On assumed usefulness of wearable sensors in early recognition of migraine attacks perceived by patients

This study analysed how migraine patients assume to improve their daily life if wearable sensors provide them pre-warnings of approaching or impending migraine attacks. The study analysed the use of new technology in identifying pre-symptoms in migraine patients using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) focusing on the assumed usefulness of a wearable device. The study added understanding of getting migraine patients to accept smart technology to support their own treatments. The results were drawn from a sample of altogether 582 migraine patients with or without an aura. The difference between migraine with aura and without aura is that migraine with aura precedes physical symptoms like visual disturbances, numbness, and difficulty in speech, while there are no pre-symptoms in migraine without aura. The assumed wearable device (WBAN) notifies, however, the bio-signals of an oncoming migraine attack. Due to current achievements with available digitalised tools to monitor health and wellbeing, also self-care is benefiting. Pre-migraine symptoms are among the biggest challenges in identifying migraine. Noting this, our study addressed the value of wearable sensors in early recognition of migraine attacks

Wishes For Wearables From Patients With Migraine

Migraine is a long-term failure mode, including a risk of disease-related deficits, that leads to social exclusion. The study was conducted among members of the Finnish Migraine Association and was aimed at identifying migraine patients with pre-symptoms and whether they would be willing to use wearable sensors to detect pre-symptoms. The survey received responses from 565 persons, 90% of whom were willing to use wearable sensors to measure pre-symptoms and support treatment. Moreover, the study revealed that 87.8% of migraine patients identified migraine’s early symptoms, the most common of which are tiredness, slow thinking, difficulty finding words and visual disturbances. Most of the respondents wanted the device placed on their wrist as a watch, wristband or skin patch

Lymphomas in cartilage-hair hypoplasia - A case series of 16 patients reveals advanced stage DLBCL as the most common form

BackgroundPatients with cartilage-hair hypoplasia (CHH) have an increased risk of malignancy, particularly non-Hodgkin lymphoma and basal cell carcinoma. The characteristics, clinical course, response to therapy and outcome of lymphomas in CHH remains unexplored. MethodsWe assessed clinical features of lymphoma cases among Finnish patients with CHH. Data were collected from the Finnish Cancer Registry, hospital records, the National Medical Databases and Cause-of-Death Registry of Statistics Finland. ResultsAmong the 160 CHH patients, 16 (6 men, 10 women) were diagnosed with lymphoma during 1953-2016. Lymphoma was diagnosed in young adulthood (median age 26.4 years, range from 6.4 to 69.5 years), mostly in advanced stage. The most common lymphoma type was diffuse large cell B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (6/16, 38%). Eight patients received chemotherapy (8/16, 50%), and two of them survived. Standard lymphoma chemotherapy regimens were administered in the majority of cases. Altogether, eleven CHH patients died due to lymphomas (11/16, 69%). In almost all surviving lymphoma patients, the diagnosis was made either during routine follow-up or after evaluation for non-specific mild symptoms. Search for CHH-related clinical predictors demonstrated higher prevalence of recurrent respiratory infections, in particular otitis media, and Hirschsprung disease in patients with lymphoma. However, three patients had no clinical signs of immunodeficiency prior to lymphoma diagnosis. ConclusionDLBCL is the most common type of lymphoma in CHH. The outcome is poor probably due to advanced stage of lymphoma at the time of diagnosis. Other CHH-related manifestations poorly predicted lymphoma development, implying that all CHH patients should be regularly screened for malignancy.Peer reviewe

Puettavat sensorit migreenin ennakko-oireiden tunnistamisessa ja omahoidon tukena migreenipotilaiden näkökulmasta

Abstract Migraine is one of the most challenging diseases, putting a strain on health services and lowering the quality of life of those who suffer from it. By identifying the pre-symptoms of migraine and using self-measurement technology, detailed information can be collected, and health problems can be addressed. This study explored migraine patients’ perceptions of the benefits they perceive to be important when using technology applications in the self-care of their migraine condition. The aim of this study in the field of computer science was to investigate the technological solutions, the use, and the patients’ expectations of the benefits of wearable sensors. Previous studies have not combined these three perspectives. This study analysed the willingness of migraine patients to use wearable sensors to support self-care and the use of an electronic migraine diary for migraine management. The study was carried out using a qualitative multi-method study. The research data was based on 582 email survey responses, 12 qualitative interviews and user experiences of the Empatica E4 device. The study showed that migraine patients wanted wearable sensors to support self-care by identifying the pre-symptoms of migraine and an electronic migraine diary to monitor migraine attacks. Together, the wearable device and the electronic migraine diary support the patient’s self-care. The dissertation resulted in a perspective model of wearable sensors. The model provides new insights from three different perspectives: technologies and biosignals, user experiences and benefit expectations to support self-care of migraine patients.Tiivistelmä Migreeni on yksi haastavimmista sairauksista, joka kuormittaa terveydenhuollon palveluja ja laskee sitä sairastavien elämänlaatua. Migreenin ennakko-oireiden tunnistamisella ja itsensä mittaamisen teknologialla mahdollistetaan yksityiskohtaisen tiedon kerääminen ja terveysongelmiin vastaaminen. Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin migreenipotilaiden käsityksiä siitä, mitä hyötyjä he itse pitävät tärkeänä teknisten sovellusten käytössä migreenisairautensa omahoidossa. Tämän tietojenkäsittelytieteenalaan kuuluvan tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tutkia puettavien sensoreiden teknologiaratkaisuja, käyttöä ja potilaiden hyötyodotuksia. Aikaisemmat tutkimukset eivät ole yhdistäneet näitä kolmea näkökulmaa. Tässä tutkimuksessa analysoitiin migreenipotilaiden halukkuutta käyttää puettavia sensoreita omahoidon tukena ja sähköisen migreenipäiväkirjan hyödyntämistä migreenin hoidossa. Tutkimus toteutettiin laadullisella monimenetelmätutkimuksella. Tutkimusaineisto perustui 582 sähköpostikyselyn vastauksiin, 12 laadulliseen haastatteluun ja 11 Empatica E4 -laitteen käyttäjäkokemuksiin. Tutkimus osoitti, että migreenipotilaat toivoivat omahoidon tueksi puettavia sensoreita tunnistamaan migreenin ennakko-oireita sekä sähköisen migreenipäiväkirjan migreenikohtauksien seurantaan. Puettava laite ja sähköinen migreenipäiväkirja yhdessä tukevat potilaan omahoitoa. Väitöskirjan tuloksena syntyi puettavien sensoreiden näkökulmamalli, joka tuo uutta tietoa kolmesta eri näkökulmasta, jotka ovat teknologiat ja biosignaalit, käyttäjäkokemukset sekä hyötyodotukset migreenipotilaiden omahoidon tueksi

Leikkaussalihenkilökunnan käyttäjäkokemus sähköisestä anestesiatietojärjestelmästä

Anestesiatietojärjestelmästä on tullut oleellinen osa jokapäiväistä työelämää leikkaussalissa. Teknologian kehittyessä anestesiatietojärjestelmä levittäytyy Suomessa yhä useammalle erikoissairaanhoidon yksikölle sekä tulee olemaan tulevaisuudessa osa leikkaussalihenkilökunnan työelämää, koulutusta, terveyspalveluja ja kommunikaatiota. Anestesiatietojärjestelmä on uutta teknologiaa Suomessa, jonka vuoksi on hyvä tutkia sen käytettävyyttä ja käyttäjävuorovaikutusta leikkaussalihenkilökunnan näkökulmasta. Aikaisemmat tutkimukset ovat osoittaneet, että käytettävyydeltään hyvä järjestelmä tukee tutkimusta, jossa huomioidaan käyttöliittymän toimivuus käyttäjän näkökulmasta. Uuden tietojärjestelmän suunnittelun tavoitteet perustuvat voimakkaasti käyttöliittymän käyttäjävuorovaikutukseen, jolla voidaan täydentää käytettävyyssuunnittelua. Käytettävyyteen ja käyttäjäkokemukseen vaikuttavat hyvin monet asiat, kuten esimerkiksi aikaisempi kokemus, käyttötilanne, tunteet, odotukset, positiiviset käyttökokemukset sekä käytettävyysvirheet. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tutkia leikkaussalihenkilökunnan käyttäjäkokemuksia sähköisestä anestesiatietojärjestelmästä. Miten anestesialääkärit ja leikkaussalisairaanhoitajat kokivat anestesiatietojärjestelmän käytön sähköisessä muodossa pre,- intra- ja postoperatiivisessa vaiheessa. Tämä tutkimus toteutettiin laadullisena tutkimuksena ja tutkimusmenetelmänä käytettiin teemahaastattelua sekä havainnointia. Teemahaastattelun avulla selvitettiin leikkaussalihenkilökunnan mielipiteitä ja näkökulmia uuden tietojärjestelmän käytettävyydestä ja käyttäjävuorovaikutuksesta. Teemahaastattelua varten laadittiin kysymyksiä aikaisemman tutkimuksen ja teorian pohjalta. Tämän tutkimuksen kysymykset painottuivat Nielsenin (1993) käytettävyysmalliin. Haastatteluja pidettiin kuusi kappaletta ja tutkimukseen osallistui anestesialääkäreitä, anestesiasairaanhoitajia sekä leikkaussairaanhoitajia. Työkokemusta haastatteluun vastanneilla oli 9–30 vuotta. Teemahaastattelun avulla kerätyn materiaalin ja analysoinnin perusteella voidaan todeta, että leikkaussalihenkilökunta on tyytyväinen anestesiatietojärjestelmän käytettävyydestä, ja kokevat myös tietojärjestelmän käyttäjävuorovaikutuksen miellyttäväksi hoidon eri vaiheissa. Tutkimus vahvisti aikaisemman tutkimuksen aiheesta ja samalla voidaan todeta, että anestesiatietojärjestelmän käytettävyyttä ja käyttäjäkokemuksia tulee tutkia lisää. Tutkimusaihe on ajankohtainen, koska tietojärjestelmän käyttäjäkokemuksia ei ole Suomessa aikaisemmin tutkittu

Willingness to use smartphone application assistant to support migraine treatment

Abstract Migraine is one of the most neurologically challenging diseases. Migraines are divided into two main forms: aura and without aura. The purpose of this study was to investigate the willingness of migraine patients to use sensors and intelligent migraine diary to be used as support for their own care. There were 565 responses to the questionnaire. Out of those responded, 12 migraine patients were selected for a qualitative interview. The research utilised mixed method that revealed that almost all of the respondents were willing to use sensors to be used as well as an electronic migraine diary for self-care

Proposal for pervasive elderly care:a case study with next of kin

Abstract This paper reports how interaction between family members and caregivers as perceived by family members could be improved via context-aware, imperceptible internet of things (IoT)-based solutions. The study focused on investigating experiences of the family members and the communication between caretakers in sheltered accommodation. Interviews including both open and closed questions revealed that there is high need for improving the communication, adding to the sparse earlier knowledge. The study revealed that the family members were willing to adopt an application to improve the communication that currently was experienced as too limited and vague. The results provide a fruitful base for further actions to improve communication between family members and professional caretakers

On assumed usefulness of wearable sensors in early recognition of migraine attacks perceived by patients

Abstract This study analysed how migraine patients assume to improve their daily life if wearable sensors provide them pre-warnings of approaching or impending migraine attacks. The study analysed the use of new technology in identifying pre-symptoms in migraine patients using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) focusing on the assumed usefulness of a wearable device. The study added understanding of getting migraine patients to accept smart technology to support their own treatments. The results were drawn from a sample of altogether 582 migraine patients with or without an aura. The difference between migraine with aura and without aura is that migraine with aura precedes physical symptoms like visual disturbances, numbness, and difficulty in speech, while there are no pre-symptoms in migraine without aura. The assumed wearable device (WBAN) notifies, however, the bio-signals of an oncoming migraine attack. Due to current achievements with available digitalised tools to monitor health and wellbeing, also self-care is benefiting. Pre-migraine symptoms are among the biggest challenges in identifying migraine. Noting this, our study addressed the value of wearable sensors in early recognition of migraine attacks

Exploring use of wearable sensors to identify early symptoms of migraine attack

Abstract Migraine is a long-term failure mode including a risk of disease-related deficits that lead to social exclusion. The study was conducted among members of the Finnish Society for Migraine, and it aimed to determine and recognize the migraine patients with pre-symptoms and whether they would be willing to use wearable sensors in identifying pre-symptoms of migraine. The survey received responses from 565 persons, and more than 90 per cent of the respondents were willing to use the wearable sensors for the measurement of pre-symptoms, as well as to support the treatment. Moreover, the study revealed that 87.8 percent of migraine patients identified migraine early symptoms. The most common symptoms are tiredness, slow thinking, difficulty to find words and visual disturbances. Most of the respondents wanted the device placed on wrist as a watch, wristband or a skin patch

Identifying bottlenecks in work processes:elderly care

Abstract This paper investigates the challenges of elderly care from the perspective of caregivers. More concretely, we identify caregivers’ workflows and pinpoint the main bottlenecks in a sheltered accommodation. As the general population is aging fast, the role of information and communication technology (ICT) has grown in importance for elderly care. This development has brought versatile ICT-related supportive systems to caregivers and laymen working with aging people. Our study first analyzed how professionals in elderly care perceived their workflow challenges. A new ICT system was developed and implemented to support their work. The results of our study inform the design of upcoming ICT systems for a sheltered accommodation that are in high demand today