BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

In the Philippines, patients are constrained from accessing their own records, restricting their ability to freely choose who to seek care from. To address this, the study makes a case for the development of the health smart card in the Philippines, an integrative tool unique to each citizen carrying their lifetime medical record.

The prototype is developed using no-code programming technology and validated through a series of focus group discussions and stakeholder consultations with patients (n=4), healthcare administrators (n=4), and hospital personnel (n=13). It was then revised based on the collected insights and recommendations.

Findings report that the current facility-centric model utilizing paper records constrains patients’ access to their records due to long wait times, slow turnaround periods, constant intra- and inter-hospital transfers, and even charging of fees to acquire a copy of their own data. The health smart card alternative was widely accepted by the participants, particularly for its contribution to increasing data accessibility, patient empowerment, and advancing patient data ownership. Nevertheless, several considerations for the upscale implementation of the health smart card emerged, including creating an interoperable environment through harmonizing standards and capacity-building programs, and ensuring data security through robust cybersecurity measures. Issues on scalability and funding of the project were also raised, centering on the critical role of the government in stepping up as regulator and potential funder. Concerns over potential abuse, dataveillance, and the digital divide are tackled, highlighting the need to account for socioeconomic factors to ensure that no one is left behind in the implementation.

The study makes a case for the development and adoption of a health smart card to address the inaccessibility of records to patients. The study concludes by recommending the conduct of a pilot implementation to comprehensively demonstrate and analyze the features of the proposed scheme.

Aiming at the increasing application of RFID technology in the medical environment, this study introduces the foreign requirements for RFID immunity test of medical devices, compares them with the current immunity test requirements of medical devices in China, and puts forward the necessity of establishing relevant test specifications in China.
Radio Frequency Identification Device ; Electromagnetic Fields ; Radio Waves ; Equipment Safety ; Technology

Focusing on the requirements of visual traceability for reprocessing of reused medical devices under the background of deep integration of intelligent medical treatment, a quality and safety traceability system for disinfection of reused medical devices is developed. The multi-dimensional data of the reprocessing chain of reusable medical devices are acquired in real time by the RFID mobile terminal handset and stored temporarily. The data package is formatted based on LoRa protocol and uploaded to the management and control platform in multi-threaded transmission mode for in-depth analysis and traceability. The corresponding prototype system is developed. The first-line operation and maintenance test results show that the prototype system has strong cooperation, strong operation robustness, and obvious advantages in the identification rate and other layers of sterile equipment package.
Disinfection ; Radio Frequency Identification Device ; Technology

OBJECTIVES: Home-based nursing care services have increased over the past decade. However, accountability and privacy issues as well as security concerns become more challenging during care provider visits. Because of the heterogeneous combination of mobile and stationary assistive medical care devices, conventional systems lack architectural consistency, which leads to inherent time delays and inaccuracies in sharing information. The goal of our study is to develop an architecture that meets the competing goals of accountability and privacy and enhances security in distributed home-based care systems. METHODS: We realized this by using a context-aware approach to manage access to remote data. Our architecture uses a public certification service for individuals, the Japanese Public Key Infrastructure and Health Informatics-PKI to identify and validate the attributes of medical personnel. Both PKI mechanisms are provided by using separate smart cards issued by the government. RESULTS: Context-awareness enables users to have appropriate data access in home-based nursing environments. Our architecture ensures that healthcare providers perform the needed home care services by accessing patient data online and recording transactions. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method aims to enhance healthcare data access and secure information delivery to preserve user's privacy. We implemented a prototype system and confirmed its feasibility by experimental evaluation. Our research can contribute to reducing patient neglect and wrongful treatment, and thus reduce health insurance costs by ensuring correct insurance claims. Our study can provide a baseline towards building distinctive intelligent treatment options to clinicians and serve as a model for home-based nursing care.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Certification ; Computer Security ; Delivery of Health Care ; Electronic Health Records ; Health Information Exchange ; Health Personnel ; Health Smart Cards ; Home Care Services ; Home Health Nursing ; Humans ; Information Dissemination ; Insurance ; Insurance, Health ; Methods ; Nursing ; Nursing Care ; Privacy ; Social Responsibility

A wireless blood pressure measurement system was designed to facilitate the measurement of the patient's blood pressure and to transmit the measured data safely and reliably. Through PDA, radio frequency identification technology (RFID) and bluetooth technology, the function of reading patients' information and statistics and analysis of blood pressure, heart rate data was realized. The IDEA and RSA joint algorithms were used to encrypt the patients' data and the key of the IDEA algorithm to ensure the security of the patient' data. The test results showed that the system had high accuracy of measurement data, safe and reliable transmission, and improved the nurses' work efficiency.
Algorithms ; Blood Pressure Determination ; Blood Pressure Monitors ; Computer Security ; Humans ; Radio Frequency Identification Device ; Wireless Technology

OBJECTIVES: This paper describes an experience of implementing seamless service trials online and offline by adopting Internet of Things (IoT) technology based on near-field communication (NFC) tags and Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) beacons. The services were provided for both patients and health professionals. METHODS: The pilot services were implemented to enhance healthcare service quality, improve patient safety, and provide an effective business process to health professionals in a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea. The services to enhance healthcare service quality include healing tours, cancer information/education, psychological assessments, indoor navigation, and exercise volume checking. The services to improve patient safety are monitoring of high-risk inpatients and delivery of real-time health information in emergency situations. In addition, the services to provide an effective business process to health professionals include surveys and web services for patient management. RESULTS: Considering the sustainability of the pilot services, we decided to pause navigation and patient monitoring services until the interference problem could be completely resolved because beacon signal interference significantly influences the quality of services. On the other hand, we had to continue to provide new wearable beacons to high-risk patients because of hygiene issues, so the cost increased over time and was much higher than expected. CONCLUSIONS: To make the smart connected hospital services sustainable, technical feasibility (e.g., beacon signal interference), economic feasibility (e.g., continuous provision of new necklace beacons), and organizational commitment and support (e.g., renewal of new alternative medical devices and infrastructure) are required.
Commerce ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Emergencies ; Hand ; Health Occupations ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Inpatients ; Internet ; Korea ; Mobile Applications ; Monitoring, Physiologic ; Patient Safety ; Pilot Projects* ; Radio Frequency Identification Device ; Seoul ; Smartphone ; Tertiary Care Centers

Patient identification (PI) errors have been one of the most serious global healthcare quality issues for patient safety. Errors in PI are the root causes of many adverse events. Patient identification is the very first International Patient Safety Goal; however the current healthcare system is not culturally or structurally organized for preventing PI errors. The general procedures for the prevention of PI errors include using at least two identifiers, checking of accurate wristbands, standardizing the PI process, and eliminating shortcuts. Standardized protocols such as a good surgical site mark, a surgical checklist, the mandatory 'time-out', and the rule of the five rights for safe medication should be applied. For example, the surgical checklists have significantly improved mortality and decreased complications from surgery. During patient interactions, patients should be treated as partners in efforts to prevent all avoidable harm in healthcare. For example, patients should state their identifiers rather than be asked to confirm their identifiers. All healthcare professionals should receive training in patient safety concepts and strategies to enhance patient participation. For the future prevention of PI errors, patient photographs on wristbands, barcodes, biometric markers, fingerprints, retina scans, radiofrequency identification chips, and framework checklists for identifying a range of clinical care processes will ideally be available to healthcare professionals for improving patient safety and clinical outcomes. The changes are sometimes not pleasant but if we have to accept the changes, the changes should be started from me for the safety of everyone and every time in all healthcare services.
Checklist ; Delivery of Health Care ; Dermatoglyphics ; Human Rights ; Humans ; Mortality ; Patient Identification Systems ; Patient Participation ; Patient Safety* ; Quality of Health Care ; Retina

Patient identification (PI) errors have been one of the most serious global healthcare quality issues for patient safety. Errors in PI are the root causes of many adverse events. Patient identification is the very first International Patient Safety Goal; however the current healthcare system is not culturally or structurally organized for preventing PI errors. The general procedures for the prevention of PI errors include using at least two identifiers, checking of accurate wristbands, standardizing the PI process, and eliminating shortcuts. Standardized protocols such as a good surgical site mark, a surgical checklist, the mandatory 'time-out', and the rule of the five rights for safe medication should be applied. For example, the surgical checklists have significantly improved mortality and decreased complications from surgery. During patient interactions, patients should be treated as partners in efforts to prevent all avoidable harm in healthcare. For example, patients should state their identifiers rather than be asked to confirm their identifiers. All healthcare professionals should receive training in patient safety concepts and strategies to enhance patient participation. For the future prevention of PI errors, patient photographs on wristbands, barcodes, biometric markers, fingerprints, retina scans, radiofrequency identification chips, and framework checklists for identifying a range of clinical care processes will ideally be available to healthcare professionals for improving patient safety and clinical outcomes. The changes are sometimes not pleasant but if we have to accept the changes, the changes should be started from me for the safety of everyone and every time in all healthcare services.
Checklist ; Delivery of Health Care ; Dermatoglyphics ; Human Rights ; Humans ; Mortality ; Patient Identification Systems ; Patient Participation ; Patient Safety* ; Quality of Health Care ; Retina

PURPOSE: This research was an empirical study designed to identify precursors and interaction effects related to nurses' patient identification behavior. A multilevel analysis methodology was used. METHODS: A self-report survey was administered to registered nurses (RNs) of a university hospital in South Korea. Of the questionnaires, 1114 were analyzed. RESULTS: The individual-level factors that had a significantly positive association with patient identification behavior were person-organization value congruence, organizational commitment, occupational commitment, tenure at the hospital, and tenure at the unit. Significantly negative group-level precursors of patient identification behavior were burnout climate and the number of RNs. Two interaction effects of the person-organization value congruence climate were identified. The first was a group-level moderating effect in which the negative relationship between the number of RNs and patient identification behavior was weaker when the nursing unit's value congruence climate was high. The second was a cross-level moderating effect in which the positive relationship between tenure at the unit and patient identification behavior was weaker when value congruence climate was high. CONCLUSION: This study simultaneously tested both individual-level and group-level factors that potentially influence patient identification behavior and identified the moderating role of person-organization value congruence climate. Implications of these results are discussed.
Adult ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Female ; Humans ; Interprofessional Relations ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/organization & administration/*psychology ; Organizational Culture ; *Patient Identification Systems ; Questionnaires ; Workplace

To treat the problem of identification performance and the complexity of the algorithm, we proposed a piecewise linear representation and dynamic time warping (PLR-DTW) method for ECG biometric identification. Firstly we detected R peaks to get the heartbeats after denoising preprocessing. Then we used the PLR method to keep important information of an ECG signal segment while reducing the data dimension at the same time. The improved DTW method was used for similarity measurements between the test data and the templates. The performance evaluation was carried out on the two ECG databases: PTB and MIT-BIH. The analystic results showed that compared to the discrete wavelet transform method, the proposed PLR-DTW method achieved a higher accuracy rate which is nearly 8% of rising, and saved about 30% operation time, and this demonstrated that the proposed method could provide a better performance.
Algorithms ; Biometric Identification ; methods ; Electrocardiography ; methods ; Humans ; Patient Identification Systems ; Pattern Recognition, Physiological