E-health - Science topic

Good Question

This question is very wide, hence, in the following, it gets narrowed into two specific areas: biosignal prediction of ECG recordings, and the theory of robust massive parallel computations.

We arrived at the point when complex systems measure enables us to distill a very rich set of information from biosignals. As an example, in some cases the information provided by ECG recordings is so rich that we can predict arrhythmia up to one hour before their actual onset in a rabbit model, see the paper of Kroc & Bobir.

The second very deep area of my research deals with developing a better understanding of robust emergent computations that occur in massively parallel computational environments, including biology. In plain words, the main problem in all biology describing mathematical models is their lack of resilience to the faults occurring within the underlying, unreliable computing medium.

This topic get studied in the paper dealing with a cellular automaton called the 'Game of Life' and its robust generalization called r-GoL, see the relevant paper when interested and Python code available on the RG profile. Surprisingly, a cellular automaton that is highly resilient to the faults of underlying computing massively parallel information processing medium was found.

Hopefully the insights/views as per the following papers could provide you ideas for your research topic, namely: see those future research directions (Khezr et al, 2019, pp. 19-20; Marques and Ferreira, 2020, p. 583; Tandon et al, 2020; Secinaro et al, 2021, p. 20).

Hi Brooke,

telehealth is a very broad domain. Do you have any particular interests? Maybe with regard to a specific technology or use case? I can provide you with some research once I know what you are aiming for.

Feel free to check out or research on primary care and the appplication of video consultaion:

Another of our articles is currently in press in JMIR, it deals with team-based care and delegation processes:

PS: The Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) is a perfect start for research on that topic.

Hello, in Portugal, during Covid there was a huge increase of tele consultation. Still some barriers were found:

- older people have more difficulties in using digital tools.

- 3G and 4G coverage is still low in some rural areas.

- Lack of good tele consultation tools available to be used, some physicians then still want to do the face to face consultation.

Dear Dr. Mehri,

Regarding the features you need, the journal of Acta Medica Informatica seems to be a good choice. You can find it here: https://actainformmed.org/

Good luck

I would recommend

Hi,

In my work I have defined a platform that enables eHealth or other care interventions as a reusable core of functionality with various interfaces that change the interaction with people at the periphery. This then covers video, physiological measurements, data and machine learning platforms. In the way that a social media platform can be reused to facilitate different use cases the central core of most technology platforms are communication, processing and storage. This is reflected in Aleksandr's answer. However, most of my work has taken the platform as an iterative development and focused on the sociotechnical nature of how the peripheral interfaces enable new ways of working. My experience is that most of the obstacles to using technology arise not because of the technology itself but the way in which it disrupts practice.

Gamification, as you mentioned, is not one technique it is more about "learning from games" what makes them so engaging and motivating, using not only simple elements but "game-design elements in a non-game context" [1], meaning also mechanics, aesthetics and processes [2].

Motivation (and engagement) itself has it's theories. For example self-determination theory. There are theories focussing on the individuals needs, physical or psychological (content theories, e.g. [3]) and there are theories focussing on cognitive processes.

All of those approaches can be used to determine how to improve the usability of a system (and improve the user motivation) and to fit the users needs and requirements. To improve the user-motivation, it is key to understand the context of use, to analyse precisely what it is that motivates the user as an individual to enhance the correct motivational elements. Theories (gamification, psychology, motivation...) can be used to backup ideas and hypotheses for design decisions and can help us understand the underlying concepts of motivation and engagement. In the end, what motivates a user is determined by the users situation and context.

[1] Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011, September). From game design elements to gamefulness: defining gamification. In Proceedings of the 15th international academic MindTrek conference: Envisioning future media environments (pp. 9-15). ACM.

[2] Hunicke, R., LeBlanc, M., & Zubek, R. (2004, July). MDA: A formal approach to game design and game research. In Proceedings of the AAAI Workshop on Challenges in Game AI(Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 1-5). AAAI Press San Jose, CA.

[3] Maslow, A., & Lewis, K. J. (1987). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Salenger Incorporated, 14, 987.

Mobile devices are the fastest-growing enterprise platforms in IT. Mobile App development industry has gained huge popularity as more and more people are opting for Apps to expand their business on a worldwide level. You probably use a range of different apps in your everyday life. Enterprise IT shops and software publishers alike are moving every possible application to run on tablets, smartphones, and even smartwatches. Behind that set of decisions, though, is a huge question: How do you make it happen?

The first thing that comes in mind is – Which programming language to use for Mobile App development? It seems like a simple decision, but different operating systems favor different programming languages. The language you choose can be the difference between great success and tremendous frustration.

There are a number of data sources for programming language statistics including code repositories, Q&A discussions, job advertisements, social media mentions, tutorial page visits, learning video views, developer surveys and more. Let’s take a look at the most popular Mobile App development language options available today…

Java is an object-oriented programming language developed at Sun Microsystems. It is now owned, along with the rest of Sun Microsystems, by Oracle. Java is top pick as one of the most popular programming languages, used for building server-side applications to video games and mobile apps. It’s also the core foundation for developing Android apps, making it a favorite of many programmers.

Java is a compiled language that can be run in two different ways: either in a browser window or in a virtual machine that doesn’t require a browser. It is a platform-independent language. If you’re looking at Android Mobile App development as your primary platform you’re almost certainly going to look at Java. Possibly you won’t be doing Java-first development if iOS is your main target. And if you want to develop a common code base that runs across many different platforms, then Java should certainly be on your list of finalists.

A scripting language for Web browser apps, JavaScript is another favorite programming language because it’s so ubiquitous on the web – it’s basically everywhere. JavaScript allows developers to add interactive elements to their website, and adding features to a Web page, but isn’t, by itself, the solution you’re looking for when it comes to Mobile App development. There is no official universal standard for JavaScript, so it may be rendered differently across different platforms.

While most of the world was developing software using C++, Apple went with Objective C as its primary programming language. Like C++, Objective C is a C-language superset. It has a lot of functions, which mainly deal with graphics, display functions and I/O. Objective-C was part of the Apple development framework until it was replaced by Apple’s new language Swift.

Created by Apple, Swift was introduced at 2014 WWDC Apple showcase – the language to code for Apple’s latest APIs Cocoa and Cocoa Touch. Swift is a multi-paradigm, compiled Mobile App development language designed to work with Apple’s iOS and OS X systems. Swift has been designed to eliminate the possibility for many of the security vulnerabilities possible with Objective-C. Swift is meant to be easier to learn and less bug-prone than Objective-C. Swift was developed with the idea of creating fast, high-performing apps simply and easily.

At WWDC 2015 Apple announced that Swift will be going open source. That’s bound to increase the number of people willing to work with Swift.

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a server-side programming language which shares similar syntax with other C-based programming languages. PHP supports a large range of database types, making it ideal for any application that needs access to a database. PHP is also extremely flexible, allowing it to support object-oriented programming languages but it can also function well without them. PHP is a great choice for creating the interfaces for mobile applications. It provides a ton of power and is the beating heart of monster sites like WordPress and Facebook.

Compared to other languages, PHP applications do tend to run a bit slower than others. But, as PHP is open-source, improvements are being made constantly, plus there are tons of free pre-built modules that you can grab and modify to get your ideal Mobile App development results.

Python is a one-stop shop. There’s a Python framework for pretty much anything, from web apps to data analysis. Python is often heralded as the easiest programming language to learn, with its simple and straightforward syntax. Python has risen in popularity for Mobile App development due to Google’s investment in it over the past decade (in fact, one recent study has shown Python to be the most commonly taught programming language in U.S. schools). Applications built with Python include Pinterest and Instagram.

If you want to build a Web App (housed on the Web and run on mobile browsers), the one near-certainty is Hypertext Markup Language 5. Built over current version of HTML, HTML5 has the advantage of quick learning curve than that for a completely new language.

But HTML5 is still a proposed standard currently supported in a lot of different ways by a lot of different browsers. There might be slight tweaks in the language in months to come and more substantial changes in the way browsers handle HTML5. If you can cope with a bit of uncertainty and want to walk the browser-based path, HTML5 is an obvious choice for a primary language.

C# (pronounced C-sharp) is an object-oriented programming language like Java. It’s an expansion of C that directly addresses many of the unique features of the environment. It’s the default (and recommended) programming language for Windows-based apps. With Windows Phone poised to make a comeback with Windows 10 Mobile, and the Windows App Store still desperately in need of well-made apps, learning C# could give you a leg up in Mobile App development for the Windows marketplace. C# opens a lot of Windows

When you need to get down and dirty for Mobile App development on platforms like Android and Windows, then C++ can be the answer to your object-oriented dreams. At this point, C++ has been used to develop apps for virtually every purpose on pretty much every platform that exists. It’s not trendy or ultra-modern — it’s been around much longer than smartphones — but for low-level programming it’s still the go-to language on platforms that aren’t fruit-themed. C++ is best suited for low-level programming. It works extremely fast and is now used to develop high-performance applications and games. It helps power major software such as Adobe and Mozilla.

Having been around for more than 30 years, C is one of the oldest and most used programming languages around. C is the predecessor to more complex programming languages like Java, C++ and C#. C is best when you want to work small and when dealing with low-level applications. It’s widely used for embedded systems like the firmware of your television or the operating system of an airplane, as well as computer operating systems like Windows. C is the “lingua franca” of Mobile App development.

SQL (Structured Query Language) is a database query language that’s ideal when talking big data. SQL lets you siphon helpful data from massive databases. Nearly every app has a backend database, and SQL is the language that helps you interact with that data. In terms of Mobile App development, SQL isn’t ever used alone – rather, you invoke SQL from some other programming knowledge (a package deal).

So which language is the “best” for Mobile App development? “It depends” – on the Operating system, App type, Licensed vs. Open source, User’s needs, Budget, Knowledge level, App interfaces, etc.

It’s important to keep track of which programming languages are up-and-coming. The Mobile App development industry is evolving at a rapid pace. More than any language, first I would recommend grasping some general understanding of Mobile App development. Once it’s clear, you can pick a language and build on it.

Health Information System Journals – 2016 Rankings

A study was performed in 2016, when AIS-SIG-Health members were asked to recommend journals to add to the AIS Basket of Top eHealth Journals. 61 members responded to the survey. Survey Responses were ordered based on percentage of people who voted to add each journal to the basket. Please see attached PDF file of results. That should begin to answer your question.

Thank You 

Mary I will check them out I am sure there will be useful information in the two selected readings.

Regards

Harpinder Chima

Thank you Aakash! As a practitioner myself I understand your paper is focused on managerial objectives. There is nothing wrong with this approach to answer the managerial questions one might have. However, I am looking for academic-oriented papers. It seems a consensus that User Engagement is a multi-level / multi-dimensional construct and therefore those metrics seems insufficient to capture its essence. I am looking for engagement models I can build on my own research thus I am in need of Qualis 1 published papers, preferably double-blinded peer reviewed. 

Dear Prof. Belfo,

                             We have been working on the technology adoption question in many ways for quite sometime, since 1993 in one of our PhD thesis at New York University's Economics Dept.. In fact we have found the properties of Learning Technology which makes Econophysical Electronic Stock Exchanges satisfy String Matching Field Theory developed out of String Theory, Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity all together as well as our developed Haag Theorem resultant Theory of Genetic Algorithms. You can read for example our paper on Medical Physics Insurance Field on www.researchgate.net/Soumitra K Mallick. We thank Prof. Venkatesh et.al. for an excellent exposition which does not include us. We have done it using the bio-physical utilitarian approach which matches the findings with real or shadow electronic stock exchanges connected by networks. One of the papers which forms the Digital Asset Mangement for elctronic libraries experimental string matching field theory with Krichel and Novarese is also cited in Nature.com.

Soumitra K. Mallick

for Soumitra K. Mallick, Nick Hmaburger, Sandipan Mallick

With the contributions of all the RG colleagues on our question early this year 2016 on e-health, we were able to produce the attached paper on the concept maturity of e-health. Hope this paper give a better understanding for the current status of this concept.

Regards to all

I agree with Armin and I would add one more viewpoint to that. In the ex-communist countries the elderly peaple have a very strong negative reflex against anything what is declared as obligatory, the only way etc. Even if a service or solution is evidently much better, than the previous ones, the feeling of forced limitations, the artificial lack of choices recall the red times and ring the bells in their minds.

Thank you very much!

Dear Jennifer,

The following resources might interest you:

Not a very academic approach, but there is the Fitbit Charge HR (Heart Rate).  Pulse data can be downloaded from the sensor and post-processed.

Hi Raviteja,

There are many areas of medicine where such devices are extremely useful. As only one example, there are many monitoring and medication delivery devices for chronically ill patients. Without constant monitoring, these patients are very likely to be out of normal ranges for their condition (e.g., blood glucose levels for diabetics, airflows for COPD patients, fluid overload in CHF patients, etc.). 

As I see it, the problem is not the devices themselves, but how they are monitored, and how quickly and appropriately medical attention is provided when such devices indicate problems.

Ariel

BioPortal Biomedical Ontology - http://bioportal.bioontology.org/

Ontology for General Medical Science - https://code.google.com/p/ogms/

Open Clinical - http://www.openclinical.org/ontologies.html

Dear Tania,

Thank you for the question. My interest in this area stems from working within the NHS in UK when the National Project for IT was rolled out. I then had the privilege to further train in Health Informatics with the CHIME unit at University College London.

There has been much literature in this area. However, it has remain elusive to show conclusively that the application of Health Informatics can positively impact both the delivery and experience of health care in the front lines.

My personal view is that we have now reached a point of convergence of hardware, software and affordable wireless networking capabilities worldwide that allows Health Informatics to play a significant role in national health care systems.

However, whether this will be of benefit and to who remains to be determined. Too often, the clinicians in the front lines are not involved enough. This leads to the development of "systems" without the direct input and/or feedback from the end users. The outcome is often not satisfactory when this happens (e.g. Choose and Book Project)

On the other hand, it is difficult to engage the front-line clinicians, who may see the huge costs involved in national IT projects (11 Billion Pounds for NPfIT from 2002 to 2011: National Audit Office, 11th May 2011) as an unjustified source of drain on an already rapidly diminishing pool of funding for healthcare.

Also, there is a need to be clear on the purpose of implementing IT in healthcare. Health Informatics can improve the delivery of care. However, it cannot lead to better outcomes if the process of care is not already in place, or if the clinical input has not been able to achieve it's clinical targets in the first instance.

For example, The Whole System Demonstrator study showed that Telehealth may reduce hospital admission and mortality rates in a select group of patients and General Practitioners over a 12 moth period. However, the mechanism for this was unclear in the original paper (BMJ 2012;344:e3874). It is thought that the implementation of Telehealth in itself may have influenced the process of care among the study population, which would have had an important impact on the outcome of the study.

There is much work to be done (i.e. Knowledge Management at the Point of Care, Clinical Informatics, How to Prevent Failure in Health Informatics Systems, etc).

For the "Paradigm Shift" to occur, more of us in the front line needs to be involved at all stages of the development and implementation of Health Informatics Systems.

I share with you the results of an on-going online survey on the relationship between Clinicians and Health Informatics that I am conducting. The survey and the whole website is meant as an Open Source project. Feel free to use the data. Hope it may be of some use to you.

The links are:

The survey can be accessed here:

The public reports can be found here:

We have modified the survey form to include all non-medical clinical staff based on feedback tonight, so the results will be reset tonight.

Thank you.

Don't hesitate .... But one of the best reviewer I know in your reseach field is most probably Elske Ammenwert and her colleagues at UMIT in Hall (Austria). And her annual eHealth conference in Vienna could be a valuable "source" of international expertises for you. Good luck!

Maybe this article suits to your question:

Beatty L, Lambert S (2013). A systematic review of internet-based self-help therapeutic interventions to improve distress and disease-control among adults with chronic health conditions. Clin Psychol Rev. 33(4):609-622.

Best,

Robert