Smart Health Monitoring Devices with Artificial Intelligence-Driven Technologies for Health Promotion among University Faculty Members: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

University lecturers or professors play a pivotal role in shaping the academic landscape, contributing significantly to research output and academic libraries’ repositories. Their health status and behaviours are crucial not only for personal well-being but also for sustaining scholarly productivity. The advent of artificial intelligence technologies in healthcare introduces new avenues for improving health literacy among university academic faculty members. Artificial intelligence embedded in wearable devices, virtual assistants, predictive analytics, and diagnostic tools offers personalised health insights, empowering academic faculty members to make informed decisions about their well-being. This exploratory qualitative study, conducted among university teaching faculty in Ghana, investigated their utilisation of artificial intelligence-driven technologies to promote their health and well-being. Using purposive sampling procedure, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 academic faculty members aged 50 or younger with over 5 years of teaching experience who use artificial intelligence-driven technologies for health monitoring. The findings revealed that artificial intelligence-driven technologies have the potential to positively influence academic faculty members’ health behaviours, promote proactive steps towards healthier lifestyles, and improve well-being. artificial intelligence-driven technologies provide users with early signals of potential health complications; the information they provide should be confirmed with a medical practitioner. The study further revealed academic faculty members and professors’ concerns about privacy, potential health risks, and psychological consequences associated with constant self-monitoring using artificial intelligence-driven technologies. The study concludes that these technologies have the potential to promote health literacy, well-being, and behaviour change among university teaching staff.