440 research outputs found
Adopting Modern Fitness Sensors to Improve Patient Care
Technology found in modern fitness sensor devices advances at a very fast pace and current smartwatches are on the verge of closing the gap between being an everyday object and a medically reliable monitoring device. In this thesis, the possibility of adopting fitness sensor devices in medical environments is explored and use cases in which sensor devices can be deployed are examined. Their successful transfer from the area of sports to medical analyses and treatments may help patients to deal with their illnesses and to improve the level of patient care found today. Privacy and security issues as well as social concerns associated with such a disruptive evolution are discussed and practical tests of a pulse oximeter in various activities of daily living are conducted. The collected health data depicts a close representation of the performed activities. Furthermore, three types of fitness sensor devices were used in different real-life scenarios and the resulting data is compared. The results show that the recorded vital signs may differ significantly, depending on the scenario. ii
Trustworthy Wireless Personal Area Networks
In the Internet of Things (IoT), everyday objects are equipped with the ability to compute and communicate. These smart things have invaded the lives of everyday people, being constantly carried or worn on our bodies, and entering into our homes, our healthcare, and beyond. This has given rise to wireless networks of smart, connected, always-on, personal things that are constantly around us, and have unfettered access to our most personal data as well as all of the other devices that we own and encounter throughout our day. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that our personal devices and data are frequent targets of ever-present threats. Securing these devices and networks, however, is challenging. In this dissertation, we outline three critical problems in the context of Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) and present our solutions to these problems.
First, I present our Trusted I/O solution (BASTION-SGX) for protecting sensitive user data transferred between wirelessly connected (Bluetooth) devices. This work shows how in-transit data can be protected from privileged threats, such as a compromised OS, on commodity systems. I present insights into the Bluetooth architecture, Intelâs Software Guard Extensions (SGX), and how a Trusted I/O solution can be engineered on commodity devices equipped with SGX.
Second, I present our work on AMULET and how we successfully built a wearable health hub that can run multiple health applications, provide strong security properties, and operate on a single charge for weeks or even months at a time. I present the design and evaluation of our highly efficient event-driven programming model, the design of our low-power operating system, and developer tools for profiling ultra-low-power applications at compile time.
Third, I present a new approach (VIA) that helps devices at the center of WPANs (e.g., smartphones) to verify the authenticity of interactions with other devices. This work builds on past work in anomaly detection techniques and shows how these techniques can be applied to Bluetooth network traffic. Specifically, we show how to create normality models based on fine- and course-grained insights from network traffic, which can be used to verify the authenticity of future interactions
Backward Sequential Feature Elimination And Joining Algorithms In Machine Learning
The NaĂŻve Bayes Model is a special case of Bayesian networks with strong independence assumptions. It is typically used for classification problems. The NaĂŻve Bayes model is trained using the given data to estimate the parameters necessary for classification. This model of classification is very popular since it is simple yet efficient and accurate. While the NaĂŻve Bayes model is considered accurate on most of the problem instances, there is a set of problems for which the NaĂŻve Bayes does not give accurate results when compared to other classifiers such as the decision tree algorithms. One reason for it could be the strong independence assumption of the NaĂŻve Bayes model. This project aims at searching for dependencies between the features and studying the consequences of applying these dependencies in classifying instances. We propose two different algorithms, the Backward Sequential Joining and the Backward Sequential Elimination that can be applied in order to improve the accuracy of the NaĂŻve Bayes model. We then compare the accuracies of the different algorithms and derive conclusion based on the results
HOW SOY LABELING INFLUENCES PREFERENCE AND TASTE
Using a ĂâPhantom IngredientĂâ taste test, this article demonstrates how the use of soy labels and health claims on a package negatively biased taste perceptions and attitudes toward a food erroneously thought to contain soy. Consumers who ate products which mentioned soy on the package described the taste more grainy, less flavorful, and as having a strong aftertaste compared to those who ate the product but saw no soy label. Yet, while putting ĂâsoyĂâ on a package negatively influenced taste-conscious consumers, when combined with a health claim, it improved attitudes among consumers who are health-conscious, natural food lovers, or dieters. Our results and discussion provide better direction for researchers who work with ingredient labeling as well as for marketers who work with soybean products.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,
Tell the Smart House to Mind its Own Business!: Maintaining Privacy and Security in the Era of Smart Devices
Consumers want convenience. That convenience often comes in the form of everyday smart devices that connect to the internet and assist with daily tasks. With the advancement of technology and the âInternet of Thingsâ in recent years, convenience is at our fingertips more than ever before. Not only do consumers want convenience, they want to trust that their product is performing the task that they purchased it for and not exposing them to danger or risk. However, due to the increasing capabilities and capacities of smart devices, consumers are less likely to realize the implications of what they are agreeing to when they purchase and begin using these products. This Note will focus on the risks associated with smart devices, using smart home devices as an illustration. These devices have the ability to collect intimate details about the layout of the home and about those who live within it. The mere collection of this personal data opens consumers up to the risk of having their private information shared with unintended recipients whether the information is being sold to a third party or accessible to a hacker. Thus, to adequately protect consumers, it is imperative that they can fully consent to their data being collected, retained, and potentially distributed. This Note examines the law that is currently in place to protect consumers who use smart devices and argues that a void ultimately leaves consumers vulnerable. Current data privacy protection in the United States centers on the self-regulatory regime of ânotice and choice.â This Note highlights how the self-regulatory notice-and-choice model fails to ensure sufficient protection for consumers who use smart devices and discusses the need for greater privacy protection in the era of the emerging Internet of Things. Ultimately, this Note proposes a state-level resolution and calls upon an exemplar state to experiment with privacy protection laws to determine the best way to regulate the Internet of Things
Introducing User-Centred Design: a Longitudinal Study of a Healthcare Informatics Organisation
Information System designers report increasing difficulties applying User-Centred Design (UCD) techniques effectively due to the growing complexity of the domains in which they work and the techniquesâ prescriptive nature. The rapid growth of âBig Dataâ and associated analytical tools thus demands closer investigation of UCD activities and processes within the complex and rapidly-changing work domains in which they are designed, developed and used. This thesis reports a longitudinal case study from inside a commercial organisation, through a six-year Action Research collaboration to introduce and embed UCD techniques in the design of health informatics tools in the UK. An assessment of the initial modus operandi is followed by the development of personas with data from interviews, user-generated screen captures and database server log files; these informed the redesign, evaluation and testing of the organisationâs flagship product. Finally, stakeholder interviews explore the wider impact of UCD techniques. In so doing, this thesis shows the value of auto-ethnographic documentation, based on being embedded in a design team and collaborative reflection, for practice-led research; it found the organisationâs culture around UCD was dynamic and design practices can change this culture through, for example, training opportunities and fostering customer relations. Individuals and extrinsic factors played strikingly key roles in reshaping the organisationâs culture; the commitment and resilience of individuals was important for sustaining UCD activities across several reorganisations and changes in business strategy. Finally, this thesis comprehensively presents and evaluates an innovative approach for grounding personas in database server and user-generated content. These findings concern both research and practice by informing the scope of the designerâs role, educational programmes and Action Research collaborations. They call for further attention on the compatibility of design and development processes and suggest that design practice can not only be tailored to organisations, but organisations can be fitted to design practice with the reassessment of the value of some UCD activities. Finally, this thesis can inform approaches to practice-led research, and more effective and efficient strategies for the introduction of UCD techniques to other organisations from the base of their hierarchy
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The Expansion of Turkeyâs Medical Tourism Industry
Photo by Engin Yapici on Unsplash
ABSTRACT
Medical tourism has excellent potential and downfalls, which this paper will extensively cover. While medical tourism has great economic benefits to the host country and calls for the increase of professionalism and skill of physicians, it also influences doctors locating to private hospitals and skewing healthcare costs and access for locals. Given the many weights and balances to consider, the discussion of expanding this type of healthcare into Turkey is ethically needed.
INTRODUCTION
I watched from the hotel lobby as a group of men with surgically wrapped heads strolled in line behind a young woman; she was speaking to them in English with a heavy Turkish accent. Across the room was another group like this one, but the women had bandages on their noses. As a Turk, this sight was not new to me: over the years, I witnessed the number of foreigners coming to Turkey for medical procedures increase by tenfold. And, I began to see how savvy Turkish tourist companies became over time, creating enticing packages for people to tour the beautiful city of Istanbul while receiving a hair transplant procedure or rhinoplasty. While I understood why individuals would come to Turkey for their procedure â lower prices, expert physicians, and a lovely tourist destination â I began to question whether profiting from the health care of others was ethical.
This paper examines whether it is ethical for Turkey to invest in a growing medical tourism field, which has the potential for significant economic benefits yet could threaten health inequalities between locals and foreigners. Further, it will outline why tourists choose Turkey as a medical tourism destination, the reasons to favor medical tourism, and the reasons to oppose it. Finally, the paper will conclude that Turkey should cultivate and invest in medical tourism, with suggestions for expanding the field into a thriving market.
ANALYSIS
By definition, a medical tourist is an individual who travels to a foreign country to experience both cultural tourism and medical treatment.[1] Global medical tourism is a 2 billion national income from medical tourism in 2010.
ll.   Arguments Against the Ethical Permissibility of Medical Tourism in Turkey
While public city hospitals were opened with the potential to support the Turkish medical tourism industry, private hospitals support 83 percent of the medical tourism market, and the gap between private and public hospitals has been growing yearly.[35] Private hospitals have mostly opened in urban areas, such as Istanbul, Ankara, and Antalya.[36] As a result, there has been a âbrain drain,â in which members of the health workforce have left rural areas and have moved to urban cities where they can make larger profits from the medical tourism industry.[37] In addition, the use of public city hospitals has been met with concern regarding whether inequalities in health care between foreigners and Turkish citizens will arise. The Ministry of Health pays rent for the city hospitals in US dollars, exacerbating inflation in the Turkish lira currency and increasing reliance on high-paying medical tourists to support the public hospital system.[38] Due to this pressure, the prices for medical services are not consistently kept at affordable levels for Turkish citizens.[39] The head of The Private Hospitals and Health Institutions Association, Resat Bahat, stated, âTurkish citizens must receive priority for public resources. You cannot treat a Libyan or a Dutch when your own citizen is shaking at home with pneumonia. You [the public sector] can perhaps engage in medical tourism if you have excess bed capacity. But it is hard to do this [medical tourism] with the public sector.â[40]
Rapid growth has also compromised patient safety and health care quality. While clinics must receive medical tourism certificates to provide treatment, fraud has risen.[41] In 2016, six out of ten hair transplant clinics were operating illegally.[42] These clinics offered hair transplants for as low as 2000 in a Ministry of Health authorized clinic.[43] International patients have complained of inadequate human resources, such as the inability to communicate appropriately and insensitivity to touristsâ cultural features and habits, as well as a lack of facilitators in hospital systems.[44] The most common complaint has been that medical tourism companies fail to direct patients well and follow up after procedures.[45] Furthermore, multiple Turkish physicians have cited cases of malpractice with foreign patients.[46] One Turkish physician highlighted the ethical dilemma of turning health care into a commodity: âIt is important that healthcare should be provided in such a way that institutions can continue their business without turning into a commercial commodity, ignoring the health and the aspect of the event. All people should have access to health equally.â[47] A Turkish pulmonologist also supported the idea of the separation between health and tourism, claiming that health care is a subject that requires unique methods to meet its needs, which should be addressed separately from the tourism industry.[48]
lll.   The Case for Continuing Medical Tourism
While the above arguments demonstrate the difficulties with medical tourism, I argue that it is ethically permissible to invest in and expand Turkish health tourism. From a utilitarian perspective, the benefits of medical tourism to Turkish citizens outweigh the costs of expansion. Since investing in medical tourism, the quality of Turkish health care on both public and private levels has increased drastically. Turkey has also moved towards implementing more regulations surrounding the quality of health care.[49] International standards for health care have been adopted as well allowing Turkish citizens to reap the benefits of the medical tourism industry through access to advanced and high-quality health care.[50] While access and affordability for local patients must improve, the very existence of high-quality care and care standards that are better regulated exemplify improvements. Investments in medical education have also allowed Turkish citizens to gain greater access to higher education throughout the country with more medical seats and the opening of multiple private medical schools.[51] In addition, the expansion of the health industry has increased the professional opportunities available in healthcare for Turkish citizens.
There is no doubt that medical tourism has greatly benefited the Turkish economy. Turkey aims to be the leading country in medical tourism by 2023, opening economic opportunities within and beyond medicine. The financial benefit is not reserved for the hospital systems and could provide high-paying jobs in hospitality, food service, etc.[52] People coming to Turkey spend money sightseeing and enjoying hotels, nature, and cities.
While concerns about fraud exist, the medical tourism industry in Turkey is still relatively new, dating back to 2013. Thus, fraud is not widespread, considering the rate at which the industry has grown and its remarkable milestones in quality and patient services. There is no doubt that Turkey will continue to reform to meet the demands of various patient populations without compromising the safety and quality of its healthcare commodities. The government has been adept at tracking the industry and can adopt new regulations and enforcement to discourage and punish fraud.
In addition to the existing policy guiding the expansion of Turkeyâs medical tourism industry, more can be done to expand the industry. Some argue that barriers to medical tourism growth include inadequate human resources, negative corporate images and perceptions of Turkey globally, lack of facilitators, and unsatisfactory quality of care for medical tourists.[53] While Arab tourists are more at ease in choosing Turkey as a health destination because of the shared religion and understanding of Islamic accommodations, marketing to European and Asian tourists should address the possibility that they may feel uneasy about cultural differences or even that their cultural needs will not be respected or met. Therefore, more effort must be directed toward training medical personnel to exercise cultural competency and make hospitals culturally welcoming. This may include offering diverse food choices and ensuring that translators are available during all aspects of the medical tourist experience, starting at the airport. County-specific environmental factors should also be considered before a private hospital can enter the medical tourism market.[54] For example, hospitals should offer tour vouchers to capitalize on the historical sites in Cappadoccia. In addition, hospitals in Gaziantep should be sure to have signs in Arabic, and Arab-speaking health personnel, to meet the needs of the large Arab population in the area.
Turkey must also do more to control costs to prevent the exacerbation of inequalities between foreignersâ and citizensâ access to health care. For example, some clinics have been able to circumvent cost regulations by the Ministry of Health.[55] By appointing region-specific regulatory overseers, they can ensure that costs are not prohibiting the local population from seeking necessary health care.
CONCLUSION
Turkey has seen enormous expansion in its medical tourism industry in recent years. Through government support and collaboration between the tourism and healthcare sectors, the Turkish economy has amassed billions of dollars in revenue annually from medical tourism alone. The investment into the medical tourism industry has placed Turkey at the forefront of quality and cutting-edge health care. While medical tourism has contributed enormous benefits to communities and the economy, there is more to do to ensure that health care inequalities between foreigners and Turkish citizens do not rise. The medical tourism industry in Turkey is not yet perfect; however, the potential is enormous. All things considered, medical tourism stands to help Turkeyâs economy both through hospital systems and the increased tourism that coincides with travel for medical care. Due to expanded demand for services, medical tourism has led Turkey to develop its healthcare system and expand the number of people who can become physicians. Yet, more must be done to prevent fraud, ensure fair prices that Turkish locals can afford, and help public hospitals maintain some of the tourism market shares. Overall, medical tourism stands to benefit the people of Turkey and is an ethical way to expand the economy.
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[1] Cavmak, D., & Cavmak, S. (2020). Using AHP to prioritize barriers in developing medical tourism: case of Turkey. Int J Travel Med Glob Health, 8(2), 73-79.
[2] Sag, I., & Zengul, F. D. (2019). Why medical tourists choose turkey as a medical tourism destination? Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 2(3), 296-306. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-05-2018-0031; Yıldız, M. S., & Khan, M. M. (2019). Factors affecting the choice of medical tourism destination: A case study of medical tourists from the Arab Region in Turkey. Journal of Health Management, 21(4), 465-475.
[3] Sag, I., & Zengul, F. D. (2019). Why medical tourists choose turkey as a medical tourism destination? Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 2(3), 296-306. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-05-2018-0031
[4]  Yıldız, M. S., & Khan, M. M. (2019). Factors affecting the choice of medical tourism destination: A case study of medical tourists from the Arab Region in Turkey. Journal of Health Management, 21(4), 465-475.
[5] Yıldız, M. S., & Khan, M. M. (2019). Factors affecting the choice of medical tourism destination: A case study of medical tourists from the Arab Region in Turkey. Journal of Health Management, 21(4), 465-475.
[6] Cavmak, D., & Cavmak, S. (2020). Using AHP to prioritize barriers in developing medical tourism: case of Turkey. Int J Travel Med Glob Health, 8(2), 73-79; Yıldız, M. S., & Khan, M. M. (2019). Factors affecting the choice of medical tourism destination: A case study of medical tourists from the Arab Region in Turkey. Journal of Health Management, 21(4), 465-475; Yılmaz, V., & Aktas, P. (2021). The making of a global medical tourism destination: From state-supported privatisation to state entrepreneurialism in healthcare in Turkey. Global Social Policy, 21(2), 301-318.
[7] Buljubasic, E. (2019). Evaluation of GCC Patients' Service Quality Perception Towards Medical Tourism and Turkey as a Medical Tourism Destination (Doctoral dissertation, Marmara Universitesi (Turkey)).
[8] Ibid.
[9] Yılmaz, V., & Aktas, P. (2021). The making of a global medical tourism destination: From state-supported privatisation to state entrepreneurialism in healthcare in Turkey. Global Social Policy, 21(2), 301-318.
[10] Buljubasic, E. (2019). Evaluation of GCC Patients' Service Quality Perception Towards Medical Tourism and Turkey as a Medical Tourism Destination (Doctoral dissertation, Marmara Universitesi (Turkey)).
[11] Ibid.
[12] Yıldız, M. S., & Khan, M. M. (2019). Factors affecting the choice of medical tourism destination: A case study of medical tourists from the Arab Region in Turkey. Journal of Health Management, 21(4), 465-475.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Buljubasic, E. (2019). Evaluation of GCC Patients' Service Quality Perception Towards Medical Tourism and Turkey as a Medical Tourism Destination (Doctoral dissertation, Marmara Universitesi (Turkey)).
[16] Ibid.
[17] Sag, I., & Zengul, F. D. (2019). Why medical tourists choose turkey as a medical tourism destination? Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 2(3), 296-306. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-05-2018-0031
[18] Yıldız, M. S., & Khan, M. M. (2019). Factors affecting the choice of medical tourism destination: A case study of medical tourists from the Arab Region in Turkey. Journal of Health Management, 21(4), 465-475.
[19] Sag, I., & Zengul, F. D. (2019). Why medical tourists choose turkey as a medical tourism destination? Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 2(3), 296-306. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-05-2018-0031
[20] Both an Opportunity and Threat to Turkey Health Tourism. TurkeyMedicals.Com, Turkey IHealth , 2022, https://turkeymedicals.com/health-tourism.
[21] Sag, I., & Zengul, F. D. (2019). Why medical tourists choose turkey as a medical tourism destination? Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 2(3), 296-306. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-05-2018-0031
[22] Ibid.
[23] AkgĂŒn, S. (2015). Medical tourism in Turkey: past, present, and future. Seval AkgĂŒn. European Journal of Public Health, 25(suppl_3).
[24] Yılmaz, V., & Aktas, P. (2021). The making of a global medical tourism destination: From state-supported privatisation to state entrepreneurialism in healthcare in Turkey. Global Social Policy, 21(2), 301-318.
[25] Ibid.
[26] Ibid.
[27] Ibid.
[28] Ibid.
[29] Ibid.
[30] Ibid.
[31] Ibid.
[32] Ibid.
[33] Buljubasic, E. (2019). Evaluation of GCC Patients' Service Quality Perception Towards Medical Tourism and Turkey as a Medical Tourism Destination (Doctoral dissertation, Marmara Universitesi (Turkey)).
[34] Ibid; Cavmak, D., & Cavmak, S. (2020). Using AHP to prioritize barriers in developing medical tourism: case of Turkey. Int J Travel Med Glob Health, 8(2), 73-79.
[35] AkgĂŒn, S. (2015). Medical tourism in Turkey: past, present, and future. Seval AkgĂŒn. European Journal of Public Health, 25(suppl_3); Buljubasic, E. (2019). Evaluation of GCC Patients' Service Quality Perception Towards Medical Tourism and Turkey as a Medical Tourism Destination (Doctoral dissertation, Marmara Universitesi (Turkey)).
[36] Cavmak, D., & Cavmak, S. (2020). Using AHP to prioritize barriers in developing medical tourism: case of Turkey. Int J Travel Med Glob Health, 8(2), 73-79.
[37] Ibid.
[38] Yılmaz, V., & Aktas, P
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