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Application of emerging and related technologies in Healthcare. Existing

eHealth systems and technologies.

Technical Report · January 2020

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.24173.33760

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Table of Contents
Summary .................................................................................................................................... 1
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 2
2. Existing eHealth systems ........................................................................................................ 2
2.1 Health IT ........................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Virtual Healthcare ............................................................................................................ 3
2.3 mHealth............................................................................................................................ 4
2.4 Big Data Systems .............................................................................................................. 4
3. How technologies learnt are incorporated in the system ...................................................... 5
3.1 Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) ................................................................................... 5
3.2 Cloud Computing and Data Management ........................................................................ 6
3.3 Media Applications and Transmission .............................................................................. 7
4. Challenges and Next step ....................................................................................................... 8
References ............................................................................................................................... 10
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Summary

This report investigates existing digital healthcare systems and solutions categorically; health
IT, Virtual Healthcare, mHealth and big data systems which are believed to have a
transformative impact on healthcare. Additionally, the reports outline solutions that have
defined how communication and data t is manipulated across the healthcare sector.
Relatively, the report briefly expands on how certain technologies, specifically, on the
Internet of things, cloud computing, data management, and media application, transmission
are incorporated into these digital healthcare systems making its advantages seemly endless.
The uses of technology in healthcare are aging hence embracing diverse challenges. The
report also elaborates and on some limitations to the expansion and adoption of some of the
highlighted eHealth systems and technologies already discussed. Finally, this report is
concluded by recommendations to help curb the challenges as well as activities for further
work to effectively utilize digital healthcare to change its business model which patients and
service providers both stand to benefit from.
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1. Introduction
Latterly, the insurgence of digital technology has made a great impact on the world. It is explanatory
that innovation and technology could transform the delivery of health care. Quality care experience is
an essential part of every health care provider.

Hence, there is a transmutation in the global healthcare industry as a result of the request for high-
quality care and the pressure of healthcare costs. This revolution is coined “eHealth.” The World
Health Organization (WHO) explained eHealth as the productive and secure use of information and
communication technologies to enhance the health and health-related sectors including healthcare,
health surveillance and health education, knowledge and research.

2. Existing eHealth systems

eHealth goes beyond using just technology. It involves discovering, utilizing, keeping records, handling
and transmitting information to enhance and support healthcare specifically to make decisions
centered on patient care. Computers and related ICT devices are the technology that facilitates these
systems (Royal College of Nursing, 2019).

Influenced by how eHealth is defined, it made of a diversity of subdivisions of digital health

(Innovatemeditec, 2019) which includes;

Health
IT

mHealth

eHealth
Big data
systems
Virtual
Health
Figure 1. Four subdivisions of eHealth
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2.1 Health IT
Health information technology involves the implementation of information processing using computer
hardware that involves the storage, retrieval, sharing, and making use of healthcare information, data,
and knowledge for communication and decision (Innovatemeditec, 2019).

Health IT basically involves using hardware and technology such as smartphones, digital wearables
and other assertive technologies to monitor the health and medical information, and process data or
information across different healthcare settings among, patients, physicians, nurses, and health
providers. On the other hand, it uses the application of software technology like the internet, web-
based secure mailing and other devices to connect health communities, countries and even across the
world for research, support and educational purposes.

2.2 Virtual Healthcare

Virtual healthcare entails any healthcare interaction involving patients and clinicians through
communications technology (Care Innovations, 2019) hence, the application of audio and video
connectivity’s, for virtual meetings to occur from any location virtually instead of the normal face-face
approach.

Figure 2. Virtual communication with patient. Samsung Telehealth

Virtual healthcare includes;

Telemedicine solutions that adopt videoconferencing, telephones, computers, the Internet, fax,
radio, and television to provide and support health care for remote patients
(Innovatemeditec, 2019), connect health professionals to interact with each other for status reports,
meetings, learning and sharing ideas.
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2.3 mHealth
mHealth (Mobile Health) describes using mobile devices such as mobile phones, tablets and mobile
technology to support public health.

mHealth similarly but unlike the Health IT and virtual health use;

Behavioral educational tools like apps and email notifications by which online self-monitoring,
physician referral, automated progress reports, and as-needed communications provided for clinical
care.

2.4 Big Data Systems

Big data simply refers to the volume of data, that’s not the case. Big data may also refer to the extent
of technology that an organization requires to handle large amounts of data, as well as the necessary
infrastructure to store it.

Healthcare sector uses big collection of clinical, financial, administrative and genomic data and
requires big data techniques to manage it (Innovatemeditec, 2019). These include; Web and social
media data, Transaction data and, Biometric data.
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3. How technologies learnt are incorporated in the system

Having discussed the categories of eHealth solutions, they utilize technologies across various
multimedia applications and platforms, internet, digital networks to perform the healthcare and well-
being functions.

3.1 Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)

IoT is a worldwide infrastructure that connects physical and virtual things thought the utilization of
data capture and communication capabilities. IoMT connects directly medical devices through a
network device to capture, share and monitor important data effortlessly via a safe service layer (SSL).
This service layer is linked to the main command and a regulated server in the cloud system. Basically,
sensors are installed in medical things including; smart glasses, watches, pills, beds, bands with the
capture and analyze data and then transferred to a display component that can be monitored or
responded to.

For Instance, Homecare makes it possible to monitor patients in the comfort of their own homes.
Sensors are installed on a diversity of medical equipment (e.g. heart rate monitors) by the bedside of
a patient. The data recorded by the device is transferred to the hospital where a clinician can analyze
it and give feedback.

Figure 3. Model of IoT technology in healthcare. Brindley technologies, 2019

One attribute of the devices used is the ability to change constantly and perform actions surrounded
by the operating conditions, user context and sensed environment. This makes them dynamic,
interoperable and self-adaptive. Because of the wide network of healthcare activities, the mode of
communication for IoMT devices is linked to an external infrastructure either via a wireline (optic
fibre) or predominantly wireless (RF-based).

The RF-based easily facilitate communication between an embedded system and the connected
device. An example is the 2G/3G/4G/5G networks used for mHealth applications via smartphones
connected with medical devices. Sensors are the main components of IoT. These sensors are
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sometimes used to measure the physical quantities of objects (patients), perform data analysis
infusion and convert them into signals that can be interpreted by the clinician, instrument or
connected things (devices). An example of sensor technology in healthcare is the thermoelectric
(thermometer) device used for measuring the body temperature of patients.

3.2 Cloud Computing and Data Management

Big data systems in healthcare make use of cloud technology drivers importantly in communications
via mHealth apps in connected health Peer-to-peer platforms and patient clinicians computing
systems. Cloud technology is used to store and retrieve data via the server. Due to nature (velocity,
volume, and variety) of these bid data usage across the healthcare industry, it is difficult to use local
storage systems attached to the computer to store them. Hence the cloud computing systems (PaaS,
IaaS, SaaS), is adapted to store and distribute data queries across multiple datasets to perform big
data analysis that can be used.

The healthcare used hybrid cloud computing services that are made of a combination of private,
public and community cloud service providers. It connects monitoring information from IoMT,
medical diagnoses information, email, and health app services as well as individual health providers'
information.

Figure 4. Data processing via cloud computing in healthcare. Technische Universität München, 2017

Health data and information are very sensitive hence the cloud technology is using a security process
to ensure security control mechanisms, authenticity and, confidentiality of information across
healthcare sectors.
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3.3 Media Applications and Transmission

Mostly, digital health technologies like telemedicine and web platforms for email under virtual health
and Health IT respectively use media applications and technologies to perform related health
functions. Alternatively, media applications in health context works by capturing using a camera or
sensor. The recorded media either image or video is compressed to make to facilitate easy
transmission via the Internet or network and then decompressed by the second interaction device to
make display or interpretation more accessible.

These media applications may either can either be non-real time (data transfer) or
conversational/Realtime (mHealth apps, web and emails). However, they experience some latency in
delivery over the transmission network or internet (Ekmekcioglu,2019). This delays or interruptions
defines the standard or quality of service delivery and experience by the users or people who interact
with them.

Latency

Figure. A system architecture of media transmission in healthcare.

Importantly, most health systems for communication (voice, apps, web, emails) have different Quality
of service requirements. Telemedicine and virtual video streaming database retrievals over big data
systems in healthcare technology may be limited by information transfer delays due to the connection
level of networks or packet levels like jitter and errors.
This is influenced by the attributes of the transmission networks and their resources.
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4. Challenges and Next step

eHealth has come with a lot of opportunities to improve the healthcare system. Many people are also
embracing the possibilities of eHealth. However, these opportunities come with some challenges.
What is preventing eHealth from becoming a reality? And what could be the possible solutions?

Most importantly, a lot of mHealth applications are already in the system of healthcare. Mobile health
is the transformation of the healthcare system by enhancing communication, efficiency and quality
services. The top app stores worldwide have as many as 318,000 apps within their market (Georgiou,
2019). Meanwhile more apps with related functions are being added to flood the ecosystem of
mHealth every day. Research by Imaginnovation, 2019 shows that over 200 new healthcare apps are
added to the store daily.

Consequentially, variety and similar apps in the system could result in overcrowding of products in
mobile health. This can also lead to perplexity in the quality of services and experience from health
providers and users respectively. Both the services providers and users may like to explore and
experience the ideation behind these products and different applications come with different
requirements.

Expanding on a recent interview with pregnant women at a community event in East Village on their
perception about healthcare with the NHS, most respondents mentioned that there are a lot of
mobile applications with similar functions within the NHS and other health providers which have
helped them to get in touch remotely with the NHS and their peers for support, advice, and
education. However, they feel like it is too flooded and it's more confusing as to which one to use
exactly (Adade, A.W et al., 2019, p. 6).

Additionally, complex user experience is a current uncertainty in digital health. eHealth technology is
progressively advanced and available. However, many people are not used to using Information and
Communication Technology (ICT), including mobile technology and the Internet of things (IoT). Elderly
people are a typical case study for this challenge specifically in certain parts of the world like Africa.
Lack of transformations such as inadequate user-friendliness also muddles up the user experience.
Eysenbach (2001) mentions in his ten (10) essentials e’s of eHealth that is should be easy to use, must
be entertaining and exciting.

Finally, other disciplines like a business are useful in implementing digital health technologies. Cost is a
very crucial element of a business model that needs to be considered in creating products and
services. Most digital health products, services and systems like the Internet of Things (IoT) are
conceptually very promising in ideas and also fascinating in most developing countries. The cost of
healthcare in implementing technologies is still disturbing.
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Having realized this, below are some recommendations to help improve the future of eHealth;

• Integration of transforming systems that can align and give health providers and users more
engaging capacity or role as users of new technologies.

• Expand the scope of healthcare beyond its conventional boundaries by adopting medical and
health training and education on the use and application of some of these advanced
technologies via offline and online platforms. This can help curb the user’s acceptance and
improve the experience for both parties.

• Business models should be structured to help generate more revenue, define the true value
of these technologies for patients and importantly realizing that the cost involved is very
needed for authentication. This will help implement effective technologies and systems.

In conclusion, with digital health revolutionizing, has birth opportunities to improve the outcome of
healthcare. From enhancing communication to improving the utilization and accuracy of data and
information. Most importantly, the user needs must be centered around these technologies.
Transforming where and how these technologies are used and providing new ways to deduce the
predicaments that comes with it will help make eHealth a reality.
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References

Adade, A.W., Wang, B., Hu, B., Li, C., Li, D., Yang, Z. (2019) Patients perception about healthcare. NHS
Project: Personalized service for a digital maternity care. Report. Team B. 19LLP008: Collaborative
Project. Loughborough University London

Brindley Technologies. (2019). Smart Healthcare Solutions. Available at:

http://www.brindleytech.com/smart-healthcare-solutions/. (Last Accessed 17 December 2019).

Care Innovations. (2019) What is Virtual Healthcare, and How Does It Fit into Telehealth? Available
at: https://news.careinnovations.com/blog/what-is-virtual-healthcare-how-does-itfit-into-
telehealth. (Last Accessed 18 December 2019).

Ekmekcioglu, E. (2019) ‘Media Applications and Quality of Service & Experience’ [Lecture]. 19LLP112:
Introduction to Digital Technologies. Loughborough University. 2 December.

Eysenbach, G. (2001). What is eHealth? The journal of Medical Internet Research. Available at:
https://www.jmir.org/2001/2/e20/. (Last Accessed 21 December 2019).

Fabian, H. (2017). Technische Universität München. Group 7 Ethical 3 Diagnosing through

Data Processing. Available at: https://wiki.tum.de/display/btt/Group+7+Ethical+3. (Last Accessed 19
December 2019).

Georgiou, K. (2019). Infographic; How Mobile Apps are transforming the healthcare industry.
Imaginovation. Available at : https://www.imaginovation.net/blog/infographic-mobile-
appstransforming-the-healthcare-industry/. (Last Accessed 21 December 2019).

Innovatemeditec. (2019). The digital health networks. Available at: https://innovatemedtec.com/.

(Last Accessed 21 December 2019).

Royal College of Nursing. (2019). eHealth. Available at: https://www.rcn.org.uk/clinicaltopics/ehealth.

(Last Accessed 15 December 2019).

William, M. (2017) Virtual Healthcare Solutions Break Diagnosis Barrier. Samsung. Telehealth.
Available at: https://insights.samsung.com/2017/02/15/virtual-healthcaresolutions-break-diagnosis-
barrier/. (Last Accessed 17 December 2019).

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