHealth prototypes for dementia care challenges. Every group succeeded, but none of the prototypes protected users' health data, showing that this democratisation...

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Who Belongs in a Multiple Sclerosis Unit? A Systematic Review

This systematic review examined the evidence supporting each professional role in a multidisciplinary multiple sclerosis (MS) care team. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched PubMed and EMBASE for original research from the past decade and screened 612 records. The evidence supports the concept of a multidisciplinary MS unit, while revealing research gaps for some roles, such as occupational therapy.

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What Healthcare Professionals Think of mHealth Apps for Chronic Care

This study explored how healthcare professionals perceive More Stamina, an app that helps people with multiple sclerosis (MS) manage fatigue, and how it could fit into clinical care. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model, we combined interviews and questionnaires with healthcare professionals. They valued the app for facilitating data collection, revealing symptom patterns and supporting personalised care. (more…)

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Who Holds the Power in Participatory Design?

This case study examined the power dynamics between patients, healthcare professionals and family members during participatory design workshops held in four countries. Using participant observation, recordings and facilitator interviews, we analysed the workshops with French and Raven's Bases of Power framework. Each stakeholder group brought a distinct type of power to the design process, shaping whose voice was heard and...

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A Framework for Planning Participatory Design Workshops in Digital Health

This study developed a framework of key components to consider when planning and running participatory design workshops for digital health solutions. Four experts from computer science, health informatics, psychology and social anthropology used the nominal group technique to agree on the components. The resulting framework, with five categories and 36 factors, was then tested on a real participatory design process...

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Designing Medical Education for the Future with Scenario Analysis

This case study used participatory design to run a scenario analysis workshop at Trinity College Dublin's School of Medicine, exploring how global megatrends should shape medical education. Educators, policymakers, clinicians and students imagined futures driven by digital connectivity and climate change. Together, they identified the competencies, mindsets and structural changes that future healthcare professionals and medical schools will need.

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More Stamina in Everyday Life: Testing a Gamified App for MS Fatigue

This study evaluated More Stamina, a gamified mobile app that helps people with multiple sclerosis (MS) manage fatigue, during 60 days of everyday use. Twenty participants from Oulu University Hospital tracked their daily activities while we measured fatigue, quality of life, usability and engagement, and interviewed them about their experience. The app proved feasible and acceptable, helping people become more...

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Service Personalization in Finnish Healthcare: Insights from IT-Supported Practices

This study examined how healthcare professionals in Finnish primary care incorporate service personalization in their practices, focusing on the role of information technology (IT). By analyzing interviews with healthcare professionals, we identified three types of personalization: coercive personalization, data display personalization, and collaboration-based personalization. These insights reveal how IT supports individualized care and inform future design of healthcare IT systems. ...

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Mapping the Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency Patient Journey

We developed a detailed patient journey map for pediatric growth hormone deficiency (PGHD), a chronic condition requiring long-term hormone therapy. Drawing on interviews and focus groups with 62 patients and caregivers across Europe, we identified six key stages of the journey: awareness, diagnosis, treatment planning, initiation, maintenance, and transition. This map highlights emotional challenges and treatment barriers, offering insights into...

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