Transforming Healthcare Provider and Patient Power Dynamics – Exploring the Impact of Mobile Healthcare

Purpose: The purpose of this emergent research is to explore the relationships between provider and patient power structures and mobile healthcare technology in literature utilizing text analytics. Objectives: Changes in power structures through mobile healthcare have the potential to radically disrupt and change current organizational structures. This research develops a set of metaconjectures based on review of each of the power and mobile healthcare technology lenses, in order to develop new theoretical concepts, healthcare industry insights and recommendations following text analytics. Anticipated Findings: Different power lenses lead to variations in mobile healthcare technology effectiveness and control

A Study Of Healthcare Consumers’ Voluntary Adoption and Non-Adoption of Electronic Personal Health Records in Connecticut

The use and ready availability of electronic health records is broadly purported to have the potential to improve health outcomes for individual healthcare consumers, providers and the healthcare system as a whole. Unlike electronic health records that are created and managed by providers, personal health records (PHR) are controlled by the individual consumer and the persons/entities to which they choose to grant access. Studies show while more healthcare consumers have access to PHRs, their voluntary adoption is lagging. Yet, our understanding of adoption lag is also lacking. In this qualitative study, we investigate: (1) how individual healthcare users in Connecticut currently manage their personal health information, (2) whether they have adopted an electronic PHR and the considerations that influenced the volitional adoption or non-adoption of a PHR. Initial findings casts new and surprising understandings including how healthcare consumers would like to use PHRs._x000D

Ecological Momentary Assessment based Differences between Android and iOS Users of the TrackYourHearing mHealth Crowdsensing Platform

mHealth technologies are increasingly utilized in various medical contexts. Mobile crowdsensing is such a technology, which is often used for data collection scenarios related to questions on chronic disorders. One prominent reason for the latter setting is based on the fact that powerful Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMA) can be performed. Notably, when mobile crowdsensing solutions are used to integrate EMA measurements, many new challenges arise. For example, the measurements must be provided in the same way on different mobile operating systems. However, the newly given possibilities can surpass the challenges. For example, if different mobile operating systems must be technically provided, one direction could be to investigate whether users of different mobile operating systems pose a different behaviour when performing EMA measurements. In a previous work, we investigated differences between iOS and Android users from the TrackYourTinnitus mHealth crowdsensing platform, which has the goal to reveal insights on the daily fluctuations of tinnitus patients. In this work, we investigated differences between iOS and Android users from the TrackYourHearing mHealth crowdsensing platform, which aims at insights on the daily fluctuations of patients with hearing loss. We analyzed 3767 EMA measurements based on a daily applied questionnaire of 84 patients. Statistical analyses have been conducted to see whether these 84 patients differ with respect to the used mobile operating system and their given answers to the EMA measurements. We present the obtained results and compare them to the previous mentioned study. Our insights show the differences in the two studies and that the overall results are worth being investigated in a more indepth manner. Particularly, it must be investigated whether the used mobile operating system constitutes a confounder when gathering EMA-based data through a crowdsensing platform

Differences between Android and iOS Users of the TrackYourTinnitus Mobile Crowdsensing mHealth Platform

Presently, mHealth technology is often applied in the context of chronic diseases to gather data that may lead to new and valuable medical insights. As many aspects of chronic diseases are not completely understood, new data sources might be promising. mHealth technology may help in this context as it can be easily used in everyday life. Moreover, the bring your own device principle encourages many patients to use their smartphone to learn more about their disease. The less is known about a disorder (e.g., tinnitus), the more patients crave for new insights and opportunities. Despite the fact that existing mHealth technology like mobile crowdsensing has already gathered data that may help patients, in general, less is known whether and how data gathered with different mobile technologies may differ. In this context, one relevant aspect is the contribution of the mobile operating system itself. For example, are there differences between Android and iOS users that utilize the same mHealth technology for a disease. In the TrackYourTinnitus project, a mobile crowdsensing mHealth platform was developed to gather data for tinnitus patients in order to reveal new insights on this disorder with high economic and patient-related burdens. As many data sets were gathered during the last years that enable us to compare Android and iOS users, the work at hand compares characteristics of these users. Interesting insights like the one that Android users with tinnitus are significantly older than iOS users could be revealed by our study. However, more evaluations are necessary for TrackYourTinnitus in particular and mHealth technology in general to understand how smartphones affect the gathering of data on chronic diseases when using them in the large

Healthcare Consumers’ Voluntary Adoption and Non-Adoption of Electronic Personal Health Records

The use and ready availability of electronic health records is broadly purported to have the potential to improve health outcomes for individual healthcare consumers, providers and the healthcare system as a whole. Unlike electronic health records that are created and managed by providers, personal health records (PHR) are controlled by the individual consumer and the persons/entities to which they choose to grant access. Studies show while more healthcare consumers have access to PHRs, their voluntary adoption is lagging. Yet, our understanding of adoption lag is also lacking. In this qualitative study, we investigate: (1) how individual healthcare users in Connecticut currently manage their personal health information, (2) whether they have adopted an electronic PHR and the considerations that influenced the volitional adoption or non-adoption of a PHR. Initial findings casts new and surprising understandings including how healthcare consumers would like to use PHRs

A Lazy User Perspective to the Voluntary Adoption of Electronic Personal Health Records (PHRs)

Personal Health Records (PHRs) have been imbued with the potential to improve health outcomes for individual healthcare consumers, providers, and the broader healthcare system. With Meaningful Use Stage 2 now mandating the implementation of tethered PHRs, tethered to provider electronic health records (patient portals), will healthcare consumers voluntarily use PHRs and contribute to safety, quality, efficiency and reduced health disparities through engagement? Or will PHR use remain low? In this qualitative study, using grounded theory, we asked users how they currently managed their personal health information (PHI) and why. Using the lazy user model, we found that letting physicians manage healthcare consumers PHI is the least effort-based solution and thus the predominant and preferred solution. Providers as guardians of patient PHI suggests the low use rates may persist yet. We should do more to make these technologies usable and accessible to those with irregular contact with a primary care physician

The Promise of Information and Communication Technology In Health Care: Extracting Value from the Chaos

Healthcare is an information business with expanding use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Current ICT tools are immature, but a brighter future looms. We examine 7 areas of ICT in healthcare: electronic health records (EHRs), health information exchange (HIE), patient portals, telemedicine, social media, mobile devices and wearable sensors and monitors, and privacy and security. In each of these areas, we examine the current status and future promise, highlighting how each might reach its promise. Steps to better EHRs include a universal programming interface, universal patient identifiers, improved documentation and improved data analysis. HIEs require federal subsidies for sustainability and support from EHR vendors, targeting seamless sharing of EHR data. Patient portals must bring patients into the EHR with better design and training, greater provider engagement and leveraging HIEs. Telemedicine needs sustainable payment models, clear rules of engagement, quality measures and monitoring. Social media needs consensus on rules of engagement for providers, better data mining tools and approaches to counter disinformation. Mobile and wearable devices benefit from a universal programming interface, improved infrastructure, more rigorous research and integration with EHRs and HIEs. Laws for privacy and security need updating to match current technologies, and data stewards should share information on breaches and standardize best practices. ICT tools are evolving quickly in healthcare and require a rational and well-funded national agenda for development, use and assessment

Building Guidelines for UNESCO World Heritage Sites’ Apps

This research involved the Mobile Media Group, from the Bauhaus-University Weimar - Germany.Technological improvements and access provide a fertile scenario for the creation and development of mobile applications. This scenario of intense production of new software for mobile devices results in a myriad of apps providing information about almost all the cultural segments, including those dedicated to UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS). However, not all of the apps have the same efficiency. In order to have a successful app, its development must consider usability aspects aligned with reliable content. Despite the guidelines for mobile usability being broadly available, they are generic, and none of them concentrates specifically in cultural heritage. This article aims to fulfil this literature gap and discusses how to develop specific guidelines for a better WHS experience. It uses an empirical approach applied to an open-air WHS city: Weimar and its Bauhaus and Classical Weimar sites. To build the guidelines, this research compared literature-based guidelines to industry-based ones, extracted from a vast compendium of available apps dedicated to WHS. The instructions compiled from both sources have been comparatively tested by using two built prototypes from the distinctive guidelines

Desenvolvimento de um Analisador de Design de Interface no Contexto do Ensino de Computação com o App Inventor

TCC(graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro Tecnológico. Ciências da Computação.O uso cotidiano de tecnologias de informação e comunicação pela população tem se tornado um componente imprescindível, tanto na vida pessoal como na carreira profissional. Por isso, a inclusão do ensino dos princípios básicos da Ciência da Computação na Educação Básica acaba sendo conhecimento útil para o cidadão como um usuário de tecnologias de informação, mas também o torna capacitado para ser criador. De forma a incluir o ensino da computação na Educação Básica, há iniciativas que propõem a utilização de ambientes de programação visual baseado em blocos, como Scratch, Snap! e App Inventor. Para auxiliar estudantes a aprender competências básicas de computação incluindo o pensamento computacional por meio da programação, aprimorar a capacidade de raciocínio lógico para resolução de problemas, inovação e criatividade. Uma forma de ensinar computação é por meio de criação de aplicativos para dispositivos Android, com auxílio do App Inventor. Além da programação é essencial o design de interface, pois procura trazer aos usuários a melhor usabilidade. Isso torna importante ensinar não só a programação, mas também conceitos básicos de design de interface. Para proporcionar um processo de aprendizagem consistente é importante apresentar um feedback em forma de avaliação. Isso é uma tarefa complicada e trabalhosa para os professores. Visando facilitar a avaliação, existem ferramentas que analisam automaticamente os projetos de programação dos alunos e apresentam um feedback sobre a variedade e complexidade da programação realizada, como por exemplo Dr. Scratch e CodeMaster. Considerando projetos desenvolvidos pelo App Inventor, ainda não há ferramentas que avaliam o design de interfaces de apps desenvolvidos de forma automatizada. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho é a aprimoração da ferramenta web CodeMaster, de forma a incluir a análise e avaliação automatizada de design de interface dos aplicativos desenvolvidos com App Inventor. Desta forma, o presente trabalho visa levantar o estado da arte, mapear as heurísticas de usabilidade a partir de um guia de design, elaborar uma rubrica, desenvolver o sistema e, por fim, realizar testes de corretude e validade. Assim, como resultado é apresentada uma rubrica que avalia o design de interface de aplicativos desenvolvidos no App Inventor. Também é apresentada a ferramenta CodeMaster, com a avaliação automatizada da rubrica. Com o objetivo de auxiliar professores da Educação Básica na avaliação de projetos e deste modo facilitar o ensino e popularização de computação e design de interfaces no Brasil

Uma abordagem para a avaliação do design visual de aplicativos móveis criados com linguagens de programação baseadas em blocos

Competências relacionadas à computação são necessárias para atuar na sociedade, o que tem motivado o ensino de computação na educação básica. A computação frequentemente é ensinada por meio de atividades abertas de programação de aplicativos móveis com linguagens visuais. Nesse contexto, avalia-se a aprendizagem com base no artefato de código criado pelo aluno, identificando se os conceitos abordados foram aplicados corretamente. Embora já existam diversas abordagens para a avaliação de código de linguagens visuais, não se encontraram abordagens incluindo a avaliação do design de interface do usuário (IU) de aplicativos móveis de forma detalhada. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho é desenvolver uma abordagem para a avaliação de design visual de aplicativos móveis desenvolvidos com linguagens de programação baseadas em blocos. A abordagem é instanciada por uma rubrica para a avaliação do design de IU de aplicativos criados com o ambiente App Inventor e automatizada evoluindo a ferramenta web CodeMaster. A abordagem é avaliada estatisticamente em relação à sua confiabilidade e validade utilizando aplicativos desenvolvidos com o App Inventor. Os resultados da avaliação indicam que a abordagem é confiável e válida. Disponibilizando essa abordagem, espera-se facilitar a avaliação do design de IU de aplicativos móveis criados com App Inventor, fornecendo suporte ao ensino desses conceitos na educação básica