Medical data processing and analysis for remote health and activities monitoring

Recent developments in sensor technology, wearable computing, Internet of Things (IoT), and wireless communication have given rise to research in ubiquitous healthcare and remote monitoring of human\u2019s health and activities. Health monitoring systems involve processing and analysis of data retrieved from smartphones, smart watches, smart bracelets, as well as various sensors and wearable devices. Such systems enable continuous monitoring of patients psychological and health conditions by sensing and transmitting measurements such as heart rate, electrocardiogram, body temperature, respiratory rate, chest sounds, or blood pressure. Pervasive healthcare, as a relevant application domain in this context, aims at revolutionizing the delivery of medical services through a medical assistive environment and facilitates the independent living of patients. In this chapter, we discuss (1) data collection, fusion, ownership and privacy issues; (2) models, technologies and solutions for medical data processing and analysis; (3) big medical data analytics for remote health monitoring; (4) research challenges and opportunities in medical data analytics; (5) examples of case studies and practical solutions

A double closed loop to enhance the quality of life of Parkinson's disease patients: REMPARK system

This paper presents REMPARK system, a novel approach to deal with Parkinson's Disease (PD). REMPARK system comprises two closed loops of actuation onto PD. The first loop consists in a wearable system that, based on a belt-worn movement sensor, detects movement alterations that activate an auditory cueing system controlled by a smartphone in order to improve patient's gait. The belt-worn sensor analyzes patient's movement through real-time learning algorithms that were developed on the basis of a database previously collected from 93 PD patients. The second loop consists in disease management based on the data collected during long periods and that enables neurologists to tailor medication of their PD patients and follow the disease evolution. REMPARK system is going to be tested in 40 PD patients in Spain, Ireland, Italy and Israel. This paper describes the approach followed to obtain this system, its components, functionalities and trials in which the system will be validated.Postprint (published version

Ambient-aware continuous care through semantic context dissemination

Background: The ultimate ambient-intelligent care room contains numerous sensors and devices to monitor the patient, sense and adjust the environment and support the staff. This sensor-based approach results in a large amount of data, which can be processed by current and future applications, e. g., task management and alerting systems. Today, nurses are responsible for coordinating all these applications and supplied information, which reduces the added value and slows down the adoption rate. The aim of the presented research is the design of a pervasive and scalable framework that is able to optimize continuous care processes by intelligently reasoning on the large amount of heterogeneous care data. Methods: The developed Ontology-based Care Platform (OCarePlatform) consists of modular components that perform a specific reasoning task. Consequently, they can easily be replicated and distributed. Complex reasoning is achieved by combining the results of different components. To ensure that the components only receive information, which is of interest to them at that time, they are able to dynamically generate and register filter rules with a Semantic Communication Bus (SCB). This SCB semantically filters all the heterogeneous care data according to the registered rules by using a continuous care ontology. The SCB can be distributed and a cache can be employed to ensure scalability. Results: A prototype implementation is presented consisting of a new-generation nurse call system supported by a localization and a home automation component. The amount of data that is filtered and the performance of the SCB are evaluated by testing the prototype in a living lab. The delay introduced by processing the filter rules is negligible when 10 or fewer rules are registered. Conclusions: The OCarePlatform allows disseminating relevant care data for the different applications and additionally supports composing complex applications from a set of smaller independent components. This way, the platform significantly reduces the amount of information that needs to be processed by the nurses. The delay resulting from processing the filter rules is linear in the amount of rules. Distributed deployment of the SCB and using a cache allows further improvement of these performance results

EldyIoT: IoT assistive system for elderly

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most promising technologies for the near future. IoT has penetrated many industries such as smart cities, smart homes, smart cars, healthcare, agriculture and manufacturing. In the health sector, the number of use cases has increased as a consequence of the improvement in the quality and effectiveness of the provision of hospital and care services. This work presents a solution to reduce the distance between caregivers and patients in a non-intrusive way, allowing information about the health status and mobility of patients to be available and accessible anywhere, anytime. Consecutively, it will increase the confidence of caregivers in relation to the health status of monitored patients and, on the other hand, it will increase the confidence of patients that their health status is being monitored frequently. Thus, this thesis presents a framework for physical monitoring of elderly people based on smartwatch devices. As an integral part of the solution, we present a cross-platform mobile application and a software framework assembled to support the processes of collecting, processing, storing, displaying and analyzing data.A Internet das Coisas (IoT) é uma das tecnologias mais promissoras para o futuro próximo. A IoT penetrou em muitos setores, como cidades inteligentes, casas inteligentes, carros inteligentes, saúde, agricultura e manufatura. No sector da saúde, o número de casos de uso, tem aumentado como consequência do incremento na qualidade e eficácia na prestação de serviços hospitalares e de cuidados. Este trabalho, apresenta uma solução para reduzir a distância entre cuidadores e pacientes de forma não intrusiva, permitindo que informações sobre o estado de saúde e mobilidade dos pacientes estejam disponíveis e acessíveis em qualquer lugar, e a qualquer hora. Consecutivamente, aumentará a confiança dos cuidadores em relação ao estado de saúde dos pacientes acompanhados e, por outro lado, aumentará a confiança dos pacientes de que o seu estado de saúde está a ser monitorizado com frequência. Assim, esta tese apresenta um framework para monitorização física de idosos baseada em dispositivos smartwatch. Como parte integrante da solução, apresentamos uma aplicação móvel cross-platform e uma estrutura de software montada para dar suporte aos processos de recolher, processamento, armazenamento, exibição e análise de dados

Designing ICTs for Users with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Usability Study

Background: Research has supported the cost-effectiveness of cognitive training tools enhanced by information and communication technologies (ICT) in several populations, including individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and age-related cognitive decline. The implementation of ICTs in this population, however, is sometimes challenging to their cognitive and age characteristics. Ultimately, this might compromise the effectiveness of ICT-enhanced therapies in this population. The aim of this study is to test the usability and acceptability of a European project prototype for elderly care, in an attempt to explore the ICT design needs of users with MCI. Methods: Participants were 28 individuals aged 58-95 years and with a diagnosis of MCI. Results: The results showed a low perception of peripheral elements and the need to place main interaction elements in the centre of the screen. The correlation between the general level of autonomy (daily life activities) and the ICT autonomy level was significant and positive. The speed of audio help had a significant impact on performance. Conclusion: The present work contributes to the literature on ICT usability needs of users with MCI. Some usability recommendations for designing interfaces for this type of user are provided in the text

Digital Twin for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: a system for patient engagement

This chapter focuses on the context in which patients such as those with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) are placed and what possibilities information and communication technologies (ICTs) offer to keep them in touch with the world to reach Society 5.0. In particular, the authors intend to show how the healthcare sector can use digital twin (DT) through elements of augmented virtuality (AR) and building information modelling (BIM) to create interactive interfaces that can solve, in part, problems involving frail patients but at the same time allowing their monitoring. Interconnection is possible through a gamification approach. In addition, a solution that considers the user (patient) involvement and that aims at its increase through interaction with alternative places to their home so as to stimulate them to keep an active mind and the degree of fun in a limiting condition is proposed

Activity Theory Analysis of Heart Failure Self-Care

The management of chronic health conditions such as heart failure is a complex process emerging from the activity of a network of individuals and artifacts. This article presents an Activity Theory-based secondary analysis of data from a geriatric heart failure management study. Twenty-one patients' interviews and clinic visit observations were analyzed to uncover eight configurations of roles and activities involving patients, clinicians, and others in the sociotechnical network. For each configuration or activity pattern, we identify points of tension and propose guidelines for developing interventions for future computer-supported healthcare systems

The Evolution of Elderly Telehealth and Health Informatics

Many elderly individuals experience memory loss and often dementia as they age. This causes problems for the elderly due to diminished skills and increase in medical problems and natural decline. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) introduced a national home telehealth program, Care Coordination/Home Telehealth (CCHT). Its purpose was to coordinate the care of veteran patients with chronic conditions and avoid their unnecessary admission to long-term institutional care. Such programs are cost-effective. Long-term care insurance companies are likely to cover these services. Home care and nursing home corporations are following the VHA’s lead. We have recently witnessed significant advances in technology. Internet and mobile applications have opened a new world, providing information and opportunities for individuals to learn more information about illness and at a much faster rate. Smart home technology has evolved. Elderly patients often encounter difficulties using these technologies. Despite the advances in telehealth and telemedicine and the evolution of the technology, many individuals cannot afford the treatment or the technology. These same individuals and families are part of the digital divide, and they have not embraced the new technology. Federal programs have been developed and implemented to help this portion of the population