Alexander Mertens

Evaluating swabbing: a touchscreen input method for elderly users with tremor

Elderly users suffering from hand tremor have difficulties interacting with touchscreens because of finger oscillation. It has been previously observed that sliding ones finger across the screen may help reduce this oscillation. In this work, we empirically confirm this advantage by (1) measuring finger oscillation during different actions and (2) comparing error rate and user satisfaction between traditional tapping and swabbing in which the user slides his finger towards a target on a screen edge to select it. We found that oscillation is generally reduced during sliding. Also, compared to tapping, swabbing resulted in improved error rates and user satisfaction. We believe that swabbing will make touchscreens more accessible to senior users with tremor.

Demographic and Health Related Data of Users of a Mobile Application to Support Drug Adherence is Associated with Usage Duration and Intensity

Purpose A wealth of mobile applications are designed to support users in their drug intake. When developing software for patients, it is important to understand the differences between individuals who have, who will or who might never adopt mobile interventions. This study analyzes demographic and health-related factors associated with real-life “longer usage” and the “usage-intensity per day” of the mobile application “Medication Plan”. Methods Between 2010-2012, the mobile application “Medication Plan” could be downloaded free of charge from the Apple-App-Store. It was aimed at supporting the regular and correct intake of medication. Demographic and health-related data were collected via an online questionnaire. This study analyzed captured data. Results App-related activities of 1799 users (1708 complete data sets) were recorded. 69% (1183/1708) applied “Medication Plan” for more than a day. 74% were male (872/1183), the median age 45 years. Variance analysis showed a significant effect of the users´ age with respect to duration of usage (p = 0.025). While the mean duration of use was only 23.3 days for users younger than 21 years, for older users, there was a substantial increase over all age cohorts up to users of 60 years and above (103.9 days). Sex and educational status had no effect. “Daily usage intensity” was directly associated with an increasing number of prescribed medications and increased from an average of 1.87 uses per day and 1 drug per day to on average 3.71 uses per day for users stating to be taking more than 7 different drugs a day (p<0.001). Demographic predictors (sex, age and educational attainment) did not affect usage intensity. Conclusion Users aged 60+ as well as those with complicated therapeutic drug regimens relied on the service we provided for more than three months on average. Mobile applications may be a promising approach to support the treatment of patients with chronic conditions.

Design pattern TRABING: touchscreen-based input technique for people affected by intention tremor

Tremor patients are frequently facing problems when interacting with IT systems and services. They do not reach the same levels of input efficiency and easily become unhappy with a technology they do not perceive as a general asset. Cases of Intention tremor show a significant comparative rise in inaccurate movement towards a real button or virtual buttons on touch screens, as this particular tremor increases its symptoms when approaching a desired physical target. People suffering from this specific tremor have been identified as the target group. This group has been closely investigated and thus, a new input procedure has been developed which may be used on standard touch screens. The new technique enables users, accordingly tremor patients, to fully operate IT-based systems and therefore possess full control over input. Deviations caused by the tremor are compensated with a continuous movement instead of a single targeted move which remains the most difficult task to the user. Also, the screen surface will present a frictional resistance, which significantly hinders tremor symptoms. Input can be identified by the computer system with high accuracy, by means of special heuristics, which support barrier free access beyond the target group.

Who Is Still Playing Pokémon Go? A Web-Based Survey

Background Poor physical activity is one of the major health care problems in Western civilizations. Various digital gadgets aiming to increase physical activity, such as activity trackers or fitness apps, have been introduced over recent years. The newest products are serious games that incorporate real-life physical activity into their game concept. Recent studies have shown that such games increase the physical activity of their users over the short term. Objective In this study, we investigated the motivational effects of the digital game “Pokémon Go” leading to continued use or abandonment of the game. The aim of the study was to determine aspects that motivate individuals to play augmented reality exergames and how this motivation can be used to strengthen the initial interest in physical activity. Methods A total of 199 participants completed an open self-selected Web-based survey. On the basis of their self-indicated assignment to one of three predefined user groups (active, former, and nonuser of Pokémon Go), participants answered various questions regarding game experience, physical activity, motivation, and personality as measured by the Big Five Inventory. Results In total, 81 active, 56 former, and 62 nonusers of Pokémon Go were recruited. When asked about the times they perform physical activity, active users stated that they were less physically active in general than former and nonusers. However, based on a subjective rating, active users were more motivated to be physically active due to playing Pokémon Go. Motivational aspects differed for active and former users, whereas fan status was the same within both groups. Active users are more motivated by features directly related to Pokémon, such as catching all possible Pokémon and reaching higher levels, whereas former users stress the importance of general game quality, such as better augmented reality and more challenges in the game. Personality did not affect whether a person started to play Pokémon Go nor their abandonment of the game. Conclusions The results show various motivating elements that should be incorporated into augmented reality exergames based on the game Pokémon Go. We identified different user types for whom different features of the game contribute to maintained motivation or abandonment. Our results show aspects that augmented reality exergame designers should keep in mind to encourage individuals to start playing their game and facilitate long-term user engagement, resulting in a greater interest in physical activity.

A mobile application improves therapy-adherence rates in elderly patients undergoing rehabilitation: A crossover design study comparing documentation via iPad with paper-based control.

AbstractMedication adherence is crucial for success in the management of patients with chronic conditions. This study analyzes whether a mobile application on a tablet aimed at supporting drug intake and vital sign parameter documentation affects adherence in elderly patients.Patients with coronary heart disease and no prior knowledge of tablet computers were recruited. They received a personal introduction to the mobile application Medication Plan, installed on an Apple iPad. The study was conducted using a crossover design with 3 sequences: initial phase, interventional phase (28 days of using the app system), and comparative phase (28 days of using a paper diary). Users experienced the interventional and comparative phases alternately.A total of 24 patients (12 males; mean age 73.8 years) were enrolled in the study. The mean for subjectively assessed adherence (A14-scale; 5-point Likert scale, from “never” to “very often” which results in a score from 0 to 56) before the study was 50.0 (SD = 3.44). After both interventions there was a significant increase, which was more pronounced after the interventional phase (54.0; SD = 2.01) than after the comparative phase (52.6; SD = 2.49) (for all pairs after both interventions, P <0.001). Neither medical conditions nor the number of drug intake (amount and frequency of drug taking) per day affected subjective adherence. Logging data showed a significantly stronger adherence for the medication app than the paper system for both blood pressure recordings (P <0.001) and medication intake (P = 0.033). The majority of participants (n = 22) stated that they would like to use the medication app in their daily lives and would not need further assistance with the app.A mobile app for medication adherence increased objectively and subjectively measured adherence in elderly users undergoing rehabilitation. The findings have promising clinical implications: digital tools can assist chronic disease patients achieve adherence to medication and to blood pressure measurement. Although this requires initial offline training, it can reduce complications and clinical overload because of nonadherence.

Assistive robots in eldercare and daily living: automation of individual services for senior citizens

This paper presents the latest results with regard to the design of service robots and interfaces for human-robot interaction in recent empirical research projects. Focus is on establishing services for health care, nursing homes, rehabilitation and homely aftercare in respect of the demands coinciding with demographic change. Within several user studies and clinical trials relevant application scenarios, arrangement of working spaces and the stature layout of robots were elicited and their influence on intuitive understanding and technical acceptance investigated. Additionally the implementation of information input with help of swabbing movements on touch screens for people suffering from hand tremor was accomplished, considering the specific requirements and computer literacy of the prospective users.

Ergonomic analysis of working postures using OWAS in semi-trailer assembly, applying an individual sampling strategy

In semi-trailer assembly, workers are exposed to several physical risk factors. Awkward working postures have not yet been investigated in semi-trailer assembly, although they are known to be a major risk factor for musculoskeletal disorders. We therefore conducted a comprehensive ergonomic analysis of working postures using the Ovako working posture analysing system (OWAS), with an individual sampling strategy. The postural load in semi-trailer assembly was assessed on the basis of 20,601 observations of 63 workers executing a representative set of nine work tasks. According to the OWAS, the postural load of various working postures and body part positions may have a harmful effect on the musculoskeletal system. We therefore give examples of corrective measures that could improve awkward working postures. Applying an individual sampling strategy was revealed to have advantages over a collective strategy, so this is recommended for future ergonomic analyses.

Human-centered design of assistance systems for production planning and control: The role of the human in Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 is an integrated approach that transfers available technologies and the concepts of digitization and networking from everyday life into the domain of industrial production. In this paper, the role of the human in Industry 4.0 is considered by means of a best practice approach. It shows what potential lies in the human-centered design of assistance systems in production planning and control. It involves the use of a tablet computer kitted with an Industry 4.0-compatible app on the shop-floor in a production environment. From empirical investigations, we have derived design recommendations on polarity and angular character height.

The “Aachen fall prevention App” – a Smartphone application app for the self-assessment of elderly patients at risk for ground level falls

BackgroundFall incidents are a major problem for patients and healthcare. The “Aachen Fall Prevention App” (AFPA) represents the first mobile Health (mHealth) application (app) empowering older patients (persons 50+ years) to self-assess and monitor their individual fall risk. Self-assessment is based on the “Aachen Fall Prevention Scale,” which consists of three steps. First, patients answer ten standardized yes–no questions (positive criterion ≥ 5 “Yes” responses). Second, a ten-second test of free standing without compensatory movement is performed (positive criterion: compensatory movement). Finally, during the third step, patients rate their subjective fall risk on a 10-point Likert scale, based on the results of steps one and two. The purpose of this app is (1) to offer a low-threshold service through which individuals can independently monitor their individual fall risk and (2) to collect data about how a patient-centered mHealth app for fall risk assessment is used in the field.ResultsThe results represent the first year of an ongoing field study. From December 2015 to December 2016, 197 persons downloaded the AFPA (iOS™ and Android™; free of charge). N = 111 of these persons voluntarily shared their data and thereby participated in the field study. Data from a final number of n = 79 persons were analyzed due to exclusion criteria (age, missing objective fall risk, missing self-assessment). The objective fall risk and the self-assessed subjective risk measured by the AFPA showed a significant positive relationship.ConclusionsThe “Aachen Fall Prevention App” (AFPA) is an mHealth app released for iOS and Android. This field study revealed the AFPA as a promising tool to raise older adults’ awareness of their individual fall risk by means of a low-threshold patient-driven fall risk assessment tool.

Innovation of Homely Rehab with Help of Telemedical Services

Caused by demographic changes the costs for the health system increase in most industrial countries. To encounter this problem this paper presents a new telemedical approach for homely rehab. The importance of homely rehab is not just to decrease the arising expenses of hospitalization as well the down times of employees. By deploying an integrated usage of information and microsystem-based technology a sustainable rehab is getting possible at acceptable costs. The network presented in this paper integrates the patients, rehab clinics, family doctor and medical service providers (MSP) and so ensures complete medical care. Latter are responsible for gathering, summarizing and evaluating of the patient’s vital signs such as blood pressure, body temperature or pulse. The detection is realized with help of micro sensors that are worn on the body, and who transfer the parameters into a central database. By this means a continuously monitoring is provided, while all authorized network participants, such as the rehab clinic or the patient itself, can access the data in almost real-time. Beyond the medical and cost advantages, the network has the potential to establish further value added services (VAS) that hedge the business model for both, telemedical application and service providers.