By Matthew Oldham, vice president of engineering, Graphium Health.
Matthew Oldham
Over the course of my career, working in a variety of industries, I have developed certain design patterns when modeling data that guide my approach to tackling a new data domain. One simple example is how I choose the right data type for a given value an application will capture.
While it may sound straightforward, interesting nuances can quickly surface during the data modeling step that necessitate a shared language and vocabulary between the functional experts and the software engineers. In other words, we need to figure out how to work together and speak the same language in order to solve the problem well.
The importance of nuanced semantics may be illustrated with the example of how an anesthesiologist documents the administration of an antibiotic. . The type and timing of antibiotic administration is a key metric that anesthesia providers have historically had to report to Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) since it correlates with both patient outcomes and healthcare costs.
As I analyzed the paper anesthesia record used, I noticed an “antibiotics” checkbox, accompanied by an antibiotic name, an amount, a unit of measure, and the route of administration. These all made sense to me, and I proceeded to incorporate these concepts into my data model. For the antibiotics checkbox, I naively interpreted it as a simple boolean value, and I named it Antibiotics Administered Indicator. In my mind, that simply indicated that the antibiotic denoted on the form was either administered (true), or not administered (false).
During a review of the model, I learned that a clinician interprets this checkbox to mean an “indication for antibiotics”; in other words, antibiotics were or were not determined as a necessary course of action given other clinical conditions. A true value didn’t mean that antibiotics were administered, only that they were indicated, and thus needed to be given. That is obviously a completely different understanding than the one at which I had arrived. Needless to say, this was eye opening for me, even having been down the road of developing a functional understanding of data domains many times before.
The illustration highlights the importance of having both functional (i.e., the doctors) perspectives and technical perspectives present and engaged during software design. A purely technical survey of a subject area will certainly be valuable, and in some cases may provide decent coverage in terms of establishing a foundational understanding of that domain. In most cases, however, a functional perspective will also be required to complete the picture and add the necessary insight required to create an accurate and intuitive user experience.
In fact, healthcare may serve as the poster child for just how challenging, complex, and unforgiving software design can be. Clinician dissatisfaction and fatigue with existing electronic health report software is well documented, and the explanations are plentiful: failed interoperability, difficult user experience, inefficiency with simple tasks, onerous data capture burden, etc. Perhaps the common denominator is a failed understanding of complex and poorly defined clinical workflows being interpreted and standardized in software by technical experts working in isolation. The real issue here is that foundational errors propagate as the software evolves, and there is no easy way to reverse course once construction begins.
For many of us, work gets in the way of exercise. There are simply not enough hours in the day to fit in all the work we have to do and a lengthy exercise routine. Some days it can even be too much effort to go for a stroll around the block. Yet, we know that sitting in front of a computer is bad for our health. It can lead to back and shoulder ache and a sedentary lifestyle increases our likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure and diabetes. It also increases the risk of colon cancer, osteoporosis, depression and anxiety and several other conditions.
If it could be possible to combine working with exercise it would be an ideal solution but you will need the right type of equipment.
What is a treadmill desk?
As the name suggests, a treadmill desk is a treadmill with a desk attachment. This could be a manual treadmill or a motorised version. With a manual treadmill, the motion of you walking or running causes the machine’s belt to move. They are cheaper to buy and don’t need a power supply so you can use them anywhere in your home. They tend to be smaller than the motorised versions and are particularly good for walking.
This makes them ideal for treadmill desks as you only need to be walking at a slow speed when you are working. By using a treadmill desk, you will be using up more energy (and therefore more calories) than if you are simply standing. Also, some people find that it puts less strain on the back – standing still for long periods can cause more back issues than walking does.
However, you do have to be careful if you have existing back or joint problems. It makes sense to build up the time that you use it gradually – perhaps over several weeks and months. If you have serious back or joint problems this may not be for you.
You may also take a while to adjust to working in this way. It can take several weeks for you to learn to write or type at the same time as walking.
Studies suggest that one in four Americans are using virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa to control their smart devices and access the Internet. However, older adults are much less likely to use these handy apps. That’s a shame because they’re missing out on so many features that can make life easier and keep them safe. So what do these digital assistants bring to the table? Why do some seniors struggle, and how can you help them use these programs?
How Can Virtual Assistants Help a Senior?
Virtual assistants work off of voice commands. They can also control smart devices around the home. This means that people with vision impairment, limited mobility, arthritis, or hand tremors can still use these household gadgets. They can adjust the thermostat, play audiobooks and more, without even leaving the couch.
These programs also streamline the smartphone experience. Older users don’t need to remember passwords, hunt through multiple layers of menus, or find the right app in a sea of options. The assistant handles all of this. At a simple request, seniors can video conference with loved ones or learn the score of Sunday’s game.
Virtual assistants also offer future proofing. Technology may continue to get more complicated, but the older user doesn’t need to worry about that. A virtual assistant will upgrade to handle these innovations.
Safety and Medications
Virtual assistants can make life safer for a senior. If your loved one is one of the 36 million seniors a year who fall, the assistant will contact emergency services. It can pull up maps and track locations if your loved one gets lost. These programs also remind older users to take medicine, and even tell the doctor about missed doses.
Respiratory health is a vital component of our overall health. The human respiratory system is a series of organs responsible for taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide – basically breathing!!
The average adult breathes about 17,000 to 30,000 times a day, therefore it obvious why good respiratory health is essential in our overall health. Lung conditions are common and variable and can affect people of all ages.
It is widely known, and thoroughly researched, that exercise is highly beneficial for people living with chronic lung disease. Although lung conditions vary and present differently with each individual the role of exercise is global and positive in all cases.
Exercise can help to:
Improve your breathing
Clear mucus (or sputum) from your chest
Reduce your breathlessness during daily activities
Improve your oxygen saturations levels (Sao2)
Reduce shortness of breath — at rest and during exertion
Improve overall health
The frequency, type, intensity, duration and scheduling of exercise are important factors to take into account with prescription and should be implemented by an Accredited Exercise Physiologist. However, some key focus points to consider include:
A combination of aerobic and resistance- based exercise provide the best outcomes.
Diaphragmatic breathing and breathing control are imperative.
Periodisation and progression of planning are mandatory.
Work within your limits (mental, physiological and physical).
In addition to exercise, you can improve your respiratory health and lung capacity by:
As we grow older, our bodies age and slow down. This can lead to a few embarrassing and alarming situations. While it can take time for us to adjust to our bodies, there are tools and products available to help us along. These aids make life much easier and can help prevent accidents as well.
Reduced mobility, both physical and cognitive, can feel debilitating. People can feel frustrated and angry and try to deny they need any extra help. However, contrary to popular opinion, these tools aid people to stay independent and take care of themselves without others needing to step in.
They can find a range of such mobility tools on reputed company websites like https://www.aamobility.co.uk/ and choose different products according to their needs. So what are some of the standard mobility tools used by adults? Let’s take a look.
Anti-Slip Products
One of the issues people run into as we get older is that all surfaces seem to get more slippery! Whether it’s opening glass bottles or jars or stepping into the shower, we can easily miscalculate how much strength we have or the angle of the floor and slip. Falling in the shower is very dangerous, causing even death in severe cases.
Glass containers can shatter and embed glass in our skin, which needs expensive medical care. Instead, a wide range of products can help you stabilize yourself as you do things around the house. Using these tools can help you keep doing the same things you used to, just with a bit of help.
According to Statista, in 2019, U.S. drug store and pharmacy sales totaled nearly 297 billion dollars. While there has been a big focus on pharmaceutical companies and their sky-high prices in the media, including previously released drugs that were passed on to new owners and led to abruptly increased prices, the majority of a pharmaceutical company’s revenue is derived from a steady increase in prices of drugs that have been available on the market for quite some time.
There are multiple factors that go into pricing those medications, whether it’s Adare Pharmaceuticals or another company.
The Effectiveness of the Drug
When pricing medications, pharmaceutical companies consider whether they have the potential to change current medicine practices used to treat conditions that they target. They must also consider if the drug can prevent surgeries and other procedures or certain medical treatments. Drug companies generally price drugs higher if they can extend or have the potential to save lives. If they can reduce the number of pricey surgeries and doctor visits, they’re usually priced higher due to the savings they provide those who need to take them.
Of course, drug companies primarily price drugs to generate the most revenue possible, which frequently includes facing competition that will help lower the prices before enacting increases over time.
With vaccinations underway, it’s becoming possible to envision the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel; however, the post-COVID world will have some notable differences. One such example is the likely requirement of “immunity passports” to do any number of things: have elective surgery, attend college, or travel internationally.
The European Union, China, Israel and Japan are among the nations that have launched or plan to unveil such programs. In the U.S., states will be in charge of developing their programs with federal support as required. Given the partisan differences surrounding the pandemic response and economic recovery, this is likely to introduce numerous challenges in and of itself. But political concerns aside, the emergence of more coronavirus tracing apps and programs also brings some serious security challenges.
As PBS’ Laura Santhanam recently put it, “Unlike the physical [vaccination card used to track Yellow Fever], there are growing concerns about data privacy as documents verifying COVID-19 vaccination would exist and generally be accessed digitally.” In fact, these concerns are so pressing that a new Forrester report includes the vulnerability of COVID-19 apps as one of the five major problems which could impede post-pandemic progress in 2021.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the chief vulnerabilities and what governments and businesses alike should be cognizant of as these apps become more mainstream.
Improper Access Controls. Hospital administrators. Physicians. Insurance adjusters. Claims specialists. Pharmacy techs. The list of potential roles that could access vaccination data is massive, and that’s just within the healthcare setting. When you expand to other industries, the list is virtually endless. In order to protect sensitive data, it’s important that all COVID-19 apps and programs are designed with strong role and event-based access controls.
For example, a doctor may require “Write” access in order to edit or add information pertinent to a patient’s immunity or reaction to the vaccine. However, this permission should be the exception rather than the norm as hackers could wreak havoc should they be able to manipulate data within these apps and programs.
Furthering your education as a nurse can benefit you and your career in many ways. It can expand your skills, the quality of care that you administer, and your earning potential. Unfortunately, many nurses lead a busy lifestyle and most adults have responsibilities such as rent, bills and a family to take care of. This can make it hard to find the time and money to commit to a degree. However, there are other options that you can consider, such as online learning. To help you understand more about this way of learning, here are some of the pros and cons of online courses for nurses.
Create Your Own Schedule
Nurses have unpredictable and busy work schedules, which can make it hard to keep on top of a course when you have to study on-site. Fortunately, studying online is fully flexible as students have the privilege of setting their own class schedules. There are no fixed class times and as long as you have an internet connection, you have the choice to take a class from any location. This is one of the main reasons why working adults choose to get qualifications online. The ability to work at convenient times for you means that you can learn at your own pace and you don’t have the pressure of tight deadlines.
Can Consider More Schools
When you choose to complete a course online, there are no limitations to which school you decide to study with due to the unlimited reach of the internet. This means that you can consider more reputable learning facilities rather than choosing schools based on their location and how convenient they are. This is especially beneficial if the schools in your local area don’t have the best reputation or the course that you are interested in studying is unavailable. It is also good for people who live in rural areas or struggle with transportation. Online learning will save time and money in the long-term too. You can choose from a range of CCNE accredited nursing schools, without having to relocate or commute.
You Will Save Money
Online classes are normally cheaper than classes that require you to study on-site. You also won’t be subjected to the additional student fees that are charged for studying on campus, including student activity fees, technology fees, and athletic center fees. You will also save money on living costs that are required for student accommodation and travel. Most of the course material that you will need may be accessed online, so you will save money on textbooks. Cash that you do require for online education will be made up through your wages as you will be able to continue working around your degree.
Respiratory health is a vital component of our overall health. The human respiratory system is a series of organs responsible for taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide – basically breathing!!
As we grow older, our bodies age and slow down. This can lead to a few embarrassing and alarming situations. While it can take time for us to adjust to our bodies, there are tools and products available to help us along. These aids make life much easier and can help prevent accidents as well. 
