Deployment of a smart telecare system to carry out an intelligent health monitoring at home

Information and Communication Technologies together appropriate reasoning tools can add value to current telecare systems, including smart tele-monitoring solutions to enhance the capability for identifying risk situations at home. Cooperation between Home Area Networks (HAN) and Body Area Networks (BAN) at home can provide smart systems to support effective health solutions for ageing people living alone, improving service quality and security to the users and relatives. This paper details the development of a reasoning platform to monitor situations of the person at home, and react in risk situations that demanding care support of remote careers. The system integrates BAN and HAN with intelligent agents, whose behavior is defined by ontologies and rules. The system manages environmental and user data to proactively detect risk situations, and dynamically adjust its behavior to trigger the adequate problem solve mechanisms. A development methodology was also adapted to sustain knowledge acquisition process from experts in all stages of the development process and to create the reasoning logic adapted to the users in telecare scenario. Thus, the platform is flexible and easily customizable, according hardware conditions and user profile

Smart hospital conceptualisations by experts in teams

Objective – The concept of Smart hospitals looks to future hospitals as infrastructures for effective and efficient clinical processes as well as infrastructures for supportive social interactions between patients and health professionals with the objective to design places that increase health service quality, productivity and patient's positive experience. This requires teams of experts that bring in knowledge from different disciplines like medicine and healthcare sciences, Information and Communication Technology, Social Sciences and Architecture. Background - One of the biggest challenges in healthcare is the rising demand for services, while there is a decrease in workforce due to an aging society. Given the current budget constraints, healthcare systems are therefore under pressure to provide cost effectively high-quality services which requires fundamental reforms. When healthcare process data becomes more detailed and accurate, leveraging the concept of smart hospitals could contribute to better use of healthcare resources, including the hospital buildings. Research question - What is a smart hospital? How can various disciplines contribute to smart hospitals? How will healthcare processes change by applying smart technologies? Methodology – 5 interdisciplinary student groups of in total 28 students (12 medicine, 5 economy, 5 social sciences and 6 Technology) explored the concepts for future Smart Hospitals during a 4-week intensive course in Experts in Team. The projects included 3 phases: (1) conceptualisation; (2) writing an article based on literature research and; (3) integrating the findings in a proposal for a product. Results - The 5 projects reflect the students’ research on the application of smart technologies in future hospitals, ranging from: (1) the use of drones for acute healthcare: (2) application of artificial intelligence for improving diagnosis; (3) use of Building Information Models to optimise use of healthcare resources; (4) reducing hospital acquired infections by tracking flow of objects and people and; (5) home delivery of diagnostic services to reduce number of patients in the hospital. Conclusion - The link between healthcare services and the physical environment has the potential to be re-invented through digitalisation and analytics of hospital process data leading to predictability and reduction of variation to support decision making. This requires cross-cutting solutions from healthcare management, logistic management and facility management in combination with ICT and social sciences.publishedVersio

Palliative home-based technology from a practitioner's perspective: benefits and disadvantages

This critical review paper explores the concept of palliative home-based technology from a practitioner's perspective. The aim of the critical review was to scope information available from published and unpublished research on the current state of palliative home-based technology, practitioner-focused perspectives, patient-focused perspectives, quality of life, and the implications for clinical practice. Published and unpublished studies were included. An example of one UK patient-centered home-based technology is explored as an exemplar. The evidence suggests that despite the challenges, there are numerous examples of good practice in relation to palliative home-based technology. Improvements in technology mean that telehealth has much to offer people being cared for at home with palliative needs. However, some of the evaluative evidence is limited, and further rigor is needed when evaluating future technology-based solutions innovations

Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) art in care of ageing society: focus on dementia

open access articleBackground: Art enhances both physical and mental health wellbeing. The health benefits include reduction in blood pressure, heart rate, pain perception and briefer inpatient stays, as well as improvement of communication skills and self-esteem. In addition to these, people living with dementia benefit from reduction of their noncognitive, behavioural changes, enhancement of their cognitive capacities and being socially active. Methods: The current study represents a narrative general literature review on available studies and knowledge about contribution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in creative arts. Results: We review AI visual arts technologies, and their potential for use among people with dementia and care, drawing on similar experiences to date from traditional art in dementia care. Conclusion: The virtual reality, installations and the psychedelic properties of the AI created art provide a new venue for more detailed research about its therapeutic use in dementia

North Carolina's ABCD Program: Using Community Care Networks to Improve the Delivery of Childhood Developmental Screening and Referral to Early Intervention Services

Profiles community care networks' approaches to implementing the Assuring Better Child Health and Development (ABCD) program. Examines activities to increase screening for and interventions in developmental disabilities and delays, impact, and insights

Smart Computing and Sensing Technologies for Animal Welfare: A Systematic Review

Animals play a profoundly important and intricate role in our lives today. Dogs have been human companions for thousands of years, but they now work closely with us to assist the disabled, and in combat and search and rescue situations. Farm animals are a critical part of the global food supply chain, and there is increasing consumer interest in organically fed and humanely raised livestock, and how it impacts our health and environmental footprint. Wild animals are threatened with extinction by human induced factors, and shrinking and compromised habitat. This review sets the goal to systematically survey the existing literature in smart computing and sensing technologies for domestic, farm and wild animal welfare. We use the notion of \emph{animal welfare} in broad terms, to review the technologies for assessing whether animals are healthy, free of pain and suffering, and also positively stimulated in their environment. Also the notion of \emph{smart computing and sensing} is used in broad terms, to refer to computing and sensing systems that are not isolated but interconnected with communication networks, and capable of remote data collection, processing, exchange and analysis. We review smart technologies for domestic animals, indoor and outdoor animal farming, as well as animals in the wild and zoos. The findings of this review are expected to motivate future research and contribute to data, information and communication management as well as policy for animal welfare

M-health review: joining up healthcare in a wireless world

In recent years, there has been a huge increase in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to deliver health and social care. This trend is bound to continue as providers (whether public or private) strive to deliver better care to more people under conditions of severe budgetary constraint

Managing ubiquitous eco cities: the role of urban telecommunication infrastructure networks and convergence technologies

A successful urban management system for a Ubiquitous Eco City requires an integrated approach. This integration includes bringing together economic, socio-cultural and urban development with a well orchestrated, transparent and open decision making mechanism and necessary infrastructure and technologies. Rapidly developing information and telecommunication technologies and their platforms in the late 20th Century improves urban management and enhances the quality of life and place. Telecommunication technologies provide an important base for monitoring and managing activities over wired, wireless or fibre-optic networks. Particularly technology convergence creates new ways in which the information and telecommunication technologies are used. The 21st Century is an era where information has converged, in which people are able to access a variety of services, including internet and location based services, through multi-functional devices such as mobile phones and provides opportunities in the management of Ubiquitous Eco Cities. This paper discusses the recent developments in telecommunication networks and trends in convergence technologies and their implications on the management of Ubiquitous Eco Cities and how this technological shift is likely to be beneficial in improving the quality of life and place. The paper also introduces recent approaches on urban management systems, such as intelligent urban management systems, that are suitable for Ubiquitous Eco Cities

`Everyone is a winner, help is just a push of a button away. . . ' : the Telecare Plus service in Malta

This paper reports on a research study on the role of assistive technologies in later life. Re- search questions included what is the impact of assistive technologies on the quality of life of older service-users, and to what extent does assistive technology lead to an improved quality of life for subscribers and in- formal carers? The chosen method of enquiry was a case-study of the Telecare Plus service in Malta. A total of 26 semi-structured interviews were held with a convenience sample of 26 people aged 60-plus about their use and experience of this particular telecare system. The Telecare Plus service was found to contribute positively to subscribers' levels of emotional and physical wellbeing, interpersonal relations and personal develop- ment, as well as towards the quality of life of informal carers. However, research also highlighted a range of challenges that stood in the way of increased adoption rates of the Telecare Plus service by older people. The fact that the fi eld of assistive technologies in Malta lacks effi cient and clear business models constitutes another barrier towards the take up of such services.peer-reviewe