Tablet Applications for the Elderly: Specific Usability Guidelines

While the world population is aging, the technological progress is steadily increasing. Smartphones and tablets belong to a growing market and even more people aged 65 and above are using such touch devices. However, with advancing age normal cognitive, sensory, perceptual and motor changes influence psychological and physical capabilities and therefore the way the elderly are able to use tablet-applications. When designing tablet-applications for the elderly developers have to be supported in understanding these capabilities. Therefore, this thesis provides a comprehensive compilation of usability guidelines in order to develop user-friendly tablet-applications for older people. The development and testing of an exemplary tablet-application within this thesis shows how these guidelines can be brought into practice and how this realization is evaluated by test persons in this age group

Exploring the Use of Tablet Applications for Emergency Resuscitation Practice

abstract: As technology has advanced in recent years, tablet devices have started to make their way into all walks of life. Yet, many medical documentation processes still see the use of paper. Though the paper based documentation method has been shown to be effective for some purposes, the introduction of tablet devices has the potential to make the documentation processes a lot smoother. In this thesis, tablet based documentation systems are reviewed, and based on this, a new custom application is developed that medical staff can use with ease. This new application, developed for an iPad is one where users can fully customize their own forms for different uses in the intensive care unit for resuscitation scenarios. The thesis discusses the architecture behind this application along with designing different elements of the system. Through this thesis project, the application was evaluated to see if such a complex documentation process can be easily used and created on a tablet device. The medical staff surveyed, responded positively to the use of the application and agreed that the electronic documentation usage and creation is a powerful tool that could help improve resuscitation practice by making it more efficient.Dissertation/ThesisSurvey ResponsesMasters Thesis Engineering 201

Designing Clinical AAC Tablet Applications with Adults who have Mild Intellectual Disabilities

Patients with mild intellectual disabilities (ID) face significant communication barriers within primary care services. This has a detrimental effect on the quality of treatment being provided, meaning the consultation process could benefit from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies. However, little research has been conducted in this area beyond that of paper-based aids. We address this by extracting design requirements for a clinical AAC tablet application from n=10 adults with mild ID. Our results show that such technologies can promote communication between general practitioners (GPs) and patients with mild ID by extracting symptoms in advance of the consultation via an accessible questionnaire. These symptoms act as a referent and assist in raising the awareness of conditions commonly overlooked by GPs. Furthermore, the application can support people with ID in identifying and accessing healthcare services. Finally, the participants identified 6 key factors that affect the clarity of medical images

'Interrupted interviews': listening to young people with autism in transition to college

This article examines the methodological approaches used in a research project that investigated the lived experiences of young people with autism as they made the transition from special schools to mainstream colleges of Further Education. A combination of visual methods using iPad applications and walking interviews were explored in an attempt to develop ways of engaging young people with autism in research and to privilege their voice in their own transition. The strengths and challenges of these methods are examined here and illustrated through the experience and responses of one young person in the study and his engagement with the research

Effect of Education Tablet Applications on Beginning Reading Skills of Students with Autism

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the effect of tablet computer applications and the reading skills of students with autism. Two subjects diagnosed with autism selected by using a convenient sampling method participated in this study. A single subject ABA design was used for collecting data regarding phonemic identification, letter identification, letter discrimination, ap.d sight word identification. Following the collection of baseline data, interventions in the form of different iPad applications were used in individual tutoring sessions and data were collected on the percent of correct responses given per trial. At the completion of a total of 59 sessions of intervention over a period of 8 weeks, data were collected to determine whether skills were maintained. The results showed remarkable change in phoneme identification, classification and sight word identification based on the comparison of baseline and maintenance averages. Limitations of the study include the small sample size and the length of time allotted for interventions. Future study involving the use of tablet technology with a larger sample size is recommended

The International Health Regulations 10 Years On: The Governing Framework for Global Health Security

The World Health Organization (WHO) and its global health security treaty, the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) have lost the world\u27s confidence after the West African Ebola epidemic. The epidemic led to several high-level reviews of the IHR and global health security more broadly. Here, we propose a series of recommendations for operational and legal reforms to enhance the functioning of the FCGH. It is critical that WHO act on them quickly, before the window of opportunity for fundamental reform closes. WHO should ensure that all states fulfill their obligations to develop national core surveillance and response capacities, including through funding, possibly through additional assessed contributions, and an independent peer-review assessment process, with assessments identifying gaps and strategies and financing to fill those gaps. Civil society could also participate in ensure the validity of assessments. Independent assessments will improve confidence in the IHR, as would increasing the transparency of Emergency Committees deliberations, supplemented by an independent body to review disease data and offer recommendations to the WHO Director-General. States might more promptly notify WHO of events that may constitute public health emergencies of international concern with enhanced training and if the IHR\u27s decision instrument is amended to make more diseases automatically notifiable. WHO should also further encourage and facilitate reporting from non-governmental sources. A harmonized, gradient system for health emergencies would also bring greater clarity to disease response, while maintaining the power of a declaration of a public health emergency of international concern. To improve compliance with temporary recommendations and deter harmful additional measures, WHO could use public pressure, acknowledging compliance while publicly naming states parties and businesses that fail to comply, along with requesting justification for additional measures. States could use dispute mediation, arbitration, or other legal procedures, such as through the World Trade Organization, to discourage harmful trade and travel restrictions. And to advance a One Health approach, based on the links between human, animal, and environmental health, WHO should increase its use of cooperative agreements with other intergovernmental bodies, while integrating the Pandemic Influenza Pandemic Framework with the IHR to encourage equitable sharing of vaccines and therapies

Welfare assessment protocol App: innovative solutions for on-farm data collection and analyses

THE CHALLENGE: Standardization of data collection within EU countries Reduce assessment time Store and analyse welfare data THE SOLUTION: Digital smartphone/tablet applications for data collection and reporting WP1 AWIN scientists developed apps for turkeys, horses and goat