An "intelligent" e-health portal developed by Toronto-based DataGlider puts systems, rather than doctors, to work in finding the right information needed to treat patients.
The portal was one of the products showcased at IS 2005, an annual Canadian conference on Intelligent Systems, recently held in QuC)bec City.
At the two-day event, Canadian researchers unveiled the latest advances in robotics and intelligent system technologies - from robots that can "grab" satellites in space or sink pool balls, to advanced intelligent systems designed to help ultrasound technicians monitor the health of astronauts in space.
The DataGlider portal responds to a fundamental problem in Canadian healthcare today - lack of a unified health record offering physicians easy access to patient information.
To provide physicians with relevant and targeted information, the portal relies on "portlets" (small windows of information) and "datalets" (little entities with data). These are used in conjunction with a "context server" that processes specific information - that may relate to a patient, medication, or treatment plan - based on the physician's specialty area (cardiology, neurology and so on).
The portal enables a physician to view on a single screen, information consolidated from hospital or external systems, according to Ehud Cohen, a partner at DataGlider. "[The physician] doesn't have to initiate any action. The system knows how to go and look for info via the context server." He notes that unlike standard Web pages, the system contains meta-data (information about data) that allows it to search intelligently.
According to Cohen, the e-health portal was developed in close consultation with physician groups at several hospitals. Data Glider identified the work flow - how physicians currently search through systems - and assembled a series of portlets and datalets to create tailored screens and links.
"Physicians say [it takes] 200 mouse clicks to get the same information they get from our system with no click at all, since they get it automatically," he said.
Another intelligent system showcased at the conference has the capability to remotely monitor the well-being of elderly people. The system detects mishaps - such as falls or loss of consciousness - via a wireless pendant or wristband worn by the patient and alerts the emergency call center.
The system was developed to meet the growing need for tracking and monitoring the elderly at home. This option offers them autonomy - more than they would have in an institutional setting - even if they are frail or have medical conditions such as diabetes that require monitoring.
"Our system uses technology that tracks locations and movements in space," says Christian Cloutier, president of SystC(mes Lifelink based in Quebec City. "It tracks active behaviour [and] level of body movements."
The system, he says, also uses space and environmental components to track people and detect a "punctual event that may require an intervention by emergency care workers."
If an adverse event occurs, information about its history and circumstances can be securely accessed by other healthcare providers involved in the case, such as nurses, occupational therapists, and pharmacists.
The system is still in development, but SystC(mes Lifelink is collaborating with the UniversitC) de Laval to add pattern-recognition capabilities that would allow it to detect activity patterns that deviate from the norm for specific individuals.
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