Humberto Alvarez

Technologies to Better Serve the Millions of Diabetic Patients: A Holistic, Interactive and Persuasive ICT Model to Facilitate Self Care, in Extremely Poor Rural Zones of Central America

Health indicators express remarkable gaps between health systems at a world-wide level. Countries of the entire world are overflowed by the need of new strategies, methodologies and technologies to better serve the millions of patients, who demand better medical attention. The present archaic and ephemerally systematized systems widen the gap even more than the quality of medical services that should be provided for the millions of diabetic patients. It is therefore necessary to develop highly familiar environments with diabetic patients and their care needs. A Holistic, Interactive and Persuasive ICT model to facilitate self care of patients with diabetes (hIPAPD), is proposed as an innovative technological development in Panama to health optimized treatment for diabetic patients. Three health centers located in the District of Aguadulce, Province of Cocle, located on Panama’s Pacific Coast, were selected to validate the model; the area presents extremely poor population, mostly with one daily meal, without any health insurance and with a high illiteracy rate. A series of experiences in the application and validation process are presented and analyzed in order to confirm the application, value and contribution of ICTs in health care in poor regions of Central America.

Implementation a Holistic Model, Interactive and Persuasive to Facilitate Self-Care of Patients with Diabetes (hIPAPD)

Health indicators express remarkable gaps in health systems at a world-wide level. Countries of all over the world are implementing new strategies, methodologies and technologies to better serve the millions of patients, who demand better medical attention. The current system, which is archaic and not very systematic, widens the gap even more than the quality of medical services that should be provided to the millions of diabetic patients. Diabetic patients go through several difficulties with their medical treatment such as lack of motivation, difficulty of understanding, real or functional analphabetism, serious economic problems, high levels of depression, and self-care of diabetes. In the same manner, the medical relationship among patient, sanitary personnel, relatives and society is extremely affected by the little or no intention to establish follow-up parameters, prevention and self-care among the aforementioned actors. The Holistic, Interactive and Persuasive model to facilitate self-care of patients with diabetes (hiPAPD) is a model of Information and Communications Technologies centered on the diabetic patient. Its main goal is to facilitate the self-care of the patient and to stimulate bonds of prevention, attendance and support among the Family Contexts of the Patient, Friends of the Patient, Doctors, Sanitary Personnel and Society, as is shown in the rest of this article.

Scope of Information Communications Technology in the Health of Diabetes Patients in Poor Rural Zones of Panama Through Holistic, Interactive, and Persuasive Model to Facilitate Self-Care of Diabetes Patients

BACKGROUND In Latin America, public health systems that manage and warrant the health of the population lack mechanisms and technological capabilities that enable them to accept and adopt initiatives focused to guide, look after, and improve the quality of life of millions of patients with diabetes who need attention and special care. However, the proposal presented here for a holistic, interactive, and persuasive model to facilitate self-care of diabetes patients (hiPAPD) is the first proposal in Panama, Central America, and the Caribbean Region to develop and implement information communications technology (ICT) platforms for the care of patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes. METHODS The process of experimentation was initiated with an agreement with all the staff of the project to comply with the international biomedical studies stipulations, having as reference the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association (Recommendations to Guide to Doctors in Biomedical Research on People). RESULTS After several months of evaluation and ongoing work the study obtained successful validation of the hiPAPD model. The project had the support of 107 patients with diabetes, their families, friends, doctors, nurses and nursing assistants, and social groups in rural communities. Finally, the project contributed to society with a highly innovative ICT environment that facilitates self-care of diabetes patients without financial resources and health. CONCLUSIONS A timely health treatment at a decisive moment may be the difference in care for patients. Through the validation process conducted in this research initiative, it was demonstrated that the hiPAPD model, from the perspective of the patient with diabetes, relatives, friends, health workforce (nurses and nursing assistants), doctors, and societal contexts, allowed the improvement of the quality of life of patients with diabetes in poor rural zones of Panama.

The R and D activity as a supporting tool for the active teaching and learning methodology in an engineering course

R&D activities as a supporting tool of the active teaching and learning methodologies in an engineering course has been less explored. This document compares the results obtained after two questionnaires were applied to two different groups of students at the College of Electrical Engineering (FIE) at the Universidad Tecnologica de Panama. The first questionnaire was applied to an undergraduate group of Electromechanical Engineering students. The second questionnaire was applied to FIE faculty members. Both questionnaires try to measure the insertion of R&D results in the curricular content of an engineering course while using the active teaching and learning approach.

Editorial A Selection of Papers from LACCEI General Conference 2016

This editorial introduces a selection of papers from the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI) annual conference held in 2016 and to be published in IEEE-RITA. It represents a view of the LACCEI on issues and topics inside their engineering education coverage of Latin American and Caribbean countries, and of the solutions and vision they provide both worldwide and for the region.

Exploratory Study About the Implementation of the Competency-Based Approach in Graduate Programs From Two Panamanian Universities

The purpose of this case study wasMaster in Higher to explore the association between implementing the competency-based approach (CBA) in graduate programs and the student’s perception about the aforementioned approach. The research was conducted with 504 graduate students from Universidad Tecnologica de Panama and Universidad Tecnologica Oteima in the Republic of Panama to explore their perception about the CBA. The research is descriptive and the results show that 84% of participants will benefit in their future professional development through the CBA. Authors conclude that the CBA has had an international coverage and can be replicated in local scenarios as Latin American Alfa Tuning Project (2004-2007) has been implemented in universities from Panama.

Panama metro bus system and metro line 1: An externalities analysis of CO 2 emissions spectre

In recent years there is has been a need to reduce traffic congestion with the objective of contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions or air pollution. This argument could be seen as a new tariif or tax to make society more aware and contribute to the care of the environment. Externalities are those effects of the production or consumption of some agents in order to producing or consuming others, for which no payment is made. In this sense, this paper presents some estimation of the socio-environmental externalities of the Metro Bus system and Panama Metro Line 1 for the years 2007, 2010 and 2015. These externalities correspond to variables such as: reducing of CO2 emissions and decreasing in the occupation of urban roads, among others. In others words, this paper presents an American Public Transportation Association (APTA) standards practical development about the C02 emissions estimation in Panama City.

The Holistic, Interactive and Persuasive Model to Facilitate Self-care of Patients with Diabetes

The patient, in his multiple facets of citizen and user of services of health, needs to acquire during, and later in his majority of age, favorable conditions of health to accentuate his quality of life and it is the responsibility of the health organizations to initiate the process of support for that patient during the process of mature life. The provision of services of health and the relation doctor-patient are undergoing important changes in the entire world, forced to a large extent by the indefensibility of the system itself. Nevertheless decision making requires previous information and, what more the necessity itself of being informed requires having a “culture” of health that generates pro activity and the capacity of searching for instruments that facilitate the awareness of the suffering and the self-care of the same. Therefore it is necessary to put into effect a ICT model (hiPAPD) that has the objective of causing Interaction, Motivation and Persuasion towards the surroundings of the diabetic Patient facilitating his self-care. As a result the patient himself individually manages his services through devices and AmI Systems (Ambient Intelligent).