A Systematic Approach to Quality Requirement Management in Medical Software.

BACKGROUND: The quality requirements for medical software have become increasingly demanding. Several quality standards and models are already in place, but there is a debate on whether these are specific enough for medical software. Moreover, mapping requirements to quality criteria can be challenging but is required throughout the software development process. OBJECTIVES: We propose a workflow in which we apply proven methods and tools for systematic collection, analysis, and evaluation of software quality criteria based on the ISO/IEC 25010:2011. METHODS: We employ affinity diagrams, Kano analysis and quality function deployment for the systematic requirement development, analysis, and management. RESULTS: We outline a systematic approach on how to use the recommended process when developing medical software. CONCLUSION: The paper proposes a systematic approach for requirements management that could be used for mapping medical software quality criteria and stakeholder requirements, independent from the quality criteria (and the underlying model) itself.

Use of ICPC-2 - Current Status, Strengths and Weaknesses of the System.

BACKGROUND: Classifications of primary care must be as interoperable as possible with current international health terminology and classifications. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the work was to point out the strengths and weaknesses of the ICPC-2 coding and to work out recommendations for further dissemination from the user's point of view. METHODS: Selected studies on the experience with the use of ICPC-2 in several countries were analyzed, a quantitative study on the prevalence in Austria was carried out. On this basis, a qualitative study was then initiated, which analyzes the strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of practice. RESULTS: Although there are recommendations and agreements from a political point of view, the scope of application in Austria is limited. CONCLUSION: Due to the reorganization of primary health care and other health economics requirements, unified documentation, which is already common in the intramural field, will be essential.

eHealth Networking Information Systems - The New Quality of Information Exchange.

BACKGROUND: The development and introduction of platforms that enable interdisciplinary exchange on current developments and projects in the area of eHealth have been stimulated by different authorities. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this project was to develop a repository of eHealth projects that will make the wealth of eHealth projects visible and enable mutual learning through the sharing of experiences and good practice. METHODS: The content of the database and search criteria as well as their categories were determined in close co-ordination and cooperation with stakeholders from the specialist areas. Technically, we used Java Server Faces (JSF) for the implementation of the frontend of the web application. RESULTS: Access to structured information on projects can support stakeholders to combining skills and knowledge residing in different places to create new solutions and approaches within a network of evolving competencies and opportunities. CONCLUSION: A regional database is the beginning of a structured collection and presentation of projects, which can then be incorporated into a broader context. The next step will be to unify this information transparently.

Specific Requirements of Physiotherapists on the Practical Use of Software in the Therapeutical Process.

The current healthcare system requires more effective management. New media and technology are supposed to support the demands of the current healthcare system. By the example of physiotherapy, the primary objective of this study was to define the specific requirements of therapists on the practical use of software which cover the administration, documentation and evaluation of the entire therapy process, including a database with pictures/videos about exercises which can be adapted individually by the therapists. Another objective was to show what conditions for a successful implementation of advanced applications during the entire treatment process have to be fulfilled. The approach of mixed-methods designs was chosen. In the first part a two-stage qualitative study was carried out, followed by a quantitative survey. The results show that the use of the software regarding the therapy-related part is dependent on how adaptable the software is to the special needs of the therapists, that the whole treatment process is mapped on the software and that an additional training during the professional practice must be implemented in order to deploy the use of the software successfully in the therapeutic process.

Development of a generic monitoring application by the example of coronary artery disease.

The demographic change, the social structure and the development of new and complex therapies for diseases are responsible for a permanent rise of health expenditure. To guarantee affordable health care, AAL (Ambient Assisted Living) is one possibility. Our objective is to show that it is possible to create remote support for caregivers by physicians even with widely available and versatile hardware. A single board computer currently only equipped with 6 different sensors to measure blood pressure, glucose level, pulse, oxygen saturation, temperature and ECG is used as a showcase for patients with e.g. coronary artery disease. We created a user-friendly local application that collects and stores all data and transmits them to a remote server as soon as an Internet connection becomes available. Additionally, a web-application gives access to remote physicians and nurses to support caregivers and patients. Patients keep the overview of their vital signs, caregivers, nurses and physician can be alerted on demand or check the patient's data anytime to give advice. We conclude, that projects like this are showcases for the usage of technology that can foster AAL due to the focus on widely available and cheap, versatile equipment.

Development and evaluation of a web-based application for digital findings and documentation in physiotherapy education.

Findings in physiotherapy have standardized approaches in treatment, but there is also a significant margin of differences in how to implement these standards. Clinical decisions require experience and continuous learning processes to consolidate personal values and opinions and studies suggest that lecturers can influence students positively. Recently, the study course of Physiotherapy at the University of Applied Science in Graz has offered a paper based finding document. This document supported decisions through the adaption of the clinical reasoning process. The document was the starting point for our learning application called "EasyAssess", a Java based web-application for a digital findings documentation. A central point of our work was to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and usability of the web-application through usability tests utilized by both students and lecturers. Results show that our application fulfills the previously defined requirements and can be efficiently used in daily routine largely because of its simple user interface and its modest design. Due to the close cooperation with the study course Physiotherapy, the application has incorporated the various needs of the target audiences and confirmed the usefulness of our application.