full dissertation "wireless pda applications in healthcare"

8/7/2019 Full Dissertation "Wireless PDA Applications in Healthcare"

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Overview of Wireless PDA applications in Healthcare

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1 INTRODUCTION

1.1Background Motivation

The future is wireless, intelligent technology communicating with each other, allthese sentences sound familiar. Clinical decision support systems to empower the

clinician to deliver a better healthcare quality are ideas that throughout the Mastersprogram were transmitted to the author.After completing some assignments related to the use of disruptive technology andBluetooth technology in healthcare, the author felt that there is an enormous gap in theamount of information that healthcare professionals have about this technology.By having a special interest in mobile computing and wireless technology, the idea ofbuilding a website dedicated to healthcare professionals was something that eventuallycame to reality.

After doing an extensive research over the internet, the author wasnt able to find onesingle website which combined the basic information about the use of Personal DigitalAssistants, (PDA), Wireless Technology and Healthcare.There are either websites which only sell PDAs, other sell software only. Some other websites feature Wireless technology for laptops only and are extremelytechie. There wasnt any website which combines the basic knowledge that enables any

person to buy a PDA, in terms of basic functions, what to look, which operating system,how much, etc.Having a strong background in healthcare, the author felt that healthcare professionalscould benefit from this technology. Integrating the use of a PDA could lead to an increasein personal productivity either at work, on the road or at home.By compiling all this information into a website, the dissemination of information canreach a much larger proportion of people than any other traditional method.This report attempts to meet the demand of information about Wireless PDA Technologyserving the Healthcare community.1.2Main AimsWith this project, the author wishes to inform the healthcare community about the usageof PDA mobile technology in Healthcare.It is also an achievable aim to describe the Wireless Technology that can be used inPDAs.The author also wishes to explain how the web information system was built and all thetechnology used, including software for web-design, hosting protocols and the websiteperformance for a period of 24 months.Finally, the author wishes to provide the reader with the web information systemevaluation, with a built in real time data analysis engine, kindly sponsored byQuestionPro.


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1.3Specific Goals

Some specific goals include:

Definition of what a PDA is and what it can be used for

Different available Operating Systems

Features regarding the PDA performance and usage

Describe Clinical Applications for Doctors and Nurses

Describe what Wireless Technology can be found in a PDA

Inform the process into which the specific Web Information System was built andits Evaluation with a built in Online-Questionnaire.

1.4 Outline of Dissertation

The following chapter 2, explains the Methodology used over this Dissertation.Chapter 3, gives an overview of PDA technology, comprising basic informationregarding the operating system, some important features to take in consideration andsome clinical applications available in the market.Chapter 4, refers to the Wireless Technology regarding Bluetooth and Wireless Fidelity.Here the reader can also find some of these applications in Healthcare.Chapter 5 describes the implementation of this project as a form of a Website. Theprocess of creating and designing a website including the software and hardware neededare explained in detail.

Also in this chapter, the Website evaluation, which comprises the design of an onlinequestionnaire directed to evaluate the user interaction and satisfaction while surfing in theWebsite.Chapter 6 concludes the dissertation with an extent to what goals and objectives wereachieved, what contributions this project made to the public, to the Healthcarecommunity, Health informatics and what further work and research can be done.In order to make this reading experience more pleasant, there will be an introductory sub-chapter in the beginning of each main Chapter, as well as a Summary which resumes theChapter and prepares the coming one.


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2METHODOLOGY

2.1Introduction

The project methodology was based in four separate areas.The Literature Review, which enabled the author to understand the current up-to-dateinformation about the Wireless PDA Technology in Healthcare, visiting several websitesduring the 18 month period of time. Several Online Journals, including the JAMIA(Journal of American Medical Informatics Association).Once the Review was being completed, the Questionnaire design came after. By usingQuestionpro.com, the author came across to a large number of examples available in howto rate and evaluate a website performance. Then, he implemented the built inquestionnaire in the website wireless-health.com so that visitors could fill in thequestionnaire. An automated response per every successful questionnaire was received as

well as a real time data analysis performed.The conceptual map of the website was the next step. During the HealthcareTechnologies course, the author learnt how to design a website in order to complete oneassignment for a Telemedicine project. Combined with several hundred hours reading,learning and experimenting, the author used several tools available in the market, such asMacromedia Dreamweaver, Flash MX and others.The website design included several specific areas in which the author would enableevery visitor to quickly access relevant information according to the clinical area ofexpertise.Finally, the evaluation of the overall performance was completed and rated with acomprehensive statistical analysis of how many visitors, page views, duration of stay andother important parameters during the 18 month period of time.

2.2Literature ReviewLiterature review has been done using online journals and several Websites.During the review, the author has not come across a single website that would compileHardware Reviews, Software Applications and Wireless Technology explained especiallydedicated to Doctors and Nurses.There were several papers from the Journal of American Medical Informatics Associationwhich described some applications of Mobile and Wireless Technology in Healthcare.Most of this information has been compiled through research studies in specific areas,such as Diabetes Mellitus, Cardio-Thoracic departments and Outpatient clinics.Not a single website was found using popular search engines, such as Google, Yahoo,MSN. The Keywords used were:


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PDA, Clinical, Applications, Software, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wireless Technology,Healthcare, Doctors, Nurses, Medical, Nursing. A compilation of suggestive keywordswas also done, being the PDA in Healthcare the most complete one, returning betterresults.Desktop research has also been done through major clinical databases, using PubMed and

AMIA.Web information found in popular websites is dedicated to general buyers, who arelooking for a Mobile Device and can browse through different manufacturers, operatingsystems and price. Most of these websites were accessed during the period of 2003-2005and become obsolete with outdated information, such as discontinued devices andsometimes were the whole web infrastructure had disappeared.There are however some websites dedicated to Doctors, Nurses, Radiographers and otherhealthcare professionals. Most of these websites discuss specific applications inspecialities, such as Surgical, Cardiac, Orthopaedics, Critical Care, etc.

The downside is that once the user has found the best software application to use in thedaily clinical activity, there is no support to select the best hardware device and whichWireless Technology.The author wishes to enable every reader with a tool that will help to select the bestMobile Device, the appropriated Wireless Technology and the best clinical applicationpiece of software available in the market.

2.3 Online QuestionnaireThe objectives of the research study also incorporated the evaluation of the performanceof the website. Therefore, some relevant information would need to be asked. The outputreport would incorporate graphics and statistical information that was learnt during theMasters. The Questionnaire design incorporated 23 questions, regarding the website performance.Please refer to Table 1. to learn more about the questions asked in the survey.It was a completely voluntary questionnaire which was sent to students and teachers fromthe MIM Centre, School of Informatics, City University.Interestingly, most of the results were obtained from internet surfers, who found thewebsite and then kindly filled in the questionnaire.The total number of completed responses was 74 and 123 people have started answeringit. The average time taken to complete was 6 minutes.A full description was made available to users which informed them about the academicpurpose of the website. Data was confidential and users could see the results immediatelyafter filling in the overall questionnaire. This was only possible with the real time dataanalysis engine built in by Questionpro.com.


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Fig. 1: Online Questionnaire Preview

2.3Conceptual Map

This projects map was planned according to the latest research developments thatcombine an analogue and digital experience to the reader. In order to make it asensational experience, all the content available in this paper is also available in thewebsite.


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A user selection was customized according to Doctors and Nurses.Each healthcare profissional should be able to find their own software application,relevant to their clinical practice, as well as a PDA and type of wireless communicationsoptions.In order to properly measure the performance of the website, an online questionnaire was

designed, incorporating relevant questions to the user satisfaction when surfing a website.This questionnaire would then feed a database of which the author was able to extract theadequate statistical graphical information to insert in this papers tables.As a final step, this projects concept also includes future ideas for other readers wishing

to research this interesting area of Health Informatics and to enable the author with afuture possibility to undertake a PhD in Health Informatics.Therefore, this conceptual map leaves room for further research and improvements in thewebsite experience as well as in this papers

contents.

Fig. 2: User Value Drivers for Wireless Technology in Healthcare


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3.2 Definition of PDA(Personal Digital Assistant) is a handheld computer that serves as an organizer forpersonal information. It generally includes at least a name and address database, to-do list

and note taker. PDAs may be combined with mobile phones and other wirelesstechnologies, providing a mobile office for people on the go.In addition to including such applications as a word processor, spreadsheet, calendar, andaddress book, PDAs are used as notepads, appointment schedulers, and wirelesscommunicators for sending and receiving data, faxes, and electronic-mail messages.PDAs are pen based and use a stylus to tap selections on menus and to enter printedcharacters. The unit may also include a small on-screen keyboard which is tapped withthe pen. Data are synchronized between the PDA and desktop computer via cable orwireless connection.

Fig. 3: Example of Latest PDA


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3.3 Operating Systems

3.3.1. Pocket PC OS

According to Microsoft, the Pocket PC is "a handheld device that enables users to storeand retrieve e-mail, contacts, appointments, play multimedia files, games, exchange textmessages with MSN Messenger, browse the Web, and more." [1]From a technical standpoint, "Pocket PC" is a standard from Microsoft that sets varioushardware and software requirements for mobile devices bearing the "Pocket PC" label.For instance, any device which is to be classified as a Pocket PC must:

Run Microsoft's Windows CE (PocketPC version) operating system

Come bundled with a specific suite of applications in ROMInclude a touchscreen

Include a directional pad or touchpad (case of HP iPAQ hx4700)

Include a set of hardware application buttonsBe based on a ARM version 4 compatible CPU, Intel XScale CPU, MIPS CPU or

SH3 CPU. (Pocket PC 2002, codenamed Merlin, works only with ARM-basedCPUs.)

Versions

Microsoft's current release is Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, which adds nativelandscape support as well as other fixes and changes to those features already present inthe original release of WM2003. The first device to come with 2003SE was the DellAxim x30.The previous operating system, Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC, consistsof the Windows CE.NET 4.2 operating system bundled with scaled-down versions ofmany popular desktop applications, including Microsoft Outlook, Internet Explorer,Word, Excel, Windows Media Player, and others. Past Pocket PC operating systemsinclude Pocket PC 2002 (launched October 2001) and Pocket PC 2000 (launched April

2000), both running Windows CE 3.0 underneath.Windows Mobile 5, internally code-named Magneto, was officially released by Microsofton May 10, 2005. Based on Windows CE 5.1, Windows Mobile 5 incorporates featuressuch as Direct3D Mobile, integrated Bluetooth and WiFi stacks, and the ability to bemounted as a USB Mass Storage device, bypassing ActiveSync. Pocket Word and PocketExcel have been renamed Word Mobile and Excel Mobile, respectively, and bothapplications have gained more complete feature sets, including support for tables, ordered


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lists, and embedded graphics in Word Mobile, and support for charts in Excel Mobile.PowerPoint Mobile, a new addition to the Office Mobile suite, supports the ability todisplay and edit PowerPoint presentations on a Pocket PC. Windows Mobile 5 alsoimproves support for one-handed usage by inserting two, context-sensitive "soft" buttonsat the bottom of the screen which can be mapped to hardware buttons on any specific

device.Windows Mobile 5 marks the convergence of the Phone Edition and Professional Editionoperating systems into one system that contains both phone and PDA capabilities. A'Phone' application is now included in the OS, and all PIM applications have beenupdated to interface with it. Windows Mobile 2005 is compatible with Microsoft's Smartphone operating system and is capable of running Smart phone applications.Pocket PCs running previous versions of the operating system generally stored user-installed applications and data in RAM, which meant that if the battery was depleted thedevice would lose all of its data. Windows Mobile 5 solves this problem by storing all

user data in the ROM, leaving the RAM to be used only for running applications, as itwould be on a desktop computer. As a result, Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PCs generallyhave a greater amount of flash ROM, and a smaller amount of RAM, compared to earlierdevices.3.3.2 Palm OS

Palm OS is an operating system made by PalmSource, Inc. for PDAs, manufactured byvarious licensees. In May 2005, PalmSource sold the rights to the Palm name topalmOne. As of August 2005, the new name for Palm OS (and PalmSource) has not beenannounced.Two major versions of Palm OS are currently under development: Palm OS Garnet (5.x),and Palm OS Cobalt (6.x). The names were introduced in February 2004 in an attempt tomake it clear that 5.x development would not stop while 6.x development wasongoing[1]. As of August 2005, all devices use Palm OS Garnet. Likely as a result ofPalm OS Cobalt's lack of adoption, PalmSource has shifted to developing Palm OSCobalt's APIs on top of a Linux kernel.Palm OS licensees decides which applications are included on their Palm OS devices.Licensees can also customize the applications. Below are some of the most commonPalmSource applications included with the Palm OS:


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Address Book/Contacts

The Palm's Address program stores personal information, keyed by any of several user-definable categories. Entries are displayed and sorted in last name, first name order (this

can be changed only to Company, Last Name order). There are five slots for phone or e-mail, each of which may be designated Work, Home, Fax, Other, E-mail, Main, Pager orMobile (the slot designations cannot be changed).Calculator

CalculatorCalc turns the Palm into a standard 4-function pocket calculator with threeshades of purple and blue buttons contrasting with the two red clear buttons. It sportssquare root and percent keys and has one memory.

It also has an option to display a running history of the calculations, much like the paper-tape calculators that were once common.Starting in Palm OS v. 5.4 Garnet, the calculator has a menu option to switch to anadvanced mode, which features several button layouts that pertain to specific jobs. Thesemodes include: Math, Trig, Finance, Logic, Statistics, Weight/Tmp, Length, Area, andVolume.

Date Book/Calendar

Date BookDate Book shows a daily or weekly schedule, or a simple monthly view. Thedaily schedule has one line per hour, between user-selected begin and end times. Clickingon an empty line creates a new appointment. Empty lines are crowded out by actualappointments, whose start and stop times are shown by default bracketed in the leftmargin.An appointment can be heralded by an alarm, any number of minutes, hours or daysbefore it begins. These alarms sound even when the unit is switched off.Appointments can recur in a specified number of days, weeks, months or years -- and cancontain notes.

Expense

The Expense application allows a user to track common business expenses. No totals arecalculated on the Palm. The user must sync with a host computer and view the expense


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data in a worksheet (templates for Microsoft Excel are supplied). NOTE: Not included onall Palm OS devices.HotSync

HotSyncThe HotSync application provides integration with the user's PC. Usuallyactivated by a press of the physical HotSync button on the Palm's cradle (a dock station),this application communicates with various conduits on the desktop PC to installsoftware, backup databases, or merge changes made on the PC or the handheld to bothdevices.In addition to the conduits provided by the licensee, developers can create their ownconduits for integration with other Palm OS applications and desktop products. Forexample, a time tracking package could provide a conduit to communicate information

between Palm OS and Windows executables.A Backup conduit included with the HotSync software backs up (and restores, ifnecessary) most of the data on a Palm OS device. This allows users to hard reset theirPalm -- thus, clearing all of the data -- with few noticeable consequences. This alsoallows users to migrate to new Palm devices of the same Palm OS version, a feature thatis helpful to those who lose or damage their device.Some models of Palm keep their data storage in volatile memory and require constantpower to maintain their memory. Although these handhelds attempt to save the contentsof memory in low battery situations by not "turning on," leaving a "dead" handheld for anextended period of time can cause this reserve power to be used up and the contents ofstorage memory to be lost. Some later Palms use NVRAM or microdrive for storage.Memo Pad/Memos

Memo PadThe Memo Pad can hold notes of up to 4,000 characters, keyed to user-configurable categories. Memos are ordered in two ways: alphabetically, and manually(which allows the user to choose the order of the memos). Memo Pad is for text, not fordrawings. For this reason, text in Memo Pad must be entered using the Graffiti alphabet.Note Pad

Note PadDrawings go in Note Pad. You can squeeze up to 10 words per page, if yourwriting is neat. Otherwise, it's better to put text in Memo Pad. There are three sizes of


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drawing crayon, plus an eraser and a background color change feature. It's possible todraw a very simple map.Note Pad appeared on most Palm OS PDAs starting with Palm OS 4.0; certain PDAs withprevious versions of Palm OS did not include this application.

To Do List/TasksTo Do listAlso referred to as Task list.vThis is a convenient place to create personal reminders and prioritize the things youhave to do.Each To Do List item may also have: a priority, categories (to organize and view items inlogical groups), attached Note (to add more description and clarification of the task).To Do List item can be sorted by: due date, priority or category.

Starting with the OS version 5.2.1 (which was released in the Tungsten T3, Tungsten E,Zire 72) PalmOne, Inc. released their own version of this application, called Tasks, inwhich alarms may be assigned to tasks, and can be made to repeat.Third-party applications

There are many successful applications that can be installed on a Palm OS device. As ofAugust 2005, there are more than 20,000 third-party applications available for the PalmOS platform, which have various licensing types, including open-source, freeware,shareware, and traditional commercial applications.

3.3.3 Linux OS

The Linux OS is supported by three major Hardware manufacturers: AGENDA, ROYALand SHARP.LINUX OS has the advantage of being totally customizable by software programmers.You can in fact totally customize the keys and also develop your own application. SomeLINUX applications include embedded programs in other OS. The Sharp ZAURUS, thelatest model offers a fantastic processing speed with multiple features, including CompactFlash type II slot AND an internal MMC/SD slot. These will allow you to use accessoriesmemory cards, modems and network cards (including wireless network cards)simultaneously if you wish.Due to its small coverage in terms of Worldwide markets and very few clinicalapplications made available, the author will skip this OS and concentrate more in the twomost common Operating Systems described above: The Pocket PC and the Palm OS.


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3.4 SOME IMPORTANT FEATURES IN ALL PDAs

3.4.1 Processor Speed

Processor speed affects all aspects of any client software that runs on a PDA and istherefore very pertinent to the usability of that software. Devices running Palm OS haveprocessor speeds between 33 and 400 MHz; those running Windows CE have processorspeeds between 133 and 600 MHz. The speed of image loading, simple pan and zoomfunctions, and image information display is acceptable on most PDAs. However,

processor-intensive image manipulation can be carried out in real time only on the newerPocket PC and Palm PDAs. Image manipulation such as adjustment of window width andlevel can be implemented in real time only on a device with a processor speed of 133MHz or more. In addition, most newer processors have two-dimensional graphicsacceleration hardware that significantly increases the image display frame rate.3.4.2 Installed Memory

The amount of built-in and expansion memory dictates how many images can be kept ona PDA. Devices that run Palm OS have 264 Mbytes built in, with an expansioncapability of up to 512 Mbytes, whereas those that run the Windows CE operating systemhave 16128 Mbytes onboard with an expansion capability of up to 80 Gbytes. However,unlike onboard flash RAM or synchronous dynamic RAM, expansion cards usually havea greatly reduced data access speed. Furthermore, expansion cards use additional powerand thereby reduce battery life to an extent dependent on the card type. To increasebattery life, some expansion packs include an extra battery. Some PDAs now come withtwo or more expansion card options, allowing at least some choice in the expansion cardsthat can be used. The read speed also depends on the bus and processor speeds of thePDA. PDAs with processor speeds under 133 MHz provide read speeds of only about 200Kbytes/sec.

3.4.3 Screen

PDAs use an LCD (liquid-crystal display) screen. Unlike the LCD screens for desktop orlaptop computers, which are used solely as output devices, PDAs use their screens for


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output and input. The LCD screens of PDAs are smaller than laptop screens, but vary insize. Almost all PDAs now offer color displays.PDA displays have the following features:

Transflective TFT (thin-film transistor) LCD for indoor and outdoor useDifferent pixel resolutions with higher resolutions for better qualityColor screenBacklighting for reading in low light

Screen resolution refers to the clarity and detail with which text and images appear on thePDA screen. Screens are are usually classified as high or low resolution. High-resolutionscreens provide at least a 320 X 320 pixel display as compared to the 160x160 pixeldisplay of the low resolution screens. Higher resolution output provides a sharper imageand allows some devices (e.g. Sony) to display smaller fonts which permit much morecontent to be viewed on the screen.

PDA screens are also differentiated by color capability. Monochrome screens are capableof displaying black white and a few shades of gray, while color screens can displayaround 65,000 colors or more. Monochrome devices are less expensive and are adequatefor viewing most text-based sources of information typically used in clinical practice.Color screens also put heavier demands on the battery life of the PDA than monochromedisplays. Almost all color PDAs will stand up to a full day of intermittent use.

3.4.4 Input Methods

PDAs vary in how data and commands are input. Some devices use a stylus and touchscreen exclusively in combination with a handwriting recognition program. Using aplastic stylus, the user can draw characters on the device's display or dedicated writingarea. Software inside the PDA converts the characters to letters and numbers. On Palmdevices, the software that recognizes these letters is called Graffiti. Graffiti requires thateach letter be recorded in a certain way, and must be used with a specialized alphabet.For example, to write the letter "A," the user draws an upside-down V. The letter "F"looks like an inverted L. To help Graffiti make more accurate guesses, the user must drawletters on one part of the screen and numbers in another part.

Pocket PC PDAs offer three handwriting-recognition applications: Transcriber, LetterRecognizer and Block Recognizer. Letter Recognizer and Block Recognizer are similarto Graffiti and require specialized alphabets. By contrast, Transcriber recognizes the"regular" handwriting, as long as it is written legibly. It is similar to the handwritingrecognition capabilities found on Tablet PCs.A miniature onscreen keyboard is also available. It looks just like a regular keyboard,except that the user taps on the letters with the stylus. In addition, many devices now


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include a small QWERTY keyboard. Some of these require the use of thumbs to type. Itcan also be used a full-size keyboard by connecting it to the PDA via a Bluetooth or USBport. Each model also has a few buttons and navigation dials to bring up applications andscroll through files.

3.4.5 Expansion Support

With PDAs seemingly following in the footsteps of the personal computer, offering anever-increasing standard amount of data storage, why the need for expansion memorycards?For one, without an expansion slot a PDA would not be upgradeable, meaningthat if the memory storage needs grew to be more than the available space on thePDA, we would need to go out and purchase a whole new device with more memory.

Aside from adding what amounts to a second hard drive to the PDA, expansion cardsoffer other interesting uses, such as the ability to share information (such as photos) withother types of electronic devices, including cameras, music and video players, andprinters. Also, expansion cards are perfect for storing large files that are used lessfrequently than other main applications, for example a large dictionary, travel maps, or aclinical database.Given these interesting applications, it is not surprising that handheld manufacturers havesought to bring to market new devices that offer expansion memory to their customers.Handspring was the earliest with their Visor line, offering a proprietary expansion slotcalled Springboard as a standard component for all of their devices. Beyond expansionmemory cards, the Springboard slot has become famous for supporting miniaturecameras, barcode scanners, and modems. TRG (now Handera) offered an expandablemodel called the TRGPro, which was unique in that it embraced two industry standards,Compact Flash (CF) and Secure Digital (SD). Sony soon followed with their first PalmOS-based PDA, the Clie (pronounced CLEE-ay), which came standard with a slot thatsupported their Memory Stick technology, making their PDA compatible with Sonysother consumer electronics products that (naturally) supported Memory Stick.It is now possible to buy Expansion cards up to 5 GB of memory, which enables any userwith a powerful tool, leaving the desktop behind and carrying all the information needed.Other expansion support includes Modem Support for analogue connections, GPS for theNavigation System, FM Radio, Barcode Scanners, Digital Cameras and Display adaptors.

3.4.6 Battery Support

PDAs are powered by batteries. Some models use alkaline (AAA) batteries, while othersuse rechargeable batteries (lithium, nickel-cadmium or nickel-metal hydride). The batterylife depends on what kind of PDA and how it is used. Here are some examples that candrain batteries:


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Operating system -PocketPC requires more power by virtue of its increasedmemory requirements

More memoryWireless connections, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Backlighting on the displayBattery life can vary from hours to months, depending upon the PDA model and itsfeatures. Most PDAs have power management systems in place to extend the battery life.Even if the batteries are so low that the user can no longer turn the machine on, there'susually enough power to keep the RAM refreshed.If the batteries do run out or if the user removes them, most devices have an internalbackup battery that provides short-term power (typically 30 minutes or less) until areplacement is installed. If all power sources are depleted, PDAs lose all of the data inRAM. This makes backing up or synchronizing the PDA extremely important.

In addition to battery power, many PDAs come with AC adapters to run off householdelectric current. A car adapter is also generally available as an accessory.

3.4.7 Wireless Capability

PDAs can be enabled with GSM technology, allowing a phone operation built in thePDA. GSM technology can be used to make phone calls, send SMS and access WAPwebsites.General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a mobile data service available to users of GSM

mobile phones. It is often described as "2.5G", that is, a technology between the second(2G) and third (3G) generations of mobile telephony. It provides moderate speed datatransfer, by using unused TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) channels in the GSMnetwork. Originally there was some thought to extend GPRS to cover other standards, butinstead those networks are being converted to use the GSM standard, so that is the onlykind of network where GPRS is in use.Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visiblelight, but shorter than microwave radiation. The name means "below red" (from the Latininfra, "below"), red being the color of visible light of longest wavelength. Infraredradiation spans three orders of magnitude and has wavelengths between 700 nm and 1mm.

IR data transmission is also employed in short-range communication among computerperipherals and personal digital assistants. These devices usually conform to standardspublished by IrDA, the Infrared Data Association. Remote controls and IrDA devices useinfrared light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to emit infrared radiation which is focused by aplastic lens into a narrow beam. The beam is modulated, i.e. switched on and off, toencode the data. IR does not penetrate walls and so does not interfere with other devicesin adjoining rooms.


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GPS Technology, usually called GPS, is a satellite navigation system used fordetermining one's precise location and providing a highly accurate time reference almostanywhere on Earth or in Earth orbit. It uses an intermediate circular orbit (ICO) satelliteconstellation of at least 24 satellites.The GPS system was designed by and is controlled by the United States Department of

Defense and can be used by anyone, free of charge. The GPS system is divided into threesegments: space, control and user. The space segment comprises the GPS satelliteconstellation. The control segment comprises ground stations around the world that areresponsible for monitoring the flight paths of the GPS satellites, synchronizing thesatellites' onboard atomic clocks, and uploading data for transmission by the satellites.The user segment consists of GPS receivers used for both military and civilianapplications. A GPS receiver decodes time signal transmissions from multiple satellitesand calculates its position by trilateration.Other technology includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, which are explained in great detail overthe next chapter.

Fig. 4: Some of the devices used for wireless communications

3.5 Clinical Applications

3.5.1 Clinical Applications for Doctors

Realizing the potential of wireless technology in healthcare, the industry has developed anumber of applications, both clinical and administrative, to improve patient safety and thehealth care delivery process. Applications can be categorized into clinical andadministrative. The two most widely used applications at the present time are describedbelow:

E-Prescription and Drug and formulary databases

The objective of these applications is to reduce medication errors by generating legibleprescriptions with drugs that are in the formulary of the patients health plan. Thephysician has access to real time patient information at the point of care and can not only


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reference the drug database and the formulary while writing a prescription but is alsoalerted if there is a drug interaction in the patients medication profile, thereby preventingany medication errors. In addition, the physician can print the prescription rightfrom her wireless device or send it electronically via the Internet directly to the patientspharmacy. Since this is a typed and structured prescription, it reduces the pharmacy

errors due to illegible handwriting. In addition, since the physician now selects a drugfrom the health plan formulary, that is available in real time, chances of selecting an offformulary medication is highly reduced, thus reducing the call backs from the pharmaciesto ask for alternate drugs.Patient Tracking Utilities

With this application, the physician can capture and sort patient information quickly andeasily during rounds. Some basic patient information, admission diagnoses, patient

histories, daily progress notes, and lab results can be recorded. There is also thepossibility of tracking medications being taken by patients at home and in the hospital, aswell as set alarms for reminders.

Fig. 5: Potential benefits of Wireless applications in Healthcare

3.5.2 Clinical Applications for Nurses

Nursing PDA applications can also be classified under two major areas.Calculators with databases and drug guides built in and reference e-books which can beused as clinical decision support systems in the Point-of-care, (POC).


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Here the author reviews the drug guides and the reference electronic books.Drug Guides

Applications include a detailed up-to-date and practical resource for the Palm OS andPocket PC operating systems.These databases generally include trade and generic drugs, drug classifications,monographs and commonly used combination of drugs, including the dosage amount ofthe active generic ingredient. Special dosing considerations for special patients, such asrenal, hepatic, elderly, paediatric, neonatal are included in the applications enabling thenurse with a valuable tool. Minimizing the time spent in consulting books or databasesand increasing the time spent with the patient is one major advantage.

Fig. 6: Decision power from the use of data

Reference Electronic Books

Several E-books can be found dedicated to various Nursing specialities.Antibiotic guides, Clinical formulas, Lab Tests, ECG analysis are all commonapplications that Nurses can use to empower their clinical practice.


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3.6 Summary

In this chapter, the author reviewed extensively all the major components of a PDA, itsvarious Operating Systems and some available Clinical Applications for HealthcareProfessionals. Over the next chapter, a detailed review about the Wireless Technologyavailable in PDAs is performed, specifically the Bluetooth and the Wi-Fi.

4WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES

4.1IntroductionThe health care industry -- traditionally known as a laggard in the IT arena -- is nowemerging as a leader in adopting mobile and wireless technology. In an October 2004study of wireless adoption in various vertical industries, market research firm IDC foundthat more than 80% of 34 health care organizations polled said they have deployedwireless LANs or plan to deploy one in the next 12 months. And according to the 2005Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Leadership Survey, which waspublished in February, 79% of 253 health care executives responding to an onlinequestionnaire said they will use wireless information systems this year while 54% saidthey will use handheld devices.Extracted from ComputerWorld, May 2005

In this chapter, the author reviews Bluetooth and Wireless Fidelity Technology,commonly used in Healthcare settings.Starting with the Industry definition and standards, the author also identifies where thiswireless technology is currently being used in Healthcare.4.2Bluetooth Technology

Fig. 7: Bluetooth Official Logo

4.2.1Definition of Bluetooth Technology


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The access to electronic patient records complete with the patients history, test results,

decision support tools and expert systems guidance.Headsets connected to voice recognition systems have been successfully used by GeneralPractitioners in outpatient clinics and private practices.As for Medical Devices, Bluetooth has enabled information management without cabling.

For ambulatory patients their mobility has also been increased, using medical devices,such as SPO2 sensors, ECGs, Blood Sugar machines, feeding databases directly bymobile phones, which are then remotely accessed by Doctors and Nurses.Bar code scanning has also been used in Healthcare, in which a portable scanner isattached to a PDA, reading the patients bracelet and checking his identity. The clinicalerror is decreased, helping to coordinate the device information against the patients

electronic health record.

Fig. 8: Barcode Scanning with Bluetooth Technology


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4.3Wireless Fidelity Technology

Fig.9: Wi-Fi Official Logo

4.3.1Definition of Wireless FidelityWi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity. It is also known as the 802.11.b protocol. This namewas given by the IEEE, which is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Thefirst part of the protocol, the 802 is generally used in networking language. In fact, 802.3

represents the 10 Mbps Ethernet Protocol. The 802.11 represents an open standard, inwhich any manufacturer can build receivers using this protocol.In order to have a label printed in a wireless device, first a thorough test must becompleted to prevent incompatibilities with other manufacturers. After that, it can holdthe Wi-Fi Logo, which is now common in most of the Wireless Networking devices, suchas laptops, USB adapters, PC Cards, Routers, Access Points, etc.These Wi-Fi enabled devices (laptops or PDA's) can send and receive data wirelesslyfrom any location equipped with Wi-Fi access. Through access points, installed within aWi-Fi location, transmit an RF signal to Wi-Fi enabled devices that are within range ofthe access point, which is about 300 feet. The speed of the transmission is governed bythe speed of the pipeline fed into the access point. The maximum speed achieved has

been 54 Mbps. This is called the 802.11.g protocol.Most of the devices found in the market hold the standard 802.11.b, which means thatdata can be transferred up to 11Mbps between devices.Its possible to select from the 802.11g protocol if the reader is building an entire wirelessnetwork from scratch in home or small office. The increased throughput will make file-sharing and printer-sharing much easier.Use 802.11b ifits needed to spend as little money as possible to build a LAN fromscratch. These devices are less expensive due to the slower throughput. Since most DSLlines top out at 1.5 Mb/s, the reader won't experience any slowness reaching the internetdue to the wireless network.

4.3.2Wireless Fidelity Applications in Healthcare"In 2004, we estimate the total medical Wi-Fi market to be $495 million in the UnitedStates. That includes Wi-Fi equipment, Wi-Fi networking and systems integration, andalso mentoring, control and optimization. Going out to 2010, we estimate it will be about


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$2 billion. The study projects that wireless networking and related service revenues in thehealthcare arena will be a $7 billion business in the United States by 2010. "Extracted from Wi-Fi Planet, August 2004.

Fig. 10: Wireless PDA for Clinical Applications

In their quest to streamline operations, optimize communications and improve patientcare and satisfaction, many hospitals and other healthcare providers are discovering the

benefits of wireless technology and mobile computing solutions.Wireless technology, which uses safe radio frequencies (RF) to connect a variety ofequipment that can be located from ten metres to a few kilometres apart, without havingto use a wireline infrastructure, is becoming increasingly prevalent in modern health carefacilities.For example, wireless Voice over IP (VoIP) telephones can overcome the barriers of aone-way pager system, which is vulnerable to delays while a paged physician or medicalstaff member searches for a landline and is sometimes further hampered by voice mail orbusy signals. It is also significantly less disruptive and more conducive to a healingenvironment than a 24/7 overhead pager.Wireless data solutions can give clinicians and health care professionals real-time,

anytime, anywhere access to all of their patients critical data.One of the major reasons for the rapid growth of wireless technology is the last few yearshas been the acceptance of 802.11b as an almost universal standard for wireless local areanetworks. This has lead to increased interoperability between devices from differentmanufacturers. However this standard offers data transfer rates of a maximum of 11Mbpsand its frequency is being congested by other technologies like Bluetooth.


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IEEE, developer of the 802.11b standard has developed a newer standard called 802.11a,which offers data transfer rates of up to 54 Mbps and operates in the 5GHZ frequencyspectrum. With such high data transmission rates and standardization, the industry is setto migrate from 802.11b to 802.11a in the next coming years.

Competing StandardsThe predominant standard today that is accepted by majority of the vendors in theindustry is 802.11b, developed by IEEE. This standard operates in the 2.4 GHZ frequencyspectrum and provides a maximum bandwidth of 11 Mbps. Two competing standards areHomeRF and HiperLAN/1 in the 2.4 GHZ frequency and HyperLAN/2 in the 5GHZfrequency. HomeRF and HiperLAN/1 are 2.4 GHZ technologies and hence competitionto 802.11b, while HyperLAN/2 is a 5 GHZ standard competing with the future 802.11astandard from IEEE an upgrade form 802.11b which will provide extremely high

bandwidths of 54 Mbps.Cost Factors

The cost of implementing a WLAN includes several elements, which includes cost of thenetwork infrastructure, the access points, the devices along with the access cards, theclinical software application and ongoing maintenance and support costs. Infrastructurecosts depend on the number of access points installed, which in turn depends on thecoverage of the access points. Access points cost anywhere from 100 -1000 dependingon the coverage of the access points. The cost of the devices vary withthe type of device being used, ranging from 200 for a PDA to 2000 for tablecomputers. The cost of the clinical applications would depend on whether it is astandalone application or an integrated application covering many clinical functions.Another cost consideration would be the costs associated with technology migration.802.11b will soon be outdated by the much faster 802.11a technology. Vendors wouldneed to consider the reuse of customers existing equipments and provide backwardcompatibility with older technologies.In general, the cost of setting up and maintaining a wireless LAN is lower than that of awired LAN for two reasons. First, with WLAN, the cost of cables and the labor costs ofinstalling and repairing the network are eliminated. Second, because modification to theWLAN, like moving and adding access points is extremely simple, it reduces costs ofuser downtime and administrative costs.

4.4 Summary


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Over this chapter, the author has extensively reviewed the Wireless Technology used inHealthcare.Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are now being widely used in Hospital, Nursing Homes, HealthClinics and Healthcare Visitors.With so many devices and so many different applications, some of the biggest challenges

facing the application developers, are integrating these applications with each other andwith the legacy information systems in the hospitals. Only when all patient relatedinformation, labs, radiology, billing, medical history will be available seamlessly andsecurely from a single device, will the clinical community successfully adopt theapplications.Next chapter discusses the website design, infrastructure, hosting, ranking andevaluation. Software tools that were used are also described in great detail.

5 PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

5.1 IntroductionIn order to the fast dissemination of the content researched and compiled by the author, awebsite was created. Dedicated to healthcare professionals, this website, calledwww.wireless-health.comwas first registered in 2003. This chapter explains the processin which the author registered, designed, implemented and evaluated the website. Lateron in the chapter, the author also explains the design process of the online questionnaire.

Fig. 11: Flash Introduction of the Wireless-health.com website
http://www.wireless-health.com/http://www.wireless-health.com/http://www.wireless-health.com/


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5.2 Website Process

5.2.1 Planning

People are the key to successful Web projects. Although the people who will use the sitewill determine whether the project is a success, ironically, those very users are the peopleleast likely to be present and involved when the site is designed and built.Keeping these lines in mind, the author needed to trace some objective goals:

Inform the Clinical Community about Wireless Technologies in HealthcareBe an information Portal for Clinicians about the use of PDA Technology inHealthcare

Constitute a resource to evaluate a Masters Degree Dissertation by an onlinequestionnaire.

Getting to know the audience targeted for this website was not difficult. Doctors, Nursesand Health Informaticians were the primary target. Their knowledge and interest aboutmobile technologies is usually very limited. Therefore all the information would need tobe easily found and intuitive.

Once this idea of the website's mission and general structure was defined, the assessmentof the content started. Building an inventory or database of existing and needed contentenabled the author to review the existing content resources and to make a detailed outlineof his needs.5.2.2 Developing a Site Specification

The site specification is the planning concise statement of core goals, values, and intent,to provide the ultimate policy direction for everything that comes next. A well-written

site specification is a powerful daily tool for judging the effectiveness of a developmenteffort. It provided the author with a compass to keep the development process focused onthe ultimate purposes of the site. As such, it quickly become a daily reference point tosettle disputes, to judge the potential utility of new ideas as they arise, to measureprogress, and to keep the development focused on the ultimate goals.A good site specification should define the content scope, budget, schedule, and technicalaspects of the Web site. Site specifications are very short and to the point, and are oftenjust outlines or bullet lists of the major design or technical features planned. The finished


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site specification should contain the goals statement from the planning phase, as well asthe structural details of the site.Goals and strategies

What is the mission of the project? How will creating a Web site support the Dissertation? What are the two or three most important goals for the site? Who is the primary audience for the Web site? What does the author want the audience to think or do after having visited the

site? What Web-related strategies will be used to achieve those goals? How will be measured the success of the site? How will it be adequately maintained, once finished?

Production Issues

How many pages will the site contain? What is the maximum acceptable countunder this budget?

What special technical or functional requirements are needed? What is the budget for the site? What is the production schedule for the site, including intermediate milestones

and dates? Who are the people on the development team and what are their responsibilities?

5.2.3 The Site Development Process

Every web project generally follows six major stages:

1.Site definition and planning2.Information architecture3.Site design4.Site construction5.Site marketing6.Tracking, evaluation, and maintenance

5.2.4 Site Definition and Planning


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This initial stage is where the author defined his goals and objectives for the website andbegins to collect and analyze the information needed to justify the budget and resourcedrequired. This is also the time to define the scope of the site content, the interactivefunctionality and technology support required, and the depth and breadth of information

resources that will be needed to fill out the site and meet the reader's expectations.Site production checklist

Developers within corporations or other large enterprises can often count on substantialin-house technology support when creating new Web sites. In the authors case, it wasneeded to contract with various technology and design vendors to assemble everythingneeded in order to create a substantial content site.

Technology:The following Browsers and Operating Systems are supported by the website:

Windows, Macintosh, UNIX, Linux

Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer; minimum version supportedThe network bandwidth of the average visitor would be ADSL or ISDN.

Advanced features and Dynamic HTML (HyperText Markup Language)JavaScript or vbscript requiredJava applets requiredStyle sheets required

Third-party browser plug-ins requiredThe way readers reach the support team:

By Email messages from readersChat rooms, forums and phone support

Web server supportThere is no In-house Web server. It is outsourced to an Internet Service Provider, locatedin the United States, Texas.The unique domain name available, consists of wireless-health.com.There are 100 MB of Disk space and 2GB of site traffic limitation.


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The hosting company guarantees a Twenty-four-hour, seven-days-a-week support andmaintenance.The website Statistics on users and site traffic is continuously monitored.The Server log analysis is outsourced. Guaranteed 99.9% up-time.The search engine submission for the authors content was automatically inserted using

the web hosting ISP.5.2.5 Information ArchitectureAt this stage the need for detailed content and organization of the Web site is mandatory.All existing content, description of what new content is required, and definition of theorganizational structure of the site is now prepared. Once a content architecture has beensketched out, small prototypes of parts of the site to test are built. Site prototypes areuseful for two reasons. First, they are the best way to test site navigation and develop the

user interface. The prototypes should incorporate enough pages to assess accurately whatit's like to move from menus to content pages. Second, creating a prototype allows thegraphic designers to develop relations between how the site looks and how the navigationinterface supports the information design.Some Typical results or contract deliverables at the end of this stage could include:

Detailed site design specificationDetailed description of site contentSite maps, thumbnails, outlines, table of contentsDetailed technical support specification

Browser technology supportedConnection speed supported

Web server and server resources

Proposals to create programming or technology to support specific features of thesite

A schedule for implementing the site design and construction

5.2.6 Site Design

At this stage the project acquired its look and feel, as the page grid, page design, andoverall graphic design standards are created. Now the illustrations, photography, andother graphic or audiovisual content for the site need to be created. Research, writing,organizing, assembling, and editing the site's text content was also performed at thisstage. The goal is to produce all the content components and functional programming andhave them ready for the final production stage: the construction of the actual Web sitepages.


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Products deliverable at this stage included:

Text, edited and proofread

Graphic design specifications for all page typesFinished interface graphics for page templates

Header and footer graphics, logos, buttons, backgrounds

Detailed page comps or finished examples of key pagesInterface design and master page grid templates completedFinished HTML template pagesIllustrationsPhotographyJavaScript scripts, Java applets designed

Search engine designed and tested

Templates

The development of templates was also completed at this stage. From a template, it canbe easier to start a page that already has the basic navigation and site graphics in place.Popular Web site development software packages such as Macromedia's Dreamweaveroffer powerful templates and standard reusable libraries of site graphics and HTML madeit easy to create new pages and maintain the website.

AccessibilityProviding equal access to Web pages is institutional policy. It is critical therefore, that allof the web pages are validated and the content of the website is rechecked throughout thedevelopment process to ensure that all pages are accessible to all users.

5.2.7 Site Construction

Only at this mature stage of the project are the bulk of the site's Web pages constructedand filled out with content. By waiting until this detailed site architecture, mature contentcomponents, and a polished page design specification the author minimized the contentchurning, redundant development efforts, and wasted energy that inevitably result fromrushing to create pages too soon.Products delivered on this stage were:


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Finished HTML for all Web pages, all page content in placeFinished navigation link structure

All database components in place and linked to site pages

All graphic design, illustration, and photography in place

Final proofreading of all site content

Detailed testing of database and programming functionalityTesting and verification of database reporting featuresTesting of site reader support procedures, answering email, etc.Archives of all site content components, HTML code, programming code, and

any other site development materials

5.2.8 Site Marketing

The Wireless-Health.com website was marketed using strategic partnerships with other

online websites, as well as submission in the Google Ad Words during 18 months.The website has also been promoted next to friends and colleagues that kindly input somesupport and ideas throughout the project.5.2.9 Tracking, Evaluation and Maintenance

A large abundance of information about visitor was recorded with the web serversoftware. By analyzing the server logs for the website, the author developed quantitativedata on the success of the website.The logs will tell what pages were the most popularand what brands and versions of Web browser people used to view the site. Server logsalso gave information on the geographic location of site readers. The usefulness of sitelogs will depend on what is asked from the server and the people who maintain theserver. Detailed logs are the key to quantifying the success of a Web site.A number of popular software packages are designed to produce easily readable sitetraffic reports, complete with data graphics and charts to aid in data analysis. As a serviceto customers, site hosting companies often offer reports from popular site analysisprograms like WebTrends, often free of charge.Please find below three tables with some simple statistics about the number of visitors

since 2003 up to now.


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Fig. 12: Analysis of visitors during 2003


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Maintaining the website

Once the website has been completed and the production goes live, the aesthetical and

functional aspects of the website need constant attention. The coordination of newcontent, maintaining the graphics and editorial standards, assuring that the programmingand linkages of all pages remain intact and functional are all important tasks to follow.

Backups and site archives

The site author made sure that the Wireless-health.com is regularly backed up into asecure server to ensure that a catastrophic hardware failure in the web server does notwipe out all the website data.


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5.3. Questionnaire DesignThe questionnaire was designed in order to provide an evaluation of the websiteperfomance. A good design can encourage participants to answer the author questionsfully and accurately, and provide information which can be analyzed to generate real

knowledge. The questionnaire comprised of 24 questions about the visitor and his herimpression while browsing the website.5.3.1 Data Acquisition

The data was gathered between 2003 and 2005, through the online questionnaire,connected to the website by a built-in link. Users were invited to answer to thequestionnaire, after accepting and reading a legal disclaimer both in the website as well asin the questionnaire.

5.3.2 Data ProcessingAll the questionnaire answers were recorded and with the built-in analysis engineprovided by Questionpro, once the questionnaire was completed, the user could seeimmediately his results and other results as well. This real time data system provided theauthor a good estimate of how the website was performing and whether some changeswere needed.5.3.3 ResultsPlease refer to Figure 15, (below) for the fully comprehensive report.

Executive Summary

Overall Survey Statistics

Completed Responses : 74Started Responses : 124Average time taken to complete : 6 minute(s)

Survey Statistics

Completed Responses 74

Started 124


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Drop Outs (After Starting) 50

Survey Views 406

What is your gender?

Frequency Analysis

# Answer Frequency Percentage

Male 45 60.81%

Female 29 39.19%

Total 74 100%

Statistical Calculations

Mean 1.392 Mean Percentile 80.41%

Confidence Interval @ 95%[1.280 - 1.504]

n = 74

Standard Deviation 0.492

Standard Error 0.057

What is your age?

Frequency Analysis


under 13 0 0.00%

13-17 2 2.70%

18-34 33 44.59%

35-49 31 41.89%

50-64 8 10.81%

65 or older 0 0.00%

Total 74 100%



Confidence Interval @ 95% [3.445 - 3.772]


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n = 74



Where are you located?

Frequency Analysis


Africa 0 0.00%

Antarctica 0 0.00%

Asia 2 2.67%

Oceania (Australia, NewZealand, etc.)

3 4.00%

Europe 46 61.33%

USA 18 24.00%

Canada 3 4.00%

Central America 0 0.00%

Other 3 4.00%

Total 75 100%




n = 75



What is your primary language (i.e., the one you speak most of the time)?

Frequency Analysis


Chinese 1 1.35%
http://www.questionpro.com/akira/SlideShow.do?actionID=texthttp://www.questionpro.com/akira/SlideShow.do?actionID=texthttp://www.questionpro.com/akira/SlideShow.do?actionID=text


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Spanish 1 1.35%

English 55 74.32%

French 0 0.00%

German 1 1.35%

Dutch 0 0.00%

Japanese 0 0.00%

Portuguese 11 14.86%

Swedish 0 0.00%

Italian 0 0.00%

Other 5 6.76%

Total 74 100%




n = 74



What is your level of education?

Frequency Analysis


Some High School 2 2.70%

High School Graduate 2 2.70%

Some College 7 9.46%

College Graduate 16 21.62%

Some Postgraduate 16 21.62%

Postgraduate 28 37.84%

Other 3 4.05%
http://www.questionpro.com/akira/SlideShow.do?actionID=texthttp://www.questionpro.com/akira/SlideShow.do?actionID=texthttp://www.questionpro.com/akira/SlideShow.do?actionID=texthttp://www.questionpro.com/akira/SlideShow.do?actionID=texthttp://www.questionpro.com/akira/SlideShow.do?actionID=texthttp://www.questionpro.com/akira/SlideShow.do?actionID=text


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Total 74 100%




n = 74



What is your current occupation?

Frequency Analysis


Student 12 16.22%

Doctor 10 13.51%

Nurse 28 37.84%

Health Informatician 5 6.76%

Clerk 1 1.35%

Manager 2 2.70%

Salesman 3 4.05%

Other HealthcareProfessional

2 2.70%

Unemployed 2 2.70%

Other 9 12.16%

Total 74 100%




n = 74




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How comfortable do you feel using computers, in general?

Frequency Analysis


Very comfortable 51 68.92%

Somewhat comfortable 18 24.32%

Neither comfortable noruncomfortable

4 5.41%

Somewhat uncomfortable 0 0.00%

Very uncomfortable 1 1.35%

Other 0 0.00%

Total 74 100%




n = 74



In a typical week, how many hours do you spend online?

Frequency Analysis


0 to 5 10 13.51%

6 to 10 13 17.57%

11 to 20 23 31.08%

21 to 30 7 9.46%

31 to 40 10 13.51%

More than 40 11 14.86%

Total 74 100%



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n = 74



Primarily from what kind of computer system do you access the internet?

Frequency Analysis


Windows PCsystem(Desktop)

49 66.22%

Windows(Notebook) 20 27.03%

Tablet PC 3 4.05%

Macintosh system(Desktop) 2 2.70%

Macintoshsystem(Notebook)

0 0.00%

Unix system 0 0.00%

PDA(Palm OS) 0 0.00%

PDA(Pocket PC) 0 0.00%

PDA(Linux OS) 0 0.00%

Total 74 100%




n = 74



How did you hear about the Website?


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Frequency Analysis


Found by using a searchengine

18 20.45%

Invitation from email 25 28.41%

Newsletter/Literature 9 10.23%

Was told URL by anAssociate/Friend

23 26.14%

Followed Link from anotherWeb page

9 10.23%

Other (Please Specify) 4 4.55%

Total 88 100%




n = 88



So we can match the right information with the needs of our visitors to the site, please tell us why you visit

our site?

Frequency Analysis


Looking for generalinformation

29 14.29%

Looking for rules/regulations 5 2.46%


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Looking for forms 3 1.48%

Looking for facilityinformation

1 0.49%

Looking for regulatory

information

4 1.97%

Looking for upgradeInformation

7 3.45%

Looking for QualifiedProfessional/ConsultantInformation

25 12.32%

Looking for news (Meetings,Seminars, Calendar, PublicHearings etc)

10 4.93%

Looking for ContactsInformation

5 2.46%

Research for Work 21 10.34%

Research for School 15 7.39%

Download files 3 1.48%

Professional Development 26 12.81%

Looking for update on earlierinformation

3 1.48%

I have been invited 38 18.72%

I belong to the newsletter 7 3.45%

Other 1 0.49%

Total 203 100%




n = 203



How likely are you to:

Mean Distibution Matrix


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# Question Frequency Mean

1 Return to this Web site? 74 1.568

2 Add this Web site to your favourites? 74 1.878

3 Join our Web Forum? 74 2.230

4 Use our Chat Room? 74 2.676

5 Sign up our Newsletter? 74 2.014

6 Sign our Guest Book? 74 2.257

7 Set it as your homepage? 70 3.171

Average 2.256

Return to this Web site?

Frequency Analysis


Very Likely 45 60.81%

Somewhat Likely 20 27.03%

Somewhat Unlikely 5 6.76%

Not At All Likely 4 5.41%

Total 74 100%




n = 74



Add this Web site to your favourites?

Frequency Analysis




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Total 74 100%




n = 74



Join our Web Forum?

Frequency Analysis






Total 74 100%




n = 74



Use our Chat Room?

Frequency Analysis



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Total 74 100%




n = 74



Sign up our Newsletter?

Frequency Analysis






Total 74 100%




n = 74



Sign our Guest Book?

Frequency Analysis


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Total 74 100%




n = 74



Set it as your homepage?

Frequency Analysis


Very Likely 5 7.14%




Total 70 100%




n = 70



Approximately how many pages did you go to during this visit?


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Frequency Analysis


1 to 3 12 16.22%

3 to 5 16 21.62%

5 to 8 21 28.38%

More than 10 25 33.78%

Total 74 100%




n = 74



From what you have seen and your experience with other sites, please rate the following features of the webpages:



1 Visual appearance/layout: 74 3.919

2 Content: 74 4.068

3 Writing style: 74 3.905

Average 3.964

Visual appearance/layout:

Frequency Analysis


Poor 3 4.05%

Fair 7 9.46%

Good 15 20.27%


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Very Good 17 22.97%

Excellent 32 43.24%

Total 74 100%




n = 74



Content:

Frequency Analysis


Poor 1 1.35%

Fair 6 8.11%

Good 13 17.57%

Very Good 21 28.38%

Excellent 33 44.59%

Total 74 100%




n = 74



Writing style:

Frequency Analysis



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Poor 1 1.35%

Fair 8 10.81%

Good 17 22.97%

Very Good 19 25.68%

Excellent 29 39.19%

Total 74 100%




n = 74



How much effort did your search require before you found what you were looking for?(Did it take a long time? Did you have to try several times?)

Frequency Analysis


A lot less than I expected 22 30.14%

Less than I expected 20 27.40%

About what I expected 27 36.99%

More than I expected 3 4.11%

A lot more than I expected 1 1.37%

Total 73 100%




n = 73




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Please rate our Web Interactive Menus:



1 Home 74 3.703

2 Basics 74 3.743

3 Clinical 74 3.689

4 FAQ 74 3.716

5 Links 74 3.811

6 Survey 74 3.730

Average 3.732

Home

Frequency Analysis


Poor 3 4.05%

Fair 7 9.46%

Good 21 28.38%

Very Good 21 28.38%

Excellent 22 29.73%

Total 74 100%




n = 74



Basics

Frequency Analysis


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Poor 2 2.70%

Fair 9 12.16%

Good 18 24.32%

Very Good 22 29.73%

Excellent 23 31.08%

Total 74 100%




n = 74



Clinical

Frequency Analysis


Poor 4 5.41%

Fair 7 9.46%

Good 20 27.03%

Very Good 20 27.03%

Excellent 23 31.08%

Total 74 100%




n = 74




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FAQ

Frequency Analysis


Poor 4 5.41%

Fair 7 9.46%

Good 19 25.68%

Very Good 20 27.03%

Excellent 24 32.43%

Total 74 100%




n = 74



Links

Frequency Analysis


Poor 3 4.05%

Fair 7 9.46%

Good 18 24.32%

Very Good 19 25.68%

Excellent 27 36.49%

Total 74 100%




n = 74


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Survey

Frequency Analysis


Poor 4 5.41%

Fair 8 10.81%

Good 18 24.32%

Very Good 18 24.32%

Excellent 26 35.14%

Total 74 100%




n = 74



Q26



1 What was your previous knowledge about Bluetooth Technology? 69 2.841

2 What was your previous knowledge about Wi-Fi Technology? 69 2.493

3 What was your previous knowledge about PDA Technology? 69 3.333

Average 2.889

Q26

What was your previous knowledge about Bluetooth Technology?


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Frequency Analysis


Never heard about it before 4 5.80%

Heard but never understood 22 31.88%

Have seen it before 24 34.78%

Have worked with it before 19 27.54%

Total 69 100%




n = 69



Q26

What was your previous knowledge about Wi-Fi Technology?

Frequency Analysis






Total 69 100%




n = 69



Q26


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What was your previous knowledge about PDA Technology?

Frequency Analysis






Total 69 100%




n = 69



Q26



1After browsing through the website, can you explain whatBluetooth is?

69 3.435

2After browsing through the website, can you explain whatWi-Fi is?

69 3.333

3After browsing through the website, can you explain what aPDA is?

69 3.710

Average 3.493

Q26

After browsing through the website, can you explain what Bluetooth is?

Frequency Analysis



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I didnt understand it 0 0.00%

I still need some more timeresearching

4 5.80%

I can explain the basics 31 44.93%

I know what it is and canexplain it well

34 49.28%

Total 69 100%




n = 69



Q26

After browsing through the website, can you explain what Wi-Fi is?

Frequency Analysis


I didnt understand it 1 1.45%

I still need some more timeresearching

7 10.14%

I can explain the basics 29 42.03%

I know what it is and canexplain it well

32 46.38%

Total 69 100%



Confidence Interval @ 95% [3.163 - 3.503]n = 69



Q26


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Overview of Wireless PDA

full dissertation "wireless pda applications in healthcare"

Documents