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Exploring context-awareness for ubiquitous computing in the healthcare domain

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Abstract

Ubiquitous technologies have potentials to play major roles in different real world organizational settings. One of the areas where applying ubiquitous technologies has been given a lot of attention is in the healthcare domain. Here, users are frequently on the move while at the same time relying increasingly on centralized computerized information. In this paper, we explore ubiquitous technologies in the real world through two studies in the healthcare domain. First, we look at the use and usability of a ubiquitous electronic patient record (EPR) system distributed on desktop and laptop computers throughout a large hospital. Secondly, we present an extension to this ubiquitous computing environment in the form of a context-aware mobile computer terminal prototype. The usability of the mobile EPR prototype was evaluated in both laboratory and field settings. Our results indicate that the usefulness of a ubiquitous computing environment supporting work activities in healthcare can benefit from context-aware mobile information access. However, interaction design for such systems must be carefully thought out and thoroughly evaluated. Also, while the use of mobile and stationary computers complement each other very well, we found that the usefulness of ubiquitous computing environments in healthcare may benefit from additional elements such as situated displays at key locations and on key objects, and from seamless integration between the different devices comprising the system as a whole.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank all test subjects and the Hospital of Frederikshavn for kind collaboration throughout the project. The usability evaluations were conducted in collaboration with Jan Stage, Benedikte Skibsted Als and Rune Thaarup Høegh. MobileWARD was designed and implemented by Rune Thaarup Høegh, Karsten Kryger Hansen and Søren Lauritsen. This research is supported by the Danish Technical Research Council (projects 26-04-0026 and 2106-04-0022).

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Correspondence to Jesper Kjeldskov.

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Kjeldskov, J., Skov, M.B. Exploring context-awareness for ubiquitous computing in the healthcare domain. Pers Ubiquit Comput 11, 549–562 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-006-0112-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-006-0112-5

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