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Table of Contents

February 2026

Cover
Issue Image

This figure from Kim et al illustrates domains of trained and lived experience that need to be considered in developing successful digital therapeutics.

Image Credit: Kim et al.

Research Articles

From patient voices to policy: Data analytics reveals patterns in Ontario’s hospital feedback

Pourya Momtaz, Mohammad Noaeen, Konrad Samsel, Neil Seeman, Robert Cribb, Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed, Amol Verma, Dionne M. Aleman, Zahra Shakeri

PLOS Digital Health: published February 5, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0000739

Early individualized risk prediction using clinical data for children during the febrile phase of dengue in outpatient settings in Vietnam and Thailand

Sorawat Sangkaew, Bethan Cracknell Daniels, Damien K. Ming, Bernard Hernandez, Pau Herrero, Piyarat Suntarattiwong, Siripen Kalayanarooj, Anon Srikiatkhachorn, Alan L. Rothman, Darunee Buddhari, Nguyen Lam Vuong, Phung Khanh Lam, Minh Tuan Nguyen, Bridget Wills, Cameron Simmons, Christl A. Donnelly, Sophie Yacoub, Alison Holmes, Ilaria Dorigatti

PLOS Digital Health: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001171

Perceptions and knowledge of machine learning for paediatric related decision support in emergency care – A UK and Ireland network survey study of clinician leaders

Fiona Leonard, Mark D Lyttle, Dympna O’Sullivan, John Gilligan, Damian Roland, Michael Barrett, on behalf of PERUKI

PLOS Digital Health: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001213

Interpretable depression assessment using a large language model

Jae-Joong Lee, Jihoon Han, Choong-Wan Woo

PLOS Digital Health: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001205

Rapid antithrombin assay from human blood plasma utilizing smartphone-based flow observation on paper chips

Ashley K. Mathews, Allison J. Eby, Jocelyn Reynolds, Raymond K. Wong, Jeong-Yeol Yoon

PLOS Digital Health: published February 10, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001209

Portability of a text mining algorithm for detecting adverse drug reactions in electronic health records across diverse patient groups in two Dutch hospitals

Britt W. M. van de Burgt, Loes F. C. van Dijck, Bjorn Dullemond, Naomi T. Jessurun, Minou van Seyen, Rob J. van Marum, Remco J. A. van Wensen, Wai-Yan Liu, Carolien M. J. van der Linden, Rene J. E. Grouls, R. Arthur Bouwman, Erik H. M. Korsten, Toine C. G. Egberts

PLOS Digital Health: published February 10, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001230

Infectious disease diagnosis by artificial intelligence (AI): Differences in patient backgrounds and symptoms between antigen test positives and novel AI-powered pharyngeal endoscopy test positives

Masahiko Mori, Shinji Yoshinaga, Tadayoshi Moriyama, Takafumi Maekawa

PLOS Digital Health: published February 11, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001233

Leveraging large language models for rare disease named entity recognition

Nan Miles Xi, Yu Deng, Lin Wang

PLOS Digital Health: published February 12, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001242

Mixed-methods assessment of engagement with a digital intervention: The Wrapped feasibility randomised controlled trial

Lauren Schumacher, Kayleigh Kwah, Rebecca Gill, Rik Crutzen, Katherine Brown, Stephen Bremner, Louise J. Jackson, Katie Newby

PLOS Digital Health: published February 12, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001202

Engaging Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based chatbots in digital health: A systematic review

Shi Feng, Xiufang (Leah) Li, Alexandra Nicole Wake

PLOS Digital Health: published February 12, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001201

Sleep and smartphone use: Within and between-person relationships from an objective longitudinal smartphone and wearable data donation study

Paulien Decorte, Karolien Poels, Cedric Vuye, Jonas Lembrechts, Ablenya Barros, Karolien Couscheir, Gert-Jan De Bruijn

PLOS Digital Health: published February 13, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001232

An offline-first electronic health record for vulnerable populations: A mixed-methods feasibility study

Henry Ashista, Alanis Santiago Comas, Taylor Selby, Mohammad Yasir Essar, Jude Alawa, Samar Al-Hajj, Erica Nelson

PLOS Digital Health: published February 13, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001204

The three-dimensional landscape of tumor-associated macrophages in reactive and neoplastic human lymph nodes

Aleksandar Vladisavljevic, Sonja Scharf, Hendrik Schäfer, Jörg Ackermann, Sylvia Hartmann, Ina Koch, Martin-Leo Hansmann, Patrick Wurzel

PLOS Digital Health: published February 13, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001227

SHREC: A framework for advancing next-generation computational phenotyping with large language models

Sarah Pungitore, Shashank Yadav, Molly Douglas, Jarrod Mosier, Vignesh Subbian

PLOS Digital Health: published February 13, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001217

Nexus between policy and practice in institutionalization of clinical information systems and knowledge management in developing health systems: Context of tertiary hospitals in Malawi

Edmond C. Kungwalo, Chipo Kanjo, Gregory Kunyenje, Patrick A. Chikumba

PLOS Digital Health: published February 17, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001238

Narrowing the A1c gap: Personalized modeling of HbA1c– continuous glucose monitor discordance in type 1 diabetes

Simon Lebech Cichosz, Camilla Heisel Nyholm Thomsen, David C. Klonoff, Irl B. Hirsch, Morten Hasselstrøm Jensen

PLOS Digital Health: published February 17, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001229

Machine learning based classification of aggressive and malignant renal tumors from multimodal data

Mehrnegar Aminy, Tejal Gala, Agnimitra Dasgupta, Serena Li, Steven Y. Cen, S. J. Pawan, Inderbir Gill, Vinay Duddalwar, Assad A. Oberai

PLOS Digital Health: published February 20, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001225

AID-FGS: Artificial intelligence-enabled diagnosis of female genital schistosomiasis: Preliminary findings

Akanksha Sharma, Tanmoy Dam, Sepo Mwangelwa, Chishiba Kabengele, William Kilembe, Bellington Vwalika, Mubiana Inambao, W. Evan Secor, Rachel Parker, Tyronza Skarkey, Susan Allen, Anant Madabhushi, Kristin M. Wall

PLOS Digital Health: published February 20, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001255

Fine-tuning foundational models to code diagnoses from veterinary health records

Mayla R. Boguslav, Adam Kiehl, David Kott, George Joseph Strecker, Tracy L. Webb, Nadia Saklou, Terri Ward, Michael Kirby

PLOS Digital Health: published February 20, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001147

Running a clinical trial remotely: Lessons learnt from a decentralised multicentre randomised controlled trial evaluating a digital health intervention for Chronic Kidney Disease

Gurneet Kaur Sohansoha, Noemi Vadaszy, Ella C. Ford, Thomas J. Wilkinson, Matthew Graham-Brown, Alice C. Smith, Courtney J. Lightfoot

PLOS Digital Health: published February 20, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001166

Topologically distinct 2D and 3D intratumoral heterogeneity scores for preoperatively predicting invasiveness in stage I lung adenocarcinoma: A multicenter study

Zhichao Zuo, Xiaohong Fan, Ying Zeng, Wanyin Qi, Wen Liu, Wei Li, Qi Liang

PLOS Digital Health: published February 20, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001246

Bridging the divide in digital therapeutics (DTx): Partnership strategies for broader representation across DTx development and deployment

Meelim Kim, Steven De La Torre, Uchechi Mitchell, Blanca Melendrez, Heather Cole-Lewis, Dana Lewis, Antwi Akom, Tessa Cruz, Bonnie Spring, Eric Hekler

PLOS Digital Health: published February 20, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001241

“It’s like a toxic relationship”: Examining internal conflict experienced in wearable activity tracker users

Gabrielle Humphreys, Sam Jensen, Ashley Gluchowski

PLOS Digital Health: published February 20, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001136

First-line risk stratification with machine learning models facilitates rapid triage for non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Wei-Jia Luo, Yih-Mei Liou, Cheng-Han Hsiao, Chi-Sheng Hung, Heng-Yu Pan, Chien-Hua Huang, Pan-Chyr Yang, Kang-Yi Su

PLOS Digital Health: published February 23, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001260

A mixed methods evaluation of a pilot open trial of a mentor-guided digital intervention for youth anxiety

Emma C. Wolfe, Alexandra Werntz, Audrey Michel, Yiyang Zhang, Mark Rucker, Mehdi Boukhechba, Laura E. Barnes, Jean E. Rhodes, Bethany A. Teachman

PLOS Digital Health: published February 23, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001187

SomaVR: A low-cost virtual reality platform and implementation framework for medical education in resource-limited settings

Mike Nsubuga, Grace Kebirungi, Helen Please, Paul Buyego, Henry Mutegeki, Rodgers Kimera, Jag Dhanda, Phil Cruz, Meghan McCarthy, Darrell Hurt, Maria Y. Giovanni, Christopher Whalen, Michael Tartakovsky, Daudi Jjingo

PLOS Digital Health: published February 23, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001253

Classification of knowledge of fertility period among adolescent girls in East Africa from 2012 to 2022: Machine learning algorithm

Andualem Addisu Birlie, Kassahun Dessie Gashu, Mulugeta Desalegn Kasaye, Ayana Alebachew Muluneh, Abdulaziz Kebede Kassaw, Hailemariam Kassahun Desalegn, Tamir Wondim Desta, Shimels Derso Kebede

PLOS Digital Health: published February 23, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001108

Trialling the efficacy of a technological visuo-cognitive training program as a compensatory tool for visual rehabilitation after stroke: A pilot study

Lewis Jefferson, Abbey Fletcher, Beckie Morris, Julia Das, Rosie Morris, Samuel Stuart, Stephen Dunne

PLOS Digital Health: published February 23, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0000781

ICD coding of death certificates with generative language models

Isabel Coutinho, Gonçalo M. Correia, Bruno Martins, Afonso Moreira, André Peralta-Santos

PLOS Digital Health: published February 24, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001245

Taking a closer look: Can an app improve diagnostic accuracy in urgent care? Cluster-randomized interventional trial DASI

Eva Maria Noack, Kai Antweiler, Tim Friede, Frank Müller, Tobias Schmidt, Eva Hummers, Lea Roddewig, Dominik Schröder

PLOS Digital Health: published February 24, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001252

Design, implementation and analysis of a quality assurance process for Informed Consents using the DZHK registry TORCH-DZHK1 as an example

Dana Stahl, Katrin Leyh, Alexander Rudolph, Arne Blumentritt, Kerstin Weitmann, Monika Kraus, Johannes Trebing, Julia Hoffmann, Farbod Sedaghat-Hamedani, Benjamin Meder, Wolfgang Hoffmann

PLOS Digital Health: published February 24, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0000798

Pregnant women’s and health workers’ perceptions and experiences on the Rwandan ANC digital module intervention at selected health centres

Michael Habtu, Maria Barreix, Maurice Bucagu, Richard Kalisa, Nathalie Kayiramirwa Murindahabi, Fiacre Rugamba Rugero, Hedieh Mehrtash, Theopista J. Kabuteni, Tigest Tamrat, Rosemary K. Muliokela, Josiane Akingeneye, François Regis Cyiza, Uwimana Aline, Gilbert Uwayezu, Kama Mukamurigo Edith

PLOS Digital Health: published February 24, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001264

AI-ECG classification for Brugada syndrome: A study of machine learning techniques to optimise for limited datasets

Keenan Saleh, Raaif Hadadi, Yixiu Liang, Hong Wong, Arunashis Sau, James Howard, Evan Brittain, Jeffrey Annis, Majd El-Harasis, Matthew Shun-Shin, Jagdeep Mohal, Akriti Naraen, Jack Samways, Jessica Artico, James Ware, Prapa Kanagaratnam, Fu Siong Ng, Massoud Zolgharni, Wenjia Bai, Amanda Varnava, Zachary Whinnett, Ahran Arnold

PLOS Digital Health: published February 25, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001222

Comparing human vs. machine-assisted analysis to develop a new approach for Big Qualitative Data Analysis

Sam Martin, Emma Beecham, Emira Kursumovic, Richard A. Armstrong, Tim M. Cook, Noémie Déom, Andrew D. Kane, Sophie Moniz, Jasmeet Soar, Cecilia Vindrola-Padros, Collaborators

PLOS Digital Health: published February 25, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0000576

A novel statistical framework for quantifying risks and benefits of AI automation in screening mammography

Michael H. Bernstein, Maggie Chung, Adam Yala, Grayson L. Baird

PLOS Digital Health: published February 26, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001231

Development and validation of interpretable multimodal clinical-radiomics models for predicting epileptogenic foci and surgical outcomes in tuberous sclerosis complex: A multicenter study

Yang Li, Xingye Liu, Jie Li, Mingxun Xie, Shujing Li, Kaixuan Huang, Jiaxi Zhao, Xin Chen, Zeng He, Jing He, Limeng Sun, Renrong Jiang, Chun Cui, Li Wang, Zhonghong Liu, Song Zhang, Haifeng Shu, Shengqing Lv, Chunqing Zhang, Dong Zhang, Di Wang, Hui Yang, Qiang Guo, Hongping Tan, Xiaolin Yang, Shiyong Liu, Zhongke Wang

PLOS Digital Health: published February 26, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001259

MITO-VATION: Feasibility of a technology-supported structured home exercise program in Mitochondrial Disease

Jeremey Thomas Horne, Natalie E. Allen, Serene S. Paul, Judith Walker, Carolyn Sue

PLOS Digital Health: published February 26, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001257

Using big data to search for possible geographic clustering of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) across Australia

Calum Nicholson, Geoff Strange, David S. Celermajer

PLOS Digital Health: published February 26, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0000916

Reviews

Optimizing vedolizumab therapy in ulcerative colitis: A critical synthesis of trial evidence and the emerging role of artificial intelligence

Alfadl Abdulfattah

PLOS Digital Health: published February 5, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001208

Predicting vesicoureteral reflux outcomes using artificial intelligence: A critical appraisal using APPRAISE-AI

Adree Khondker, Sanchit Kaushal, Jeremy Wu, Naveen Gupta, Jethro CC. Kwong, Tiange Li, Lauren Erdman, Mandy Rickard, Armando J. Lorenzo

PLOS Digital Health: published February 13, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001237