1. Calvin Hobbes lives in rural Montana and has been a truck driver all of his life.
Despite his physical activity on his farm (he owns a pet tiger as well), a less than ideal lifestyle and acute love of Jack Daniels have finally taken their toll and Calvin is due to have liver transplant surgery very soon.
Post-transplant care, medication, and monitoring are vital to the survival of such patients. Calvin's situation is complicated by the fact that he lives a significant distance from a quality care facility. Fortunately, a new home health system has been created for patients like Calvin and it will be installed in his home prior to his arrival after the necessary transplant and hospital recovery.
a. Be practical. You are not being asked to think up futuristic technology. This system should be something that could be done with current technology.
b. Ignore cost for the moment.Assume that insurance will cover the costs.
c. Do not assume or require that Calvin will be able to avoid all travel for his care.
d. You may assume that secondary or support facilities (e.g., a local clinic) may be involved.
Your design should include the following:
i. A list, description, and justification of the functions that the system should perform.
ii. A list, description, and justification of specific hardware technologies included in the system.
iii. A list, description, and justification of general hardware technologies included in the system.
iv. A list, description, and justification of specific software technologies included in the system.
v. A list, description, and justification of general software technologies included in the system.
vi. A list, without definition or description, of the data points that need to be collected and transmitted.
vii. A list and description of the personnel that will have access to the system.
viii. A list and description of procedures that need to be performed during system use by all relevant personnel, including the patient.
ix. Provide a high-level system diagram of the in-home components (hardware and software).
x. Provide a high-level system diagram of the entire system.
xi. Using systems thinking, describe the system from the perspective of input, processing, output, and feedback. Be sure to indicate how
we will know that the system is performing as desired and producing the desired outcomes.
xii. Does your system design fit our working field definition of Healthcare Telematics? Why or why not?
2. Consider the list or sets of healthcare telematics stakeholders identified in class discussion and in your text. Also consider that a
historical and significant asymmetry exists with regard to information, knowledge, and power between those that provide and regulate healthcare services and those that consume them. Using individual or sets of related stakeholders, discuss each with regard to
challenges, limitations, barriers, and opportunities in the diffusion of healthcare telematics services. Now, consider mHealth similarly.
How does/can/could/will mHealth change the asymmetries mentioned? Be thorough in your response.