2011 - International Workshop on: "Mobile Systems and Technologies for Patient Safety, Guidance and Empowerment"

In the last decade, patient safety has become a significant research topic worldwide. Initiated by the breakthrough report published by the U.S. Institute of Medicine entitled "To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System" in 1999, several research efforts are conducted aiming to eliminate preventable situations in which patients might get at risk of harm due to inappropriate medical interventions. In addition, several research efforts focus on preventing risky situations in patients' everyday life (i.e. outside the controlled hospital environment) that are associated with their care plan and compliance to treatment, while emphasis is also given in patient guidance services to improve disease management and safety. Equally important, a significant recent trend in healthcare services delivery dictates the need for empowering patients towards increased awareness and playing a more active role in their disease management.

Mobile computing technologies may contribute significantly in increasing patient safety and supporting guidance and empowerment, as they enable pervasive and unobtrusive access (for both healthcare professionals and patients) to appropriate information, knowledge, systems and services at the point of care/need. However, the challenges that are implied in this regard are very wide, exceeding mere technical communication and mobility aspects.

Under the above perspectives, the aim of this Workshop is to present and discuss the latest research concerning the employment of mobile technologies targeting patient safety, guidance and empowerment and to assess the potential that these technologies may have.

Topics covered (but not limited to):
Advanced mobile Personal Health Record (PHR) systems
Semantic interoperability among EHRs (Electronic Health Records) and mobile PHRs to enable continuity of care
Mobile systems/services focusing on medication safety issues
Anytime-anywhere patient guidance and empowerment services
Mobile access to decision support services for healthcare professionals
Workflow optimization and quality control in clinical environments enabled via mobile technologies
Innovative mobile applications and technology/impact assessment studies in the above topics