Incorporating patient concerns into design requirements for IoMT-based systems: The fall detection case study

Health Informatics J. 2021 Jan-Mar;27(1):1460458220982640. doi: 10.1177/1460458220982640.

Abstract

Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) systems are envisioned to provide high-quality healthcare services to patients in the comfort of their home, utilizing cutting-edge Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and medical sensors. Patient comfort and willingness to participate in such efforts is a prominent factor for their adoption. As IoT technology has provided solutions for all technical issues, patient concerns are those that seem to restrict their wider adoption. To enhance patient awareness of the system properties and enhance their willingness to adopt IoMT solutions, this paper presents a novel methodology to integrate patient concerns in the design requirements of such systems. It comprises a number of straightforward steps that an IoMT designer can follow, starting from identifying patient concerns, incorporating them in system design requirements as criticalities, proceeding to system implementation and testing, and finally, verifying that it fulfills the concerns of the patients. To showcase the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, the paper applies it in the design and implementation of a fall detection system for elderly patients remotely monitored in their homes.

Keywords: fall detection; internet of medical things; model-based design; patient concerns; remote monitoring system.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Accidental Falls / prevention & control
  • Aged
  • Humans
  • Internet of Things*
  • Monitoring, Physiologic