506 research outputs found
Towards a Smarter organization for a Self-servicing Society
Traditional social organizations such as those for the management of
healthcare are the result of designs that matched well with an operational
context considerably different from the one we are experiencing today. The new
context reveals all the fragility of our societies. In this paper, a platform
is introduced by combining social-oriented communities and complex-event
processing concepts: SELFSERV. Its aim is to complement the "old recipes" with
smarter forms of social organization based on the self-service paradigm and by
exploring culture-specific aspects and technological challenges.Comment: Final version of a paper published in the Proceedings of
International Conference on Software Development and Technologies for
Enhancing Accessibility and Fighting Info-exclusion (DSAI'16), special track
on Emergent Technologies for Ambient Assisted Living (ETAAL
Inter-organization cooperation for ambient assisted living
In the last years we have witnessed to a substantial increase on the number of people in need of care services, espe-cially among the elderly, a phenomenon related to population ageing. However, this is becoming not exclusive of the elderly, as diseases like obesity, diabetes, and blood pressure have been increasing amongst young adults. This is a new reality which needs to be dealt by the healthcare sector, specifically the public one. Given these new scenarios, the importance of finding new and cost-effective ways for health care delivery are of particular relevance, especially when it is believed that these new patients should not be removed from their natural, day-to-day life, environment. The evolution of the, so called, new technolo-gies may pay here a very important role as they may become part of the solution for this new problematic. Actually, they are already been used as, in recent years, several projects have raised in this relatively new area of work. These projects, although legitimate ones, were essential for delineating a path to pursue for others to come, as they were in some case, very simple ones (e.g. panic buttons), and, especially, reactive ones. In this paper, we are going to present how we are trying to evolve these projects a step further, through the introduction of proactiveness as a key factor, taking advantage of “new”, as in applied to this areas, techniques of decision making, idea generation, argumentation and data quality, applied, not only to the in transit information, but also to the one provided by the several intervenient as well as themselves. In order to be able to pursue this delineated path, a new approach for knowledge representation, reasoning, and even for problem solving is proposed. To achieve these goals, the VirtualECare environment is presented, together with its sustaining infrastructure and architecture. Particular attention will be paidto how it may be used to simulate a virtual Assisted Living Environment in order to, later, bet-ter monitor real ones, attending to its customers’ needs
Tracing and cataloguing knowledge in an e-health cardiology environment
AbstractIn an e-health cardiology environment, the current knowledge engineering systems can support two knowledge processes; the knowledge tracing, and the knowledge cataloguing.We have developed an n-tier system capable of supporting these processes by enabling human collaboration in each phase along with, a prototype scalable knowledge engineering tactic. A knowledge graph is used as a dynamic information structure. Biosignal data (values of HR, QRS, and ST variables) from 86 patients were used; two general practitioners defined and updated the patients’ clinical management protocols; and feedback was inserted retrospectively. Several calibration tests were also performed.The system succeeded in formulating three knowledge catalogues per patient, namely, the “patient in life”, the “patient in time”, and the “patient in action”.For each patient the clinically accepted normal limits of each variable were predicted with an accuracy of approximately 95%. The patients’ risk-levels were identified accurately, and in turn, the errors were reduced. The data and the expert-oriented feedback were also time-stamped correctly and synchronized under a common time-framework.Knowledge processes optimization necessitates human collaboration and scalable knowledge engineering tactics. Experts should be responsible for resenting or rejecting a process if it downgrades the provided healthcare quality
Strategic Intelligence Monitor on Personal Health Systems (SIMPHS): Report on Typology/Segmentation of the PHS Market
This market segmentation reports for Personal Health Systems (PHS) describes the methodological background and illustrates the principles of classification and typology regarding different fragments forming this market. It discusses different aspects of the market for PHS and highlights challenges towards a stringent and clear-cut typology or defining market segmentation. Based on these findings a preliminary hybrid typology and indications and insights are created in order to be used in the continuation of the SIMPHS project. It concludes with an annex containing examples and cases studies.JRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ
Collaborative networks in ambient assisted living
Tese de doutoramento em InformáticaCollaborative Work plays an important role in today’s organizations, especially
in areas where decisions must be made. However, any decision that involves a
collective or group of decision makers is, by itself, complex, but is becoming recurrent
in recent years. In this work we present the VirtualECare project, an intelligent multiagent
system able to monitor, interact and serve its customers, in need of care
services. In last year’s there has been a substantially increase on the number of
people needed of intensive care, especially among the elderly, a phenomenon that is
related to population ageing. However, this is becoming not exclusive of the elderly,
as diseases like obesity, diabetes and blood pressure have been increasing among
young adults. This is a new reality that needs to be dealt by the health sector,
particularly by the public one. Given this scenario, the importance of finding new and
cost effective ways for health care delivery are of particular importance, especially
when it is believed that they should not be removed from their natural “habitat”.
Following this line of thinking, the VirtualECare project will be presented, like similar
ones that preceded it. On the other hand, this is a growing interest in combining the
advances in information society ‐ computing, telecommunications and presentation –
in order to create Group Decision Support Systems (GDSSs). Indeed, the new
economy, along with increased competition in today’s complex business
environments, takes the companies to seek complementarities in order to increase
competitiveness and reduce risks. Under these settings, planning takes a major role in
a company life. However, effective planning depends on the generation and analysis
of ideas (innovative or not) and, as a result, the idea generation and management
processes are crucial. In particular if is believed that the use of GDSS in the healthcare
arena will allow professionals to achieve better results in the analysis of one’s
Electronically Clinical Profile (ECP). This achievement is vital, regarding the explosion
of knowledge and skills, together with the need to use limited resources and get the expected outcomes.Hoje em dia, o Trabalho Colaborativo desempenha um papel deveras
importante na maioria das organizações, especialmente em áreas em que decisões
têm de ser tomadas. No entanto, e muito embora comece a ser recorrente, qualquer
decisão que envolva um grupo colectivo de decisores é, por si só, complexa. Nesta
tese apresenta‐se o projecto VirtualECare, um sistema inteligente multi‐agente capaz
de monitorar, interagir e servir os seus utilizadores, com necessidades de cuidados de
saúde. Nos últimos anos têm‐se verificado um aumento substancial no número de
pessoas necessitadas de cuidados intensivos, especialmente entre a população mais
envelhecida, um fenómeno directamente relacionado com o envelhecimento gradual
da população. No entanto, esta é uma problemática que começa a deixar de estar
exclusivamente associada aos idosos, uma vez que, doenças como a obesidade,
diabetes e a pressão arterial têm vindo a aumentar junto dos, assim chamados,
jovens adultos. Esta é uma nova realidade com a qual o sector da saúde necessita de
lidar, especialmente o sector público. Apresentados estes cenários, a importância de
encontrar novas formas, mais eficazes ao nível dos custos, de providenciar cuidados
de saúde, a quem deles necessita, torna‐se ainda mais premente, especialmente
quando acreditamos que estes não devem ser deslocalizados do seu “habitat”
natural. Seguindo esta linha de raciocínio, vamos apresentar o projecto VirtualECare,
bem como similares que o precederam. Recentemente tem‐se vindo a assistir a um
interesse crescente em combinar os avanços na, assim chamada, sociedade da
informação – computação, telecomunicações e apresentação – de forma a se criarem
Sistemas de Apoio à Decisão em Grupo (GDSS). Na realidade, a nova economia,
associada ao elevado crescimento da competitividade do, já de si, complexo mundo
empresarial, provoca a procura, por parte das empresas e/ou instituições, de outras
que as possam complementar para assim se poderem tornar mais competitivas e
reduzir os riscos assumidos. Neste cenário, o planeamento assume um papel da
maior importância na vida de uma empresa. No entanto, um planeamento eficaz
depende da geração e posterior análise de ideias (inovativas ou não) e, como
resultado, o processo de geração e análise de ideias também se torna crucial. O nosso objectivo é aplicar os já apresentados GDSS a uma nova área. É de esperar que o uso
de GDSS na área da prestação de cuidados de saúde irá permitir que os seus
profissionais obtenham melhores e mais imediatos resultados na análise de um
qualquer Processo Clínico Electrónico (ECP), sendo este um factor crucial, tendo em
conta a explosão de conhecimento e técnicas conjugadas com a necessidade de
melhor se utilizar os recursos existentes
Ubiquitous Computing for Remote Cardiac Patient Monitoring: A Survey
New wireless technologies, such as wireless LAN and sensor networks, for telecardiology purposes give new possibilities for monitoring vital parameters with wearable biomedical sensors, and give patients the freedom to be mobile and still be under continuous monitoring and thereby better quality of patient care. This paper will detail the architecture and quality-of-service (QoS) characteristics in integrated wireless telecardiology platforms. It will also discuss the current promising hardware/software platforms for wireless cardiac monitoring. The design methodology and challenges are provided for realistic implementation
Strategic Intelligence Monitor on Personal Health Systems (SIMPHS): Market Structure and Innovation Dynamics
Personal Health Systems (PHS) and Remote Patient Monitoring and Treatment (RMT) have the potential to alter the way healthcare is provided by increasing the quantity and quality of care. This report explores the current status of PHS and, more specifically of the RMT market in Europe. It addresses the question of how these technologies can contribute facing some of the challenges standing in front of the European healthcare delivery systems causes by higher demand pressures through chronic diseases and demographic change combined with diminishing resources for health care. An uptake and diffusion of these services would potentially lead to benefits through a reduction in death rates, and avoid recurring hospitalisation in a cost-effective manner. Yet the report identifies different categories of barriers hampering a full deployment of RMT in Europe. In the concluding part the reports provides a number of tentative policy options specifically aimed at fostering EU-wide deployment of RMT/PHS.JRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ
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