Healthcare support for underserved communities using a mobile social media platform

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd Emerging digital technologies for healthcare information support have already contributed to reducing the digital divide among rural communities. Although mobile health (m-health) applications facilitate provision of support for treatment consultation in real-time, their substantial potential has not yet been operationalised for decision support to meet citizen demand in developing nations. Modern healthcare information access, especially in rural areas of developing countries, is critical to effective healthcare, since both information and expert opinions are limited. Mobile phone and social media penetration, however, is often extensive. In this paper, we design and evaluate an innovative mobile decision support system (MDSS) solution for rural citizens healthcare decision support and information dissemination. Developed using a design science approach, the instantiated artifact connects underserved rural patients in Bangladesh to general practitioners (GPs) – allowing GPs, based on queries and information support provided, to evaluate patient conditions virtually and provide answers for further diagnosis or treatment. A cloud platform using social media embodies health record information and is used with a rating technique that matches queries to profiled remote experts, participating asynchronously. A comprehensive evaluation of the MDSS artifact ensures its utility, efficacy, and reliability

Topic modeling and user network analysis on twitter during world lupus awareness day

Twitter is increasingly used by individuals and organizations to broadcast their feelings and practices, providing access to samples of spontaneously expressed opinions on all sorts of themes. Social media offers an additional source of data to unlock information supporting new insights disclosures, particularly for public health purposes. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex, systemic autoimmune disease that remains a major challenge in therapeutic diagnostic and treatment management. When supporting patients with such a complex disease, sharing information through social media can play an important role in creating better healthcare services. This study explores the nature of topics posted by users and organizations on Twitter during world Lupus day to extract latent topics that occur in tweet texts and to identify what information is most commonly discussed among users. We identified online influencers and opinion leaders who discussed different topics. During this analysis, we found two different types of influencers that employed different narratives about the communities they belong to. Therefore, this study identifies hidden information for healthcare decision-makers and provides a detailed model of the implications for healthcare organizations to detect, understand, and define hidden content behind large collections of text

A Post Publication Review of "Emerging Insights of Health Informatics Research: A Literature Analysis for Outlining New Themes"

A short post publication review of a recent AJIS paper

Designing Social Networking Mobile App for Diabetes Management

The knowledge required for diabetes prevention and management among the rural people in developing countries vastly remains in the state of non-existence. To address this, a diabetic knowledge sharing platform, as an effective means for diabetes prevention, control, and treatment, can play role in increasing diabetes awareness and literacy. Currently researchers have emphasized the scope of peer-led learning by knowledge sharing on social media platforms in healthcare context. Therefore, by identifying this scope, we have prototyped a mobile app integrated with social media features to enable diabetic patients for cost-effective peer-led learning, knowledge sharing, and awareness building. In this process, we resorted to follow the cycles and guidelines as proposed in the Information System Research (ISR) framework for identifying users\u27 needs and preferences as well as building the theoretical foundation for the design of an app. This study demonstrates that the users had positive response and well acceptance to this prototype app as a medium for peer-led for diabetes management. Based on the findings, the researchers are optimistic about the potentiality of the app for a wider scale adoption by diabetic patients as a cost-effective peer-led learning platform

Emerging Insights of Health Informatics Research: A Literature Analysis for Outlining New Themes

This paper presents a contemporary literature review to provide insights into the current health informatics literature. The objective of this study is to identify emerging directions of current health informatics research from the latest and existing studies in the health informatics domain. We analyse existing health informatics studies using a thematic analysis, so that justified sets of research agenda can be outlined on the basis of these findings. We selected articles that are published in the Science Direct online database. The selected 73 sample articles (published from 2014 to 2018 in premier health informatics journals) are considered as representative samples of health informatics studies. The analysis revealed ten topic areas and themes that would be of paramount importance for researchers and practitioners to follow. The findings provide an important foundational understanding for new health informatics studies

An Analytic and Systemic View of the Digital Transformation of Healthcare

Industry 4.0 represents a digital revolution that is driven by technologies that blur the lines between the physical and digital worlds. Industry 4.0, the latest industrial revolution, is poised to have a profound impact on all aspects of society. In order to understand how the healthcare industry is being transformed by the convergence of the physical and digital realms, a systems perspective is taken in this study. Two research questions are addressed regarding the opportunities and interventions that can be provided by both analytical and systems conceptions of digital transformation. I use a systemic literature review approach to address the research questions. A sample of studies between 2000 and 2022 is analyzed. Existing studies mostly examine the effects of new digital technologies on healthcare providers. However, digital transformation also presents significant challenges, such as data privacy, ethical concerns related to AI-based automated decision-making, and equity issues related to e-health. Solutions to major challenges at both micro and macro levels can be derived from the existing theories and tools of systems thinking. For instance, systems thinking\u27s continuous learning and adaptation capabilities can be useful for healthcare organizations to develop the required digital capabilities. Furthermore, the interconnectedness of subsystems and stakeholders in systems thinking can be combined with digital twin technology to investigate the dynamic interactions among key stakeholders, leading to the development of new regulatory policies

Representación formal de mejores prácticas de IoT con base en los elementos del núcleo de la Esencia SEMAT

Internet de las Cosas (IoT) es una tecnología que consta de una serie de entidades interconectadas (objetos físicos inteligentes, servicios y sistemas de software) que trabajan de manera coordinada. Con ellas se busca simplificar y mejorar la eficiencia de los procesos buscando una mejor calidad de vida para las personas. En la literatura especializada se encontró que existen prácticas para desarrollar sistemas IoT que utilizan modelos monolíticos de Ingeniería de Software y que no son fáciles de implementar. Es necesario plantear una base común a través de una representación explícita que permita abarcar todas las problemáticas que puedan resultar al tratar de implementar estas prácticas. El objetivo de este proyecto es formalizar algunas de las mejores prácticas de IoT utilizando la extracción terminológica y teniendo como base de representación el núcleo de la Esencia de SEMAT (Software Engineering Method and Theory), el cual permite describir una base común liberando a las prácticas de las limitaciones de los métodos monolíticos. Esto permitirá a los equipos de implementación de sistemas IoT visualizar el progreso de las actividades independientemente de los métodos de trabajo, también permitirá compartir, adaptar, conectar y reproducir prácticas para crear nuevas formas de trabajo que ayudará a los desarrolladores a reutilizar sus conocimientos de forma sistemática y a los ejecutivos a dirigir programas y proyectos IoT con una mejor calidad que permitan reducir costos.Internet of Things (IoT) is a technology that consists of a series of interconnected entities (intelligent physical objects, services and software systems) that work in a coordinated manner. They seek to simplify and improve the efficiency of processes seeking a better quality of life for people. In the specialized literature, it was found that there are practices to develop IoT systems that use monolithic Software Engineering models and that are not easy to implement. It is necessary to establish a common base through a clean representation that allows covering all the problems that may result when trying to implement these practices. The objective of this project is to formalize some of the best practices of IoT using terminological extraction and having as a basis of representation the core of the Essence of SEMAT (Software Engineering Method and Theory) which allows to describe a common base freeing the practices of the limitations of monolithic methods. This will allow IoT system implementation teams to visualize the progress of activities regardless of work methods, it will also allow sharing, adapting, connecting and reproducing practices to create new ways of working that will help developers to systematically reuse their knowledge in a new way and executives to direct IoT programs and projects with better quality that reduce costs.MaestríaMagíster en Ingeniería de Sistemas y ComputaciónTabla de Contenido Pág. Resumen....................................................................................................................................... 16 Abstract........................................................................................................................................ 17 Introducción ................................................................................................................................ 18 Capítulo I: Marco Teórico ......................................................................................................... 21 1.1. Internet de las Cosas (IoT)..................................................................................................... 21 1.1.1. Arquitectura IoT.................................................................................................................. 21 1.1.1.1. Capa de percepción.......................................................................................................... 21 1.1.1.2. Capa de red ...................................................................................................................... 21 1.1.1.3. Capa de aplicación ........................................................................................................... 22 1.1.2. Aplicaciones de IoT............................................................................................................ 22 1.2. Ingeniería de Software ........................................................................................................... 22 1.2.1. Núcleo de la Esencia de SEMAT........................................................................................ 22 1.2.1.1. Elementos del Núcleo de la Esencia de SEMAT............................................................. 23 1.3. Buenas Prácticas .................................................................................................................... 29 1.3.1. Nombramiento correcto de buenas prácticas...................................................................... 29 1.4. Procesamiento del Lenguaje Natural (PLN).......................................................................... 31 1.4.1. Extracción Terminológica................................................................................................... 31 1.5. Revisión Sistemática de Literatura (RSL) ............................................................................. 33 1.6. Mapeo Sistemático de Literatura (MSL) ............................................................................... 33 1.7. Grupos focales ....................................................................................................................... 34 Capítulo II: Estado del Arte ...................................................................................................... 35 Capítulo III: Planteamiento del Problema y Objetivos........................................................... 38 3.1. Descripción del Problema ...................................................................................................... 38 7 3.2. Formulación del Problema..................................................................................................... 38 3.3. Justificación ........................................................................................................................... 39 3.4. Objetivos................................................................................................................................ 41 3.4.1. Objetivo General................................................................................................................. 41 3.4.2. Objetivos Específicos.......................................................................................................... 41 Capítulo IV: Metodología .......................................................................................................... 42 4.1. Revisión Sistemática de Literatura (RSL) ............................................................................. 42 4.1.1. Planeación........................................................................................................................... 42 4.1.1.1. Definición de las Preguntas de la Investigación .............................................................. 43 4.1.2. Búsqueda Primaria .............................................................................................................. 43 4.1.2.1. Especificación del Tipo de Búsqueda .............................................................................. 43 4.1.2.2. Selección de las Fuentes de Información......................................................................... 44 4.1.2.3. Definición de las Cadenas de Búsqueda .......................................................................... 44 4.1.3. Selección Preliminar........................................................................................................... 44 4.1.3.1. Eliminación de Documentos Irrelevantes........................................................................ 44 4.1.3.2. Eliminación de Documentos Duplicados......................................................................... 44 4.1.4. Selección............................................................................................................................. 45 4.1.4.1. Definición de criterios de inclusión ................................................................................. 45 4.1.4.2. Definición de criterios de exclusión ................................................................................ 45 4.1.5. Extracción de Datos............................................................................................................ 45 4.1.5.1. Definición de Criterios de Calidad .................................................................................. 45 4.1.5.2. Extracción de Datos de cada Documento ........................................................................ 45 4.1.6. Análisis ............................................................................................................................... 45 4.2. Relación de los Componentes de Mejores Prácticas en IoT con los elementos del núcleo de la Esencia ..................................................................................................................................... 45 8 4.2.1. Selección de algunas de las Mejores Prácticas en IoT........................................................ 46 4.2.2. Construcción del Vocabulario de Términos de IoT............................................................ 46 4.2.2.1. Mapeo Sistemático de Literatura (MSL) ......................................................................... 46 4.2.2.2. Construcción del Extractor Automático de Términos ..................................................... 48 4.2.2.3. Validación del Extractor Automático de Términos......................................................... 48 4.2.2.4. Extracción del Vocabulario con el Extractor Automático de Términos.......................... 49 4.2.3. Selección de los Nombres para Mejores Prácticas en IoT.................................................. 49 4.2.4. Tabulación de Componentes de Prácticas IoT con Elementos del Núcleo de la Esencia... 49 4.3. Modelado de Mejores Prácticas en IoT con el Núcleo de la Esencia .................................... 49 4.4. Validación de los Modelos de Mejores Prácticas en IoT....................................................... 51 4.4.1. Planeación del Grupo Focal................................................................................................ 51 4.4.2. Desarrollo del Grupo Focal................................................................................................. 52 4.4.3. Análisis de Datos y Reporte de Resultados ........................................................................ 53 Capítulo V: Desarrollo de la Tesis............................................................................................. 54 5.1. Revisión Sistemática de Literatura (RSL) en IoT.................................................................. 54 5.1.1. Conclusiones de la Revisión Sistemática de Literatura ...................................................... 55 5.2. Relación de los Componentes de Mejores Prácticas en IoT con los elementos del núcleo de la Esencia ...................................................................................................................................... 57 5.2.1. Selección de algunas de las Mejores Prácticas en IoT........................................................ 57 5.2.2. Construcción del Vocabulario de Términos de IoT............................................................ 58 5.2.2.1. Mapeo Sistemático de Literatura (MSL) ......................................................................... 59 5.2.2.2. Construcción del Extractor Automático de Términos ..................................................... 72 5.2.2.3. Validación del Extractor Automático de Términos......................................................... 88 5.2.2.4. Extracción del Vocabulario con el Extractor Automático de Términos.......................... 89 5.2.3. Selección de los Nombres para Mejores Prácticas en IoT.................................................. 89 9 5.2.4. Tabulación de Componentes de Prácticas IoT con el Núcleo de la Esencia ...................... 90 5.3. Modelado de Mejores Prácticas en IoT con el Núcleo de la Esencia .................................. 100 5.4. Validación de los Modelos de Mejores Prácticas en IoT..................................................... 110 5.4.1. Planeación del Grupo Focal.............................................................................................. 110 5.4.1.1. Definición del Objetivo.................................................................................................. 110 5.4.1.2. Identificación de los Participantes................................................................................. 111 5.4.1.3. Programación de la Reunión.......................................................................................... 111 5.4.1.4. Preparación de los Materiales del Grupo Focal ............................................................. 111 5.4.1.5. Enviar Recordatorio a los Participantes......................................................................... 112 5.4.2. Desarrollo del Grupo Focal............................................................................................... 112 5.4.2.1. Presentación de los Participantes................................................................................... 112 5.4.2.2. Grabación de la Reunión................................................................................................ 112 5.4.2.3. Entrega de Materiales .................................................................................................... 112 5.4.2.4. Presentación del Grupo Focal ........................................................................................ 113 5.4.2.5. Discusión y Evaluación de los Modelos........................................................................ 113 5.4.2.6. Finalización de la Reunión............................................................................................. 113 5.4.3. Análisis de Datos y Reporte de Resultados ...................................................................... 113 5.4.3.1. Resultados de Validación de la Práctica 1 ..................................................................... 113 5.4.3.2. Resultados de Validación de la Práctica 2 ..................................................................... 114 5.4.3.3. Resultados de Validación de la Práctica 3 ..................................................................... 114 5.4.3.4. Resultados de Validación de la Práctica 4 ..................................................................... 115 5.4.3.5. Resultados de Validación de la Práctica 5 ..................................................................... 115 5.4.3.6. Resultados de Validación de la Práctica 6 ..................................................................... 116 5.4.3.7. Resultados de Validación de la Práctica 7 ..................................................................... 116 10 5.4.3.8. Resultados de Validación de la Práctica 8 ..................................................................... 117 5.4.3.9. Resultados de Validación de la Práctica 9 ..................................................................... 117 5.4.3.10. Resultados de Validación de la Práctica 10 ................................................................. 118 5.4.3.11. Conclusiones de la Validación de los Modelos ........................................................... 118 Capítulo VI: Conclusiones y Trabajo Futuro ........................................................................ 120 6.1. Conclusiones........................................................................................................................ 120 6.2. Cumplimiento de Objetivos................................................................................................. 121 6.3. Trabajos Futuros .................................................................................................................. 124 Referencias ................................................................................................................................ 125 Anexos........................................................................................................................................ 15

Co-design of youth wellbeing indicators for ICT intervention in an underserved community in South Africa

Thesis (MTech (Information Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019The challenges faced by members of underserved communities in South Africa have frequently been reported in literature. To ameliorate these challenges, different interventions have been introduced both locally and internationally to improve the wellbeing of the members of these communities. One such intervention is the introduction of information and communication technology ICT as a means to close the digital divide and meeting the socio-economic needs of the community. Youth living in these communities are expected to derive more benefit from ICT interventions as they have been reported to be more technology savvy and dependent on technology than the older adults are. However, the failures of ICT interventions deployed by donors have also been reported in literature. Authors have identified several reasons for the failure of ICT interventions, but a lack of consultation with the beneficiaries of this type of intervention is common to many findings. The exclusion of the youth as major beneficiaries of ICT interventions causes a lack of alignment between the interventions deployed for their use and the actual wellbeing needs of the youth in underserved communities. The failure of ICT interventions increases the digital divide and frustrates the good intentions of local and national government as well as international donors to improve the wellbeing of the youth in underserved communities. By using the concept of wellbeing, the study aimed to explore how youth wellbeing indicators can be used to facilitate effective ICT interventions for youth empowerment and development in underserved communities in South Africa. Furthermore, the study aimed todesign an ICT-based artefact to prioritise youth wellbeing indicators in underserved communities in South Africa. The study was implemented through a qualitative research method using a service design strategy that allowed for a participatory research approach and co-design instrument for data collection from the youth living in Grabouw anunderserved community in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Data was collected from 40 youth aged between 15 and 30 at two workshops. Content analysis technique was used to analyse data. Findings from the research show that given the opportunity, the youth are able to determine their social-economic needs. A comprehensive set of wellbeing indicators was developed. Thirteen wellbeing indicators symbolising the issues in the community were prioritised, which are:unemployment, self-image, reaching full potential, family support,access to water, sanitation and electricity,meaning and purpose of life,being healthy,religious practice,educational level,future expectations,freedom of expression,skills to get a job, and access to skills and training. Overall, nine categories of wellbeing indicators were identified; of these, seven are similar to theGlobal Youth Wellbeing Index(GYWI) categories. Three new categories – aspiration, social support, and infrastructure and services – were realised. The three factors are an indication that the Grabouw youth may have special needs different from the global perspective as specified by the GYWI categories. Moreover, the priorities of the wellbeing indicators when compared to the GYWI rating for South Africa differ significantly, which may indicate that the needs of the youth living in underserved communities may vary largelyfrom other youth in the country. Furthermore, an artefact that can be used to prioritise wellbeing indicators was designed. It is important for stakeholders of ICT interventions to embrace participation of the beneficiaries as a means of aligning interventions to their needs. These stakeholders need to seek ways of developing artefacts that address the needs, not limited to health, so that the youth can take advantage of technology to improve their wellbeing on a continuous basis