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Review
. 2008 Jun 19:8:26.
doi: 10.1186/1472-6947-8-26.

Towards pervasive computing in health care - a literature review

Carsten Orwat  1 , Andreas Graefe, Timm Faulwasser
Affiliations
Review

Towards pervasive computing in health care - a literature review

Carsten Orwat et al. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. .

Abstract

Background: The evolving concepts of pervasive computing, ubiquitous computing and ambient intelligence are increasingly influencing health care and medicine. Summarizing published research, this literature review provides an overview of recent developments and implementations of pervasive computing systems in health care. It also highlights some of the experiences reported in deployment processes.

Methods: There is no clear definition of pervasive computing in the current literature. Thus specific inclusion criteria for selecting articles about relevant systems were developed. Searches were conducted in four scientific databases alongside manual journal searches for the period of 2002 to 2006. Articles included present prototypes, case studies and pilot studies, clinical trials and systems that are already in routine use.

Results: The searches identified 69 articles describing 67 different systems. In a quantitative analysis, these systems were categorized into project status, health care settings, user groups, improvement aims, and systems features (i.e., component types, data gathering, data transmission, systems functions). The focus is on the types of systems implemented, their frequency of occurrence and their characteristics. Qualitative analyses were performed of deployment issues, such as organizational and personnel issues, privacy and security issues, and financial issues. This paper provides a comprehensive access to the literature of the emerging field by addressing specific topics of application settings, systems features, and deployment experiences.

Conclusion: Both an overview and an analysis of the literature on a broad and heterogeneous range of systems are provided. Most systems are described in their prototype stages. Deployment issues, such as implications on organization or personnel, privacy concerns, or financial issues are mentioned rarely, though their solution is regarded as decisive in transferring promising systems to a stage of regular operation. There is a need for further research on the deployment of pervasive computing systems, including clinical studies, economic and social analyses, user studies, etc.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Method used in selecting articles published between 2002 and 2006.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Periodicals including most of the articles selected.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Saha D, Mukherjee A. Pervasive computing: a paradigm for the 21st century. IEEE Computer. 2003;36:25–31. doi: 10.1109/MC.2003.1185214. - DOI
    1. Satyanarayanan M. Pervasive computing: vision and challenges. IEEE Personal Communications. 2001;8:10–17. doi: 10.1109/98.943998. - DOI
    1. Alcañiz M, Rey B. New Technologies For Ambient Intelligence. In: Riva G, Vatalaro F, Davide F, Alcañiz M, editor. The Evolution of Technology, Communication and Cognition Towards the Future of Human-Computer Interaction. Amsterdam: IOS Press; 2005. pp. 3–15.
    1. Lyytinen K, Yoo YJ. Issues and challenges in ubiquitous computing. Communications of the ACM. 2002;45:62–65. doi: 10.1145/585597.585616. - DOI
    1. Kenny L. Exploring the Business and Social Impacts of Pervasive Computing. Zurich: IBM Zurich Research Laboratory, Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue, TA-Swiss; Published by Swiss Reinsurance Company; 2006.

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