Introduction of novel interactive technologies into demanding healthcare contexts

[摘要] The research described herein, conducted in pursuit of the academic qualification of Master of Philosophy (MPhil), follows two themes. The first, and overriding theme related to how the ergonomic and environmental challenges associated with the design, construction, and introduction of a series of iterative prototype technology solutions, capable of delivering Virtual Restorative Environments within a demanding healthcare arena. The research has been both human (patient)-centred and stakeholder-led from the outset (involving clinical and nursing specialists and advisors from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB)), and was undertaken with the support of early hardware and software grant funding from the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM). The second, which is a guiding theme relates to how Virtual Restorative Environments (interactive 3D computer reconstructions of scenes of nature, such as forests, coastal paths and so on) can be exploited in hospital and related healthcare settings as a “tool” to promote mental restoration and rehabilitation, particularly following a traumatic incident, such as serious injury or surgery.What follows are a series of observational oriented studies (adhering closely to the ISO 9241-210 standard) that was conducted as an iterative pre-curser to a usability study that examined how patients, with varying degrees of injury coped with the use of a series of low cost control interfaces, combined with a prototype interaction module. Next it examined how the prototype technology can be iterated based on the evolving requirements of the stakeholder and a change in circumstances, to be re-deployed in a number of new environments to cater for different types of patient rehabilitation.

[发布机构] University:University of Birmingham;Department:School of Engineering, Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering

[关键词] R Medicine;RA Public aspects of medicine