Patient Values Associated with an Exergame Supporting COPD Treatment.

Exercise games (exergames) can help COPD patients stay active and prevent exacerbation. When evaluating such exergames, patient values are an important variable to take into account. In this study, seven COPD patients used an exergame technology at the physiotherapist for six months. Their values regarding treatment and the exergames were identified in interviews. Values were very stable throughout the study, and closely interconnected. Personal Guidance and Independence were important values. Additionally, patients sometimes held conflicting values that they prioritized differently at different times or based on specific events. As the study identified important values that appeared stable over a period of time, albeit with different prioritization, they are worth considering when designing new technology. However, values cannot be looked at in isolation because of the strong connection between values.

Best Practices and Lessons Learned for Action Research in eHealth Design and Implementation: Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Action research (AR) is an established research framework to introduce change in a community following a cyclical approach and involving stakeholders as coresearchers in the process. In recent years, it has also been used for eHealth development. However, little is known about the best practices and lessons learned from using AR for eHealth development. OBJECTIVE: This literature review aims to provide more knowledge on the best practices and lessons learned from eHealth AR studies. Additionally, an overview of the context in which AR eHealth studies take place is given. METHODS: A semisystematic review of 44 papers reporting on 40 different AR projects was conducted to identify the best practices and lessons learned in the research studies while accounting for the particular contextual setting and used AR approach. RESULTS: Recommendations include paying attention to the training of stakeholders' academic skills, as well as the various roles and tasks of action researchers. The studies also highlight the need for constant reflection and accessible dissemination suiting the target group. CONCLUSIONS: This literature review identified room for improvements regarding communicating and specifying the particular AR definition and applied approach.

International eHealth ecosystems and the quest for the winning value proposition: findings from a survey study.

BACKGROUND: eHealth ecosystems are becoming increasingly important for national and international healthcare. In such ecosystems, different actors are connected and work together to create mutual value. However, it is important to be aware of the goals that each actor pursues within the ecosystem. METHOD: This study describes the outcomes of a workshop (30 participants) and two surveys (completed by 54 and 100 participants), which investigated how different types of industry stakeholders, namely social services, healthcare, technology developers and researchers, rated potential value propositions for an eHealth ecosystem. Both the feasibility and the importance of each proposition was taken into account. RESULTS: Interoperability between services was highly valued across industry types but there were also vast differences concerning other propositions. CONCLUSION: Jointly reflecting on the different perceived values of an ehealth ecosystem can help actors working together to form an ecosystem.