2,061 research outputs found

    Virtuality Supports Reality for e-Health Applications

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    Strictly speaking the word “virtuality” or the expression “virtual reality” refers to an application for things simulated or created by the computer, which not really exist. More and more often such things are becoming equally referred with the adjective “virtual” or “digital” or mentioned with the prefixes “e-” or “cyber-”. So we know, for instance, of virtual or digital or e- or cyber- community, cash, business, greetings, books .. till even pets. The virtuality offers interesting advantages with respect to the “simple” reality, since it can reproduce, augment and even overcome the reality. The reproduction is not intended as it has been so far that a camera films a scenario from a fixed point of view and a player shows it, but today it is possible to reproduce the scene dynamically moving the point of view in practically any directions, and “real” becomes “realistic”. The virtuality can augment the reality in the sense that graphics are pulled out from a television screen (or computer/laptop/palm display) and integrated with the real world environments. In this way useful, and often in somehow essentials, information are added for the user. As an example new apps are now available even for iphone users who can obtain graphical information overlapped on camera played real scene surroundings, so directly reading the height of mountains, names of streets, lined up of satellites .., directly over the real mountains, the real streets, the real sky. But the virtuality can even overcome reality, since it can produce and make visible the hidden or inaccessible or old reality and even provide an alternative not real world. So we can virtually see deeply into the matter till atomic dimensions, realize a virtual tour in a past century or give visibility to hypothetical lands otherwise difficult or impossible to simple describe. These are the fundamental reasons for a naturally growing interest in “producing” virtuality. So here we will discuss about some of the different available methods to “produce” virtuality, in particular pointing out some steps necessary for “crossing” reality “towards” virtuality. But between these two parallel worlds, as the “real” and the “virtual” ones are, interactions can exist and this can lead to some further advantages. We will treat about the “production” and the “interaction” with the aim to focus the attention on how the virtuality can be applied in biomedical fields, since it has been demonstrated that virtual reality can furnish important and relevant benefits in e-health applications. As an example virtual tomography joins together 3D imaging anatomical features from several CT (Computerized axial Tomography) or MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) images overlapped with a computer-generated kinesthetic interface so to obtain a useful tool in diagnosis and healing. With the new endovascular simulation possibilities, a head mounted display superimposes 3D images on the patient’s skin so to furnish a direction for implantable devices inside blood vessels. Among all, we chose to investigate the fields where we believe the virtual applications can furnish the meaningful advantages, i.e. in surgery simulation, in cognitive and neurological rehabilitation, in postural and motor training, in brain computer interface. We will furnish to the reader a necessary partial but at the same time fundamental view on what the virtual reality can do to improve possible medical treatment and so, at the end, resulting a better quality of our life

    Telemedicine framework using case-based reasoning with evidences

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    Telemedicine is the medical practice of information exchanged from one location to another through electronic communications to improve the delivery of health care services. This research article describes a telemedicine framework with knowledge engineering using taxonomic reasoning of ontology modeling and semantic similarity. In addition to being a precious support in the procedure of medical decision-making, this framework can be used to strengthen significant collaborations and traceability that are important for the development of official deployment of telemedicine applications. Adequate mechanisms for information management with traceability of the reasoning process are also essential in the fields of epidemiology and public health. In this paper we enrich the case-based reasoning process by taking into account former evidence-based knowledge. We use the regular four steps approach and implement an additional (iii) step: (i) establish diagnosis, (ii) retrieve treatment, (iii) apply evidence, (iv) adaptation, (v) retain. Each step is performed using tools from knowledge engineering and information processing (natural language processing, ontology, indexation, algorithm, etc.). The case representation is done by the taxonomy component of a medical ontology model. The proposed approach is illustrated with an example from the oncology domain. Medical ontology allows a good and efficient modeling of the patient and his treatment. We are pointing up the role of evidences and specialist's opinions in effectiveness and safety of care

    Emergence in Design Science Research

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    Telemedical Solutions - Practical Approach in Bulgaria

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    Champion Networks in Federated Interorganizational Systems: Case Studies in Telemedicine

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    Champions are critical to the success of an information system implementation. Research shows that success in implementing a large information system may hinge on there being more than one type of champion. This study investigates the types of champions used in federated inter-organizational systems (FIOS) in a state telemedicine context. Case studies were conducted in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin to identify the network of champions in state telemedicine systems. We found that FIOS that relied on a network of champions, including a sponsorship champion at the state level, as well as a technical champion and user champion at site locations, were more successful than those that lacked such a network. We suggest that our model of champions in FIOS applies not only to state telemedicine, but also to any large-scale system implementation spanning a federation of loosely coupled organizations

    The future of the healthcare industry : how will digital transformation create better healthcare?

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    This dissertation focuses on the analysis of the opportunities raised by emerging tech dynamics to improve care delivery. Specifically, it focuses on assessing its impact in the main healthcare activities covered in the prevention and diagnosis stages through the lens of three main stakeholder groups - the patients, the health professionals and the health service’s experts. In order to reach these objectives, an exploratory and qualitative research was conducted through the analysis of primary and secondary data, collected from existing literature and semi-structured interviews with the considered stakeholder groups. The conclusions suggest that tech dynamics can bring significant impact to the healthcare industry through three main key applications: (1) information generation, which have a major impact in the activities covered in the prevention stage; (2) information treatment, impacting both activities covered in prevention and diagnosis; and (3) experience improvement, mainly useful in activities that require in person interactions. By applying the tech dynamics into medical practice, the stakeholders may benefit from enhanced user experience, productivity and cost reductions which ultimately has a positive impact into the improvement of the quality of care delivered. Moreover, this impact is extended through other stakeholders in the life-science such as insurance companies and pharmaceuticals.Esta dissertação centra-se na análise das oportunidades que surgiram do desenvolvimento de novas dinâmicas tecnológicas no sentido de melhorar a prestação de cuidados de saúde. Em concreto, tem como foco a avaliação do impacto destas dinâmicas nas principais atividades médicas, desde a prevenção até ao diagnóstico e incluindo os três principais stakeholders - pacientes, médicos e administrativos. Neste sentido, foi realizada uma pesquisa exploratória e qualitativa com base na análise de dados primários e secundários, dados estes que foram recolhidos através de entrevistas semi-estruturadas com os stakeholders acima identificados e segundo a literatura já existente relativa ao tema. As conclusões sugerem que estas novas dinâmicas podem resultar num impacto significativo para a indústria da saúde através de três principais aplicações: (1) geração de informação, que tem um grande impacto nas atividades abrangidas pela fase de prevenção; (2) tratamento de informação, que impacta as atividades abrangidas pelas fases de prevenção e diagnóstico; e (3) melhoria da experiência do paciente, que é principalmente relevante nas atividades com maior interação pessoal. Com a aplicação destas dinâmicas tecnológicas na saúde, os diferentes stakeholders podem ser beneficiados através de: uma melhor experiência para o paciente, uma maior produtividade e reduções de custos que, em última análise, tem um impacto positivo na melhoria da qualidade dos cuidados prestados. Adicionalmente, estes impactos abrangem ainda outros agentes ligados à indústria da saúde, tais como companhias de seguros e farmacêuticas
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