The human-computer interaction design of self-operated mobile telemedicine devices

Sammanfattning: Human-computer interaction (HCI) is an important issue in the area of medicine, for example, the operation of surgical simulators, virtual rehabilitation systems, telemedicine treatments, and so on. In this thesis, the human-computer interaction of a self-operated mobile telemedicine device is designed. The mobile telemedicine device (i.e. intelligent Medication Box or iMedBox) is used for remotely monitoring patient health and activity information such as ECG (electrocardiogram) signals, home medication, patient movements, etc., through a wearable bio-patch and a touch screen on the device, thus creating interaction between patient and doctor via the internet. The telemedicine device also has a reminder function for the time of medication. Two aspects have mainly been addressed in designing the HCI. The first one is about the user interface of the telemedicine device and the second one is about the interaction between patients and the wearable device. Scenario design, user participation and interview were applied as the design methodology of this work. Literature study of relevant background information and interviews with experts were also used for scenario design. After the first version of the prototype was developed, interviews were conducted with some typical users, whose feedback and user data were collected and analysed. The thesis includes envisionment and evaluation as two parts. The study revealed that HCI is an important issue for telemedicine, particularly when it is used for elderly-care. A simple and user-friendly interface, proper physical size of devices, better and bio-compatible materials for the bio-patch etc. are to be considered important for a better HCI for telemedicine devices.