A DICOM dataset for evaluation of medical image de-identification.

We developed a DICOM dataset that can be used to evaluate the performance of de-identification algorithms. DICOM objects (a total of 1,693 CT, MRI, PET, and digital X-ray images) were selected from datasets published in the Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA). Synthetic Protected Health Information (PHI) was generated and inserted into selected DICOM Attributes to mimic typical clinical imaging exams. The DICOM Standard and TCIA curation audit logs guided the insertion of synthetic PHI into standard and non-standard DICOM data elements. A TCIA curation team tested the utility of the evaluation dataset. With this publication, the evaluation dataset (containing synthetic PHI) and de-identified evaluation dataset (the result of TCIA curation) are released on TCIA in advance of a competition, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), for algorithmic de-identification of medical image datasets. The competition will use a much larger evaluation dataset constructed in the same manner. This paper describes the creation of the evaluation datasets and guidelines for their use.

Prototype of a Military Medic Smartphone Medical Graphical User Interface for Use by Medics in Deployed Environments.

INTRODUCTION: Prompt and effective combat casualty care is essential for decreasing morbidity and mortality during military operations. Similarly, accurate documentation of injuries and treatments enables quality care, both in the immediate postinjury phase and the longer-term recovery. This article describes efforts to prototype a Military Medic Smartphone (MMS) for use by combat medics and other health care providers who work in austere environments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The MMS design builds on previous electronic health record systems and is based on observations of medic workflows. It provides several functions including a compact yet efficient physiologic monitor, a communications device for telemedicine, a portable reference library, and a recorder of casualty care data from the point of injury rearward to advanced echelons of care. Apps and devices communicate using an open architecture to support different sensors and future expansions. RESULTS: The prototype MMS was field tested during live exercises to generate qualitative feedback from potential users, which provided significant guidance for future enhancements. CONCLUSIONS: The widespread deployment of this type of device will enable more effective health care, limit the impact of battlefield injuries, and save lives.

The Relationship between Emotional and Esteem Social Support Messages and Health.

The purpose of this investigation is to determine the relative contribution of five types of social support to improved patient health. This analysis suggests that emotional and esteem social support messages are associated with improved patient health as measured by a decrease in average blood glucose levels among diabetic patients. In addition, when two system feature variables, two system use variables, two measures of learning, one measure of self-efficacy, and one measure of affect toward their HCP were added to the baseline model, a third significant factor emerged. Perceptions about learning about diabetes from reading the digital messages sent by their HCP also predicted improved patient health. Cognitive-Emotional Theory of Esteem Support Messages suggests a combination of esteem social support and emotional social support messages enhanced our ability to predict improved patient health by change in patient hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) scores. While a nonrandomized prospective study, this investigation provides support for the notion that provider-patient interaction is related to improved patient health and that both emotional and esteem social support messages play a role in that process. Finally, the study suggests some types of social support are and other types are not associated with improved patient health; this is consistent with the optimal matching hypothesis.

Incentives to create and sustain healthy behaviors: technology solutions and research needs.

Health-related technology, its relevance, and its availability are rapidly evolving. Technology offers great potential to minimize and/or mitigate barriers associated with achieving optimal health, performance, and readiness. In support of the U.S. Army Surgeon General's vision for a "System for Health" and its Performance Triad initiative, the U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center hosted a workshop in April 2013 titled "Incentives to Create and Sustain Change for Health." Members of government and academia participated to identify and define the opportunities, gain clarity in leading practices and research gaps, and articulate the characteristics of future technology solutions to create and sustain real change in the health of individuals, the Army, and the nation. The key factors discussed included (1) public health messaging, (2) changing health habits and the environmental influence on health, (3) goal setting and tracking, (4) the role of incentives in behavior change intervention, and (5) the role of peer and social networks in change. This report summarizes the recommendations on how technology solutions could be employed to leverage evidence-based best practices and identifies gaps in research where further investigation is needed.

Leveraging technology: creating and sustaining changes for health.

OBJECTIVE: The rapid growth and evolution of health-related technology capabilities are driving an established presence in the marketplace and are opening up tremendous potential to minimize and/or mitigate barriers associated with achieving optimal health, performance, and readiness. This article summarizes technology-based strategies that promote healthy habits related to physical activity, nutrition, and sleep. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center convened a workshop titled "Leveraging Technology: Creating & Sustaining Changes for Health" (May 29-30, 2013, Fort Detrick, MD). Participants included experts from academia (n=3), government (n=33), and industry (n=16). A modified Delphi method was used to establish expert consensus in six topic areas: (1) physical activity, (2) nutrition, (3) sleep, (4) incentives for behavior change, (5) usability/interoperability, and (6) mobile health/open platform. RESULTS: Overall, 162 technology features, constructs, and best practices were reviewed and prioritized for physical activity monitors (n=29), nutrition monitors (n=35), sleep monitors (n=24), incentives for change (n=36), usability and interoperability (n=25), and open data (n=13). CONCLUSIONS: Leading practices, gaps, and research needs for technology-based strategies were identified and prioritized. This information can be used to provide a research and development road map for (1) leveraging technology to minimize barriers to enhancing health and (2) facilitating evidence-based techniques to create and sustain healthy behaviors.

Key enablers to facilitate healthy behavior change: workshop summary.

The increases in preventable chronic diseases and the rising costs of health care are unsustainable. The US Army Surgeon General's vision to transition from a health care system to a system of health requires the identification of key health enablers to facilitate the adoption of healthy behaviors. In support of this vision, the US Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center hosted a workshop in April 2013 titled "Incentives to Create and Sustain Change for Health." Members of government and academia participated to identify key health enablers that could ultimately be leveraged by technology. The key health enablers discussed included (1) public health messaging, (2) changing health habits and the environmental influence on health, (3) goal setting and tracking, (4) the role of incentives in behavior-change intervention, and (5) the role of peer and social networks on change. This report summarizes leading evidence and the group consensus on evidence-based practices with respect to the key enablers in creating healthy behavior change.

Expanding the walls of the health care encounter: support and outcomes for patients online.

This paper assesses the relationship between patient-health care provider (HCP) interaction and health behaviors. In total, 109 Native American patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus were enrolled in a Web-based diabetes monitoring system. The system tracks patient-HCP interaction, and in total 924 personal messages were exchanged. These 924 messages contained 6,411 message units that were content analyzed using a nine-category scheme. Patient blood glucose monitoring was found to be related to the frequency of phatic communication, informational social support, and tangible social support messages, as well as messages containing references to personal contact. Finally, person-centered messages proved to be the single best predictor of patient involvement with the telemedicine system (as measured by the number of times the patient logged into the system).

Outcomes from leiomyoma therapies: comparison with normal controls.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the severity of symptoms caused by uterine leiomyomas, their effect on health-related quality of life, and the change after treatment compared with a normal control group. METHODS: A multicenter nonrandomized prospective study was completed assessing 12-month outcomes from three leiomyoma treatments. Outcome measures included the Uterine Fibroid Symptom and Quality of Life and the Short Form 36 questionnaires. Women scheduled for hysterectomy, myomectomy, or uterine artery embolization were recruited, as well as normal control group members. Questionnaires were completed at baseline and at 6 and 12 months posttreatment. Baseline characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics. General linear models were used to examine differences among the patient groups. RESULTS: A total of 375 patients completed baseline enrollment: 101 normal, 107 embolization, 61 myomectomy, and 106 hysterectomy. At baseline, the mean Uterine Fibroid Symptom and Quality of Life Symptom Severity score for women in the normal control group was 15.3 (+/-14.5) and 64.8 (+/-20) for the leiomyoma patients (P<.001). At 6 and 12 months, the mean Symptom score for women in the normal control group was unchanged, while the leiomyoma treatment group score reduced to a mean of 17.8 (+/-17.5) at 12 months. Similar magnitude changes occurred among the Uterine Fibroid Symptom and Quality of Life health-related quality of life subscale scores for the normal control group members and leiomyoma patients. At 12 months, the hysterectomy group reported significantly lower symptoms and better health-related quality of life than the other two therapies (P<.001). CONCLUSION: At 12 months after treatment, all three leiomyoma therapies resulted in substantial symptom relief, to near normal levels, with the greatest improvement after hysterectomy. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00390494. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

Potential impact of HITECH security regulations on medical imaging.

Title XIII of Division A and Title IV of Division B of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 [1] include a provision commonly referred to as the "Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act" or "HITECH Act" that is intended to promote the electronic exchange of health information to improve the quality of health care. Subtitle D of the HITECH Act includes key amendments to strengthen the privacy and security regulations issued under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The HITECH act also states that "the National Coordinator" must consult with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in determining what standards are to be applied and enforced for compliance with HIPAA. This has led to speculation that NIST will recommend that the government impose the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) [2], which was created by NIST for application within the federal government, as requirements to the public Electronic Health Records (EHR) community in the USA. In this paper we will describe potential impacts of FISMA on medical image sharing strategies such as teleradiology and outline how a strict application of FISMA or FISMA-based regulations could have significant negative impacts on information sharing between care providers.

Conversion to use of digital chest images for surveillance of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (black lung).

To protect the health of active U.S. underground coal miners, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has a mandate to carry out surveillance for coal workers' pneumoconiosis, commonly known as Black Lung (PHS 2001). This is accomplished by reviewing chest x-ray films obtained from miners at approximately 5-year intervals in approved x-ray acquisition facilities around the country. Currently, digital chest images are not accepted. Because most chest x-rays are now obtained in digital format, NIOSH is redesigning the surveillance program to accept and manage digital x-rays. This paper highlights the functional and security requirements for a digital image management system for a surveillance program. It also identifies the operational differences between a digital imaging surveillance network and a clinical Picture Archiving Communication Systems (PACS) or teleradiology system.

The executive summary of the National Forum on the Future of Defense Health Information Systems.

The Department of Defense (DoD) has been engaged in the development and deployment of the longitudinal health record (LHR). It has achieved remarkable technological success by handling vast amounts of patient data coming from clinical sites around the globe. Interoperability between DoD and VA has improved and this information sharing capability is expected to continue to expand as the defense health information system becomes an integral part of the national network. On the other hand, significant challenges remain in terms of user acceptance, ability to incorporate innovations, software acquisition methodology, and overall systems architecture.

Software architecture and engineering for patient records: current and future.

During the "The National Forum on the Future of the Defense Health Information System," a track focusing on "Systems Architecture and Software Engineering" included eight presenters. These presenters identified three key areas of interest in this field, which include the need for open enterprise architecture and a federated database design, net centrality based on service-oriented architecture, and the need for focus on software usability and reusability. The eight panelists provided recommendations related to the suitability of service-oriented architecture and the enabling technologies of grid computing and Web 2.0 for building health services research centers and federated data warehouses to facilitate large-scale collaborative health care and research. Finally, they discussed the need to leverage industry best practices for software engineering to facilitate rapid software development, testing, and deployment.

Communication plays a critical role in web-based monitoring.

BACKGROUND: Patient-health care practitioner (HCP) interaction via a Web-based diabetes management system may increase patient monitoring of their blood glucose (BG) levels. METHODS: A three-center, nonrandomized, prospective feasibility study of 109 Native Americans with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited from Alabama, Idaho, and Arizona. The study intervention included the use of a Web-based diabetes management application (MyCareTeam) that allowed timely interaction between patients and HCPs. Information about diabetes, nutrition, and exercise was also available. Finally, patients were able to provide BG readings to their HCP via the MyCareTeam system. RESULTS: As a result, 59.6% of the patients sent one or more messages to their HCP, 92.67% received one or more messages from their HCP, and 78.89% received one or more person-centered messages from their HCP. Additionally, the number of times a patient logged into the system and the frequency with which they tested their blood sugar were correlated with (a) the number of messages sent to their HCP, (b) the total number of messages received from their HCP, and (c) the number of person-centered messages received from their HCP. Thus patients who sent more messages also tested their BG more frequently, as measured by the number of BG readings uploaded from their meter to the MyCareTeam database. Person-centered messages seem to be particularly important to motivating the patient to monitor their BG levels and use the Web-based system. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that patient-HCP interaction and, in particular, more personalized interactions increases patient frequency of BG monitoring.

Web-based care management in patients with poorly controlled diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of web-based care management on glucose and blood pressure control over 12 months in patients with poorly controlled diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: For this study, 104 patients with diabetes and HbA(1c) (A1C) > or =9.0% who received their care at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical center were recruited. All participants completed a diabetes education class and were randomized to continue with their usual care (n = 52) or receive web-based care management (n = 52). The web-based group received a notebook computer, glucose and blood pressure monitoring devices, and access to a care management website. The website provided educational modules, accepted uploads from monitoring devices, and had an internal messaging system for patients to communicate with the care manager. RESULTS: Participants receiving web-based care management had lower A1C over 12 months (P < 0.05) when compared with education and usual care. Persistent website users had greater improvement in A1C when compared with intermittent users (-1.9 vs. -1.2%; P = 0.051) or education and usual care (-1.4%; P < 0.05). A larger number of website data uploads was associated with a larger decline in A1C (highest tertile -2.1%, lowest tertile -1.0%; P < 0.02). Hypertensive participants in the web-based group had a greater reduction in systolic blood pressure (P < 0.01). HDL cholesterol rose and triglycerides fell in the web-based group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Web-based care management may be a useful adjunct in the care of patients with poorly controlled diabetes.

Impact of MyCareTeam for poorly controlled diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: Web-based diabetes management can be used to provide frequent interactions between patients and providers and thus result in improved glycemic control. METHODS: In a single-center, prospective feasibility study, 16 poorly controlled patients with either type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled to assess the impact of using MyCareTeam, a web-based diabetes management application, for diabetes management. Patients were asked to transfer their blood glucose data electronically, maintain exercise logs, and communicate with their provider via MyCareTeam. The provider gave clinical interventions to optimize blood glucose control and provided feedback via MyCareTeam. Diabetes, nutrition, and exercise information was also available via MyCareTeam. RESULTS: A significant reduction of over 2.22% points in hemoglobin A1C was seen for the total patient population. Differences between moderate/heavy users (n = 8) versus light/never users (n = 8) of MyCareTeam were evaluated for intergroup differences based upon utilization. Moderate/heavy users had a significant 6-month A1C reduction of 3.15 percentage points compared with a reduction of 1.28 percentage points in light/never users. Other secondary end points were improved as well, including systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides. However, as expected, body mass index levels increased because of aggressive diabetes management with insulin therapy. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate a significant treatment effect from the MyCareTeam application. A larger randomized control trial is under way at the Boston Veterans Administration Healthcare System. If these results are confirmed as expected, then web-based diabetes management may prove to be the link to achieving target American Diabetes Association glycemic goals in patients with poorly controlled diabetes.

Media attitudes vs. use: the contribution of context to the communication environment in telemedicine.

Media attitudes and media use have been the focus of considerable academic research. This article uses this research to explore patient and health care practitioner attitudes toward telemedicine interactions via videoconferencing technology.

A pragmatic discussion on establishing a multicenter digital imaging network.

Multicenter clinical trials for therapy evaluation of rare diseases are necessary. A digital imaging network improves the ability to share information between collaborating institutions for adrenoleukodystrophy. The DICOM 3.0 standard is used to move images over the Internet from contributing sites to the central clinical database and on to the reviewing physicians' workstations. Patient confidentiality and data integrity are ensured during transmission using virtual private network technology. Fifteen sites are participating in the network. Of these sites, 6 use the proposed protocol. The other 9 sites have either security policy issues or technical considerations that dictate alternative protocols. Network infrastructure, Internet access, image management practices, and security policies vary significantly between sites. Successful implementation of a multicenter digital imaging network requires flexibility in the implementation of network connectivity. Flexibility increases participation as well as complexity of the network.