Health data in cloud environments

The process of provisioning healthcare involves massive healthcare data which exists in different forms on disparate data sources and in different formats. Consequently, health information systems encounter interoperability problems at many levels. Integrating these disparate systems requires the support at all levels of a very expensive infrastructures. Cloud computing dramatically reduces the expense and complexity of managing IT systems. Business customers do not need to invest in their own costly IT infrastructure, but can delegate and deploy their services effectively to Cloud vendors and service providers. It is inevitable that electronic health records (EHRs) and healthcare-related services will be deployed on cloud platforms to reduce the cost and complexity of handling and integrating medical records while improving efficiency and accuracy. The paper presents a review of EHR including definitions, EHR file formats, structures leading to the discussion of interoperability and security issues. The paper also presents challenges that have to be addressed for realizing Cloudbased healthcare systems: data protection and big health data management. Finally, the paper presents an active data model for housing and protecting EHRs in a Cloud environment

Review and Analysis of mHealth Applications : Development and Evaluation of a Heart Diseases Self-Management App

Este trabajo tiene dos objetivos principales. El primero es realizar una revisión de las apps móviles existentes centradas en enfermedades o condiciones no comunicables, especialmente en el campo de la cardiología. Esta revisión se basó en las condiciones más prevalentes, las enfermedades líderes en mortalidad y las enfermedades cardíacas. Fue además complementada con una revisión de Sistemas de Ayuda a la Decisión Móviles (SADM). El segundo objetivo es el diseño, creación y desarrollo de una app móvil innovadora en el campo de la cardiología, con el objetivo de copar un hueco comercial encontrado en la revisión anterior. Para llevar a cabo dicho objetivo, varios estudios fueron realizados para solucionar los problemas encontrados. La experiencia aprendida es compartida con investigadores y desarrolladores con el objetivo de ayudarles en el proceso de creación de apps de mSaludDepartamento de Teoría de la Señal y Comunicaciones, e Ingeniería Telemátic

The use of information and communication technologies for accessing HIV and AIDS information by healthcare professionals in Zimbabwe

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThis study sought to investigate the information needs of selected HIV and AIDS health organisations in Zimbabwe with a view to proposing a framework for developing an information access platform. ICTs can play a pivotal role in improving access to HIV and AIDS information and in coordinating HIV and AIDS activities in Zimbabwe. However, the development of ICTs in Zimbabwe’s health sector has been haphazard and idiosyncratic to a plethora of HIV and AIDS organisations operating in Zimbabwe. This study proposes a framework for the development of ICTs for accessing HIV and AIDS information in Zimbabwe. The needs-based framework was proposed after evaluating the information needs of healthcare workers and current health information technologies. An integrated theoretical framework incorporating the General System Theory, the Social Construction of Technology theory and the HOT-fit model was used to frame the study