Personal Health Data: Access and Perceived Value in Denmark

Abstract This study explores how accessible and valuable Personal Health Data are in Denmark. This paper uses a qualitative inquiry which was adopted to provide information about (1) the accessibility of data available, (2) and the perceived value of data by recruiting 8 healthy Danish individuals who were instructed to access their personal health data, and were then prompted to discuss how accessible and valuable they perceived their personal health data to be. In total, participants accessed 31 datasets and wearable sensor data through 23 web applications and 8 mobile applications. They reported on search and access challenges in interviews and through journaling. Our results suggest that participants were satisfied with the access they had to their personal health data, however the participants expressed disappointment in ways the data was presented for them by the services and platforms. Thus, we concluded that the perceived value of personal data were found to be dependent on the usability and personalization features of the services, rather than on the data itself

Personal Health Data: Accessibility and Value in a Danish Context

The rapidly-evolving digital life of individuals has led to an increasing amount of personal health data (PHD) that are stored across various databases. This study aims to examine challenges encountered by healthy participants while accessing their PHD and to discuss how this knowledge can be used for the creation of future healthcare services. The participants were tasked to find and access their PHD. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews and journaling were the methodologies to examine participants’ experience of accessing their PHD, and the perceived value of data. Our findings point out that the participants felt that PHD are accessible through services, nevertheless accessing of PHD were found to be a laborious task. Participants were disappointed by the experience of using various interfaces of the services. The perceived value of PHD was found to be dependent on the usability and personalisation features of the services, rather than on the data itself

Context of Use and Timing of Social Comparison Techniques in Behavior Change Support: A qualitative systematic review

ABSTRACT This paper aims to examine the timing and contexts of use of social comparison techniques in supporting behavior change. Timing is evaluated through stages of the behavior change process in accordance with the Transtheoretical Model, while context of use is defined through the level of publicity at three levels: public, semi-public and private. A qualitative systematic review was conducted of prior research dealing with applications featuring social comparison techniques. Through a systematic search strategy, eleven IT artifacts were selected for analysis. Then, patterns of use were analyzed so as to identify experiences on proper timing and context of use. The analysis shows that the technology placed in public spaces is suitable mainly for the first stages in the behavior change process. A private context of use is preferred in later stages

Enriching Everyday Experience with a Digital Service: Case Study in Rural Retail Store

A novel omnichannel service concept was developed and piloted in the context of everyday retail service environment. A starting point for the new service was a need to provide the customers of a small rural retail store with wider selection of goods through integrating web shopping interface to the store’s service processes. One of the driving design principles was to achieve a seamless service experience by a fusion of web and physical retail channels. The findings from the case study were analysed from the viewpoint of store customers and personnel. Over half of the interviewed customers stated they were likely to use the novel retail service in the future. Previous experience with online shopping appeared to have a direct, positive effect on the customers’ willingness to adopt the service into use. The hands-on demonstration was proved to be an advantageous way for introducing the novel service to potential users. Personnel’s attitudes towards the service concept were in general enthusiastic and positive; however the service also invoked some initial concerns mostly related to additional work load. The personnel also clearly appreciated the positive effects of the new service on the store and customers

Vectors and drivers of connected health in Europe: a foundation for integrated care

Coordinated, integrated care requires connected “inputs, delivery, management and organization of services related to diagnosis, treatment, care, rehabilitation and health promotion” (Grone & Barbero, 2002). Connected health (CH) offers a key building block as a “paradigm shift, looking after the individual and community health in a process that speaks to the health journey of the person, through the entire lifespan, leveraging a variety of technologies to do so” (ENJECT, 2016). However, CH is failing to reach its full potential – and therefore failing in its contribution to the realization of integrated care

Connected Health User Willingness to Share Personal Health Data: Questionnaire Study

Abstract Background: Connected health has created opportunities for leveraging health data to deliver preventive and personalized health care services. The increasing number of personal devices and advances in measurement technologies contribute to an exponential growth in digital health data. The practices for sharing data across the health ecosystem are evolving as there are more opportunities for using such data to deliver responsive health services. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore user attitudes toward sharing personal health data (PHD). The study was executed within the first year after the implementation of the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legal framework. Methods: The authors analyzed the results of an online questionnaire survey to explore the willingness of 8004 people using connected health services across four European countries to share their PHD and the conditions under which they would be willing to do so. Results: Our findings indicate that the majority of users are willing to share their personal PHD for scientific research (1811/8004, 22.63%). Age, education level, and occupation of the participants, in addition to the level of digitalization in their country were found to be associated with data sharing attitudes. Conclusions: Positive attitudes toward data sharing for scientific research can be perceived as an indication of trust established between users and academia. Nevertheless, the interpretation of data sharing attitudes is a complex process, related to and influenced by various factors

Convergent Communication, Sensing and Localization in 6G Systems: An Overview of Technologies, Opportunities and Challenges

Herein, we focus on convergent 6G communication, localization and sensing systems by identifying key technology enablers, discussing their underlying challenges, implementation issues, and recommending potential solutions. Moreover, we discuss exciting new opportunities for integrated localization and sensing applications, which will disrupt traditional design principles and revolutionize the way we live, interact with our environment, and do business. Regarding potential enabling technologies, 6G will continue to develop towards even higher frequency ranges, wider bandwidths, and massive antenna arrays. In turn, this will enable sensing solutions with very fine range, Doppler, and angular resolutions, as well as localization to cm-level degree of accuracy. Besides, new materials, device types, and reconfigurable surfaces will allow network operators to reshape and control the electromagnetic response of the environment. At the same time, machine learning and artificial intelligence will leverage the unprecedented availability of data and computing resources to tackle the biggest and hardest problems in wireless communication systems. As a result, 6G will be truly intelligent wireless systems that will provide not only ubiquitous communication but also empower high accuracy localization and high-resolution sensing services. They will become the catalyst for this revolution by bringing about a unique new set of features and service capabilities, where localization and sensing will coexist with communication, continuously sharing the available resources in time, frequency, and space. This work concludes by highlighting foundational research challenges, as well as implications and opportunities related to privacy, security, and trust