Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
An important and very demanding part of a carer's job is related to transport, the
amount of time spent driving from one home to another. Patient surveillance through
new technology will reduce the number of calls to each home and the exchange of
information between the multiple levels of care givers will ensure that each patient is
attentively monitored.
Scenario 2. Mobile Support for Care Givers
If a situation arises where a care giver is unsure about what to do, an expert can be consulted. Or referral to
proper professional support with the adequate relevant information at hand, using decision-support tools
based on an ongoing analysis and synthesis of medical evidence. An important part of self-management is
related to the prevention of diseases which can be based on the genetic and molecular warning signs before
a disease exposes itself and also on the data collected by non-medical services such as activity
management, fitness equipment, eating habits, supporting a person in keeping to a healthy lifestyle.
Monitoring medication intake and e.g. exercise programs allows checks of adherence to treatment (and
react when this is not so), combined with monitoring their status, which provides indications on whether the
treatment needs to be adapted.
The application also acts a virtual nurse-doctor who knows the person's status and needs and is on call at
any time and in any place, to guide and support the person. This application acts as a knowledge source, a
personal decision-support system, health and fitness coach, personal dietician, and much more, giving
instantaneous feedback to the user, raising an alarm or informing professional or informal care givers when
needed. This is. important for managing people suffering from e.g. chronic diseases, detecting relapses,
before they become dangerous, based on monitoring, trend analysis, and raising the alarm and initiating
appropriate action like calling a person, or visiting when needed. This will also include the possibility for
action related to behaviour management by giving relevant education information and checking adherence
to treatment programs (medication or exercise).
If a real emergency happens, it will be detected by the application automatically: it informs the emergency
service of all the relevant medical and the exact location of the patient because one of the environmental
sensors is of course a GPS sensor. Knowing that this will be done when necessary also increases the self-
confidence of the patients.
The application also communicates with the person's network of medical professionals who are involved in
current treatment plans and link the person to diagnostic and treatment services. All care providers and their
supporting facilities like radiology, laboratories and pharmacies use electronic health-record systems that
are connected to a secure health-information-exchange network which enables easy access to the relevant
data using a role- and task-based access-control system that is in line with the consent rules controlled by
the patient. In this way, they all have constant access to up-to-date patient information, which is of course
important in emergencies.
Roadmap 1. Support for multi-disciplinary care teams.
Very short
term (2010)
Short term
(2015)
Mid term
(2020)
Long term (2025)
Video
consultation
High-resolution
video & audio
Augmented
Reality Video,
mostly 2D
Some 3D;
Augmented
Reality Video,
mostly 2D
3D Augmented Reality
communication
Cardio,
pulmonary and
some blood data
Capabilities of
a medical
praxis
Distributed systems with
capabilities of hospitals in
some areas and direct data
links to laboratories for
dedicated pattern analyses
Vital data
acquisition &
transmission
Remotely
operated
actuators
Complex &
stationary
actuators, only
in clinical trials
More mobile
actuators, first
trials for home
care
 
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