4,821 research outputs found
A sudden death prevention system for babies
The growth of the smartphones market share has driven the entry of a large number of new opportunities to launch new applications/mobile tools both by companies but also by individualsâ entities. The prototype solution presented here fits in the increasing emerging of smartphones applications for the health sector.
This dissertation presents a solution to prevent a sudden infant death syndrome. It includes biofeedback monitoring of babies, using body sensors to collect data that will be presented in two different mobile applications: the Main Application and the Client Application. Breathing, temperature, position, and heart rate are used, and placed to the babyâs body.
The Main Application will receive the data collected by the sensors via Bluetooth. This contains a monitoring tool, which parses and transforms raw data to be readable and understandable for users. This application will send the data to a Web service to be stored in a database that supports the entire created solution. The Client Application will consume the data stored in the database every previous second.
Both applications have an important functionality that allows the trigger of alert notifications when an error occurs with the data collected by the sensors and the caregiver is informed with an alert in a short time. This document describes in detail the whole process done to deploy a prototype that demonstrates and validates the proposed solution and is ready for use
Factors associated with the rate of FEV1 decline in a primary care COPD population
The purpose of this thesis was to describe the rate of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) decline
in COPD patients seen in primary care and investigate factors associated with the rate to help identify COPD
patients who might decline faster and who may benefit from interventions to slow the rate of FEV1 decline.
The aims of this research were:
i. To describe and explore the rate of FEV1 decline in a primary care COPD population,
ii. To investigate the relationship between inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and rate of FEV1 decline
in a primary care COPD population, and
iii. To investigate the relationship between the rate of FEV1 decline and future risk of CVD in a
primary care COPD population.
Firstly, other than increasing age, COPD patients who were current smokers, had low BMI, high mMRC
dyspnoea, low baseline FEV1 percent predicted, and more frequent or severe AECOPD were more likely to
have accelerated FEV1 decline. Secondly, a systematic review revealed that COPD patients enrolled in
randomised control trials (RCTs) treated with ICS had reduced rates of FEV1 decline compared to patients
not treated with ICS over short follow-up periods. However, over longer follow-up periods the rate of FEV1
decline in patients in ICS and non-ICS trial arms were similar. In addition, using primary care data, COPD
patients who initiated ICS showed an increase in FEV1, notably in patients with high blood eosinophils,
compared to patients who were not prescribed ICS however, prevalent ICS users had a clinically similar rate
of FEV1 decline compared to those not prescribed ICS, regardless of blood eosinophil level, echoing the
findings of the systematic review. Similarly, COPD patients who withdrew from ICS (from triple therapy)
showed a similar mean rate of FEV1 decline compared to patients who remained on triple therapy. Thirdly,
the rate of FEV1 decline, including accelerated FEV1 decline, was not associated with future risk of CVD
disease and mortality in CVD naĂŻve COPD patients.
These results suggest that rate of FEV1 decline is heterogeneous and both patient related and disease
related characteristics should be monitored to identify COPD patients with faster disease progression
earlier. Whilst these patients may not have an increased risk of CVD, it is still important to identify these
patients to intervene with better treatments or other possible interventions to reduce the risk of all-cause
mortality and other potential morbidities. ICS treatment is a common intervention used to slow the
progression of COPD however, results suggest that its long-term use does not significantly slow down the
rate of FEV1 decline compared to non-ICS medications, but initiation of ICS treatment does improve FEV1
in the short-term. Proactive identification of fast FEV1 decliners and the implementation of effective
interventions in COPD patients by primary care providers may help to improve patient outcomes.Open Acces
The use of computers and augmentative and alternative communication devices by children and young with cerebral palsy
[Abstract] The purpose of the study was to determine the use of computers and assistive devices amongst children with cerebral palsy (CP) and establish the satisfaction level of both users and educational staff. The study was carried out with 30 children with cerebral palsy. A questionnaire was designed to characterize the use of new technologies and assistive devices. Some of the questions were reserved for the teachers. Even though 29 users show some type of communication difficulty, only 4 users dispose of a computer-aided communication device, with the static symbolic board being the most widely used device (4). More than half of the participants (17) regularly use a computer, 16 of them requiring some type of assistive device. The perception of the teachers with regard to the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in the classrooms is positive in 5 out of 6 cases. ICTs only provide assistance if their application is accompanied by the involvement of professionals and the child's social environment. The low use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication techniques along with the absence of communication codes reveal the need to establish training protocols. The inclusion of social, physical, and personal factors is considered essential in order to evaluate the needs for assistive technology
Implementation of a Postdischarge Virtual Visit and Nurse Follow-up Protocol to Decrease 30-Day Readmission Rates for Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare, chronic disease with no cure. Patients with this disease have high mortality and morbidity, experience frequent hospitalizations, readmissions, and psychosocial burdens, and require a high degree of self-care management skills (Doyle-Cox et al., 2016; Lattimer et al., 2016; McDevitt & Walter, 2019). More than half of PAH patients are hospitalized within the first year following diagnosis, and about 20% are readmitted to the hospital within thirty days of discharge (Bhattacharya et al., 2019: Tonelli, 2020). These patients also have a high symptom burden, and these symptoms significantly affect their physical and mental quality of life (Matura et al., 2016). As the disease progresses, so do the symptoms, leading to an increased need for symptom monitoring and management by the patient and the healthcare team. The Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Center of Comprehensive Care is an accredited facility that serves approximately 400 PAH patients residing in the gulf south region. Evidence supports a multidisciplinary, multi-pronged, comprehensive care model approach to PAH patients\u27 care as they transition through various settings. This quality improvement project introduces two telehealth interventions to address the critical care needs of this population. The first intervention was a provider-led postdischarge follow-up virtual visit that occurred one week after hospitalization. The second was scheduled nurse-led telephone calls beginning after hospital discharge. These interventions were designed to reduce hospital readmissions for this population, encourage self-care management, and remove barriers to quality healthcare by combining technology with best practice healthcare
Sensing Systems for Respiration Monitoring: A Technical Systematic Review
Respiratory monitoring is essential in sleep studies, sport training, patient monitoring, or health at work, among other applications. This paper presents a comprehensive systematic review of respiration sensing systems. After several systematic searches in scientific repositories, the 198 most relevant papers in this field were analyzed in detail. Different items were examined: sensing technique and sensor, respiration parameter, sensor location and size, general system setup, communication protocol, processing station, energy autonomy and power consumption, sensor validation, processing algorithm, performance evaluation, and analysis software. As a result, several trends and the remaining research challenges of respiration sensors were identified. Long-term evaluations and usability tests should be performed. Researchers designed custom experiments to validate the sensing systems, making it difficult to compare results. Therefore, another challenge is to have a common validation framework to fairly compare sensor performance. The implementation of energy-saving strategies, the incorporation of energy harvesting techniques, the calculation of volume parameters of breathing, or the effective integration of respiration sensors into clothing are other remaining research efforts. Addressing these and other challenges outlined in the paper is a required step to obtain a feasible, robust, affordable, and unobtrusive respiration sensing system
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Development and Usability Evaluation of an mHealth Application for Symptom Self-Management in Underserved Persons Living with HIV
Effective symptom management is essential to decrease symptom severity and improve health-related quality of life for persons living with HIV (PLWH). A mobile health (mHealth) application (app) has the potential to be an effective delivery mode of an existing paper-based symptom management manual with self-management strategies for underserved PLWH. The quality of the mHealth app requires a thorough understanding of the needs of the intended end-users and ensuring the appâs usability.
The purpose of this study was to translate paper-based health information into an mHealth app for symptom self-management in underserved PLWH, entitled mVIP (mobile Video Information Provider), and assess its usability. To achieve this goal, usability was evaluated rigorously throughout the development process of mVIP. Based on a stratified view of health information technology (IT) usability evaluation framework, usability evaluation was sequentially conducted with the following three levels: 1) user-task, 2) user-task-system, and 3) user-task-system-environment.
At level 1 (user-task), we applied a user-centered design method to guide the information architecture of mVIP. Using a reverse in-person card sorting technique, symptoms and self-management strategies from a paper-based HIV/AIDS symptom management manual were ranked. The rank order of the 13 symptoms and 151 self-management strategies determined the order of appearance to end-users of the mVIP app, with higher-ranked symptoms and strategies appearing first. Based on the findings, we developed a prototype of mVIP as following: 1) once users log in, they are guided by an avatar through a series of 13 symptom questions ascertaining the nature and severity of their symptoms, and 2) the avatar recommends three self-management strategies for each symptom reported. At level 2 (user-task-system), we conducted a usability evaluation of the mVIP prototype in a laboratory setting through end-user usability testing and heuristic evaluation. In end-user usability testing, we used an eye-tracking and retrospective think-aloud method to examine task performance by 20 PLWH. For the heuristic evaluation, five usability experts in informatics assessed the user interface. In the two usability evaluations conducted in a laboratory setting, we found strong user acceptance of the mVIP prototype while identifying a number of usability issues with this prototype. Based on the recommendations from the end-users and heuristic evaluators, we iteratively refined the appâs content, functionality, and interface. We then inserted videos of the finalized symptom self-management strategies into the refined mVIP prototype. At level 3 (user-task-system-environment), the usability of the refined mVIP prototype was evaluated in a real-world setting. Through 10 in-depth interviews and four focus groups conducted at the conclusion of a three-month randomized controlled trial, we explored in-depth understandings of usersâ experiences, perceptions, and satisfaction of mVIP use. Findings from the study showed that first, mVIP is useful for HIV-related symptom self-management and has the potential for being used as a communication tool with healthcare providers; and second, mVIP is easy to use to monitor symptom experience over time. At the same time, participants suggested mVIP be more sensitively tailored based on years from initial diagnosis of HIV, an individualsâ age, and conditions. The overall user satisfaction with the mVIP prototype was high, which reflects strong user acceptance of mVIP.
Integral to the findings from the three-level usability evaluation, we assessed the quality of the mVIP prototype in use and found the prototype was highly accepted by PLWH with high user satisfaction. This study will add to the body of literature on translation of evidence-based health information into an mHealth app and its usability assessment, which highlights the importance of the use of mobile technology for PLWH, specifically racial and ethnic minorities and those from low-socioeconomic groups who have limited health literacy and low level of education
Understanding the use of tablet devices in the classroom when teaching a group of learners diagnosed with autism
The increasing number of individuals diagnosed with autism, the shift in educational paradigms, and technology advances that allow affordability and accessibility were the motivation behind this study. Learners with autism have the potential to develop social and emotional skills as well as increasing motivation for learning while using technology, in particular tablet devices (i.e., iPads) as instructional tools. The purpose of this case study was to better understand the use of technology (in particular, tablet devices) to teach mathematics to a group of learners diagnosed with autism. Two research questions guided this study: (1) How do the motivational principles of the ARCS model impact the learners\u27 motivation with classroom activities (i.e., with excitement? apathy? sense of accomplishment)?; and (2) How do learners interact with technology used in the classroom (i.e., as an instructional tool? as a rewarding mechanism? as an entertaining strategy)? Moreover, the hope is to potentially gain more awareness into the motivational impact tablet devices can have on learners on the autism spectrum concerning engagement and participation in learning activities. Participants in this study were five children diagnosed with autism between the ages of 8 and 11 who attended a middle school located at a large school district in a metropolitan area of a U.S. Midwestern state. The learners participated in a paper-based mathematics activity as well as interacted with an iPad to work on mathematics concepts. Observations and opportunistic interviews with learners and teacher were conducted. An in-depth semi-structured interview was also done with the classroom teacher.
In attempt to explore the research questions, data were analyzed using the Interpretive Descriptive qualitative research analysis method. Based on that analysis four themes emerged: (1) the motivational use of the tablet device in the classroom, (2) the
classroom activities\u27 impact on learners\u27 social interactions, (3) learners\u27 behavioral changes resulting from change in classroom routine, and (4) teacher\u27s motivational
strategy. The overall study provided an understanding of the motivational impact tablet devices potentially have on learners on the autism spectrum concerning engagement and participation in learning activities. The impact of technology was contingent on its strategic instructional or reward mechanism implementation in the curriculum. The study revealed that technology in general and tablet devices in particular are used in the classroom as reward mechanisms and entertaining strategies to seize and retain the learners\u27 attention in order to achieve instructional goals. The findings also revealed how the learners\u27 conceptual levels affect their response to the reward and influence their social behavioral skills that could become uncontrollable. Additionally, the findings raised awareness concerning the learners\u27reactions to the change in their daily structured schedule and revealed some practices to manage learners\u27 behaviors
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