ABSTRACT
Quality pain management implies a thorough pain assessment with structured communication between patients and healthcare providers. Pain distribution is an important dimension of cancer pain. Assessment of pain distribution is commonly performed on a pain body map. This study explores how a computerized pain body map may function as a communication tool and visualize pain in patients with advanced cancer. In previous studies, we have developed a tablet-based computerized pain body map for use in cancer patients. The aim of this study was to adapt the computerized pain body map program to patients with neuropathic cancer-related pain, and to develop a separate interface for healthcare providers. We also wanted to investigate the perceived usefulness of this system among patients and healthcare providers. Both patients and healthcare providers perceived that the visualization of pain in the computerized pain body map system had potential to be a positive contribution to clinical pain management, and to improve collaboration between healthcare providers.
Subject(s)
Audiovisual Aids , Cancer Pain/psychology , Inventions , Neoplasms/physiopathology , Pain Measurement , User-Computer Interface , Computers, Handheld , Female , Focus Groups , Health Personnel , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Norway , ScotlandABSTRACT
The pressure on the healthcare services is building up for several reasons. The ageing population trend, the increase in life-style related disease prevalence, as well as the increased treatment capabilities with associated general expectation all add pressure. The use of ambient healthcare technologies can alleviate the situation by enabling time and cost-efficient monitoring and follow-up of patients discharged from hospital care. We report on an ambulatory system developed for monitoring of physical rehabilitation patients. The system consists of a wearable multisensor monitoring device; a mobile phone with client application aggregating the data collected; a service-oriented-architecture based server solution; and a PC application facilitating patient follow-up by their health professional carers. The system has been tested and verified for accuracy in controlled environment trials on healthy volunteers, and also been usability tested by 5 congestive heart failure patients and their nurses. This investigation indicated that patients were able to use the system, and that nurses got an improved basis for patient follow-up.
Subject(s)
Cell Phone , Heart Failure/rehabilitation , Monitoring, Ambulatory/methods , Biomedical Technology/instrumentation , Biomedical Technology/methods , Computers , Equipment Design , Humans , Life Style , Monitoring, Ambulatory/instrumentation , SoftwareABSTRACT
The Ambient Assisted Living domain is a fast growing area with many new technological artefacts and services developed. Most of the systems developed address end-users' needs. Yet, they have not achieved a large market penetration. The work presented here argues that this is primarily due to not sufficiently addressing the quality requirements posed by the health care organizations. Satisfying quality requirements requires a standardized and easily accessible framework for measuring quality. We present the initial steps towards such a framework by building on relevant ISO standards.
