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Abstract Background Health professionals and authorities strive to cope with heterogeneous data, services, and statistical models to support decision making on public health. Sophisticated analysis and distributed processing capabilities over geocoded epidemiological data are seen as driving factors to speed up control and decision making in these health risk situations. In this context, recent Web technologies and standards-based web services deployed on geospatial information infrastructures have rapidly become an efficient way to access, share, process, and visualize geocoded health-related information. Methods Data used on this study is based on Tuberculosis (TB) cases registered in Barcelona city during 2009. Residential addresses are geocoded and loaded into a spatial database that acts as a backend database. The web-based application architecture and geoprocessing web services are designed according to the Representational State Transfer (REST) principles. These web processing services produce spatial density maps against the backend database. Results The results are focused on the use of the proposed web-based application to the analysis of TB cases in Barcelona. The application produces spatial density maps to ease the monitoring and decision making process by health professionals. We also include a discussion of how spatial density maps may be useful for health practitioners in such contexts. Conclusions In this paper, we developed web-based client application and a set of geoprocessing web services to support specific health-spatial requirements. Spatial density maps of TB incidence were generated to help health professionals in analysis and decision-making tasks. The combined use of geographic information tools, map viewers, and geoprocessing services leads to interesting possibilities in handling health data in a spatial manner. In particular, the use of spatial density maps has been effective to identify the most affected areas and its spatial impact. This study is an attempt to demonstrate how web processing services together with web-based mapping capabilities suit the needs of health practitioners in epidemiological analysis scenarios.

The prevalence of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among adolescents in low and middle-income countries leads us to believe that sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information needs are still unmet. This paper investigates current sources and their limitations and then explores the role technology could play. Methods: In an exploratory qualitative study themes identified; (1) preferred sources of SRH information; (2) their limitations; (3) the role of technology in meeting their needs. Results: Mobile phone-based apps could improve awareness and provide information in a confidential way. Conclusions: Adolescents have an unmet need that vary by age and gender. Mobile phones could offer accessible, user-friendly platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of indoor positioning solutions using smartphones is a growing activity with an enormous potential for everyday life and professional applications. The research activities on this topic concentrate on the development of new positioning solutions that are tested in specific environments under their own evaluation metrics. To explore the real positioning quality of smartphone-based solutions and their capabilities for seamlessly adapting to different scenarios, it is needed to find fair evaluation frameworks. The design of competitions using extensive pre-recorded datasets is a valid way to generate open data for comparing the different solutions created by research teams. In this paper, we discuss the details of the 2017 IPIN indoor localization competition, the different datasets created, the teams participating in the event, and the results they obtained. We compare these results with other competition-based approaches (Microsoft and Perf-loc) and on-line evaluation web sites. The lessons learned by organising these competitions and the benefits for the community are addressed along the paper. Our analysis paves the way for future developments on the standardization of evaluations and for creating a widely-adopted benchmark strategy for researchers and companies in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundAdvances in the development of information and communication technologies have facilitated social and sexual interrelationships, thanks to the websites and apps created to this end. However, these resources can also encourage sexual contacts without appropriate preventive measures in relation to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). How can users be helped to benefit from the advantages of these apps while keeping in mind those preventive measures? ObjectiveThis study aimed to prevent STIs by helping users to remember preventive measures in the risky situations. MethodsWe have used the design and creation methodology and have developed a software system. This system has two parts: an Android operating system app with emphasis on ubiquitous computing and gamification as well as a server with a webpage. First, a functional test with 5 men who have sex with men (MSM) allowed us to test the app with end users. In addition, a feasibility test with 4 MSM for a month allowed us to try the UBESAFE system with all its functionalities. ResultsThe main output is a system called UBESAFE that is addressed to MSM. The system has two main parts: (1) an app that sends preventive contextualized messages to users when they use a contact app or when they are near a point where sexual contacts are likely and (2) a server part that was managed by the public health agency of Barcelona (ASPB), which preserves the quality and pertinence of messages and places and offers instant help to users. To increase users’ adherence, UBESAFE uses a gamified system to engage users in the creation of preventive messages. Users increased the initial pool of messages by more than 100% (34/30) and created more than 56% (9/16) of places (named hot zones). ConclusionsThe system helped MSM who used it to become conscious about HIV and other STIs. The system also helped the ASPB to stay in contact with MSM and to detect behaviors that could benefit from preventive measures. All functions were performed in a nonintrusive manner because users used the app privately. Furthermore, the system has shown how important it is to make users a part of the creation process as well as to develop apps that work by themselves and thus become useful to the users.

Introduction: Management of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) requires complex and integrated interventions, usually tailored for each individual due to the wide variety of symptoms that people diagnosed with ASD present. Some of these interventions could be a combination of psychosocial interventions addressed to the management of emotions, the improvement of social and communicative skills and/or the increase of the autonomy. In this scenario, professionals, families and patients face two main difficulties when they have to choose the best option/s for treatment: a) the lack of evidence on the effectiveness and efficacy of these interventions and the difficulty to access to it; and b) the lack of tools for supporting the decision making process neither for professionals nor for careers/patients. The objective of AUTAPP is to develop an evidence based personalised Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) using a mobile technology tool (app) to improve the decision process specifically for psychosocial therapies for the management of ASD. Methods: AUTAPP is based on two stages: 1- Review and synthesis of the scientific evidence for the effectiveness and efficacy of psychosocial interventions in the management of ASD. Main databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, PsychoInfo, EMBASE) will be consulted and the quality of the chosen publications will be assessed following SING criteria. Two independent reviewers will review articles and relevant information will be synthesized in evidence tables. The algorithm of decision-making will be developed based on these tables. 2- Design, development and validation of the CDSS. The decision-making algorithm will be implemented in a mobile platform. Professionals, careers and people diagnosed with ASD will validate the app to obtain the final version ensuring its face-validity and feasibility. Results: The first phase is currently in progress (we started in January 2018) and will be finalised in December. Thus in April 2019 the results of the systematic review and the first prototype of the CDSS will be available. We expect this review to enrich information respect previous that reported scarce evidence on psychosocial interventions (1). Discussions: Quality of the published research on psychosocial interventions in ASD will determine the reach of the mobile CDSS. Conclusions: Mobile technology could both facilitate the decision making process when therapeutical approach is complex and requires integration such as in ASD; and enhance the empowerment of ASD people. Lessons learned: Based on similar projects developed by the team: - professionals could base their clinical recommendations on real evidence and propose the most personalised interventions. this kind of tools facilitate patient/careers empowerment Limitations: - lack of scientific evidence published, publications of low quality and publication bias - lack of motivation for professionals to use the CDSS or usefulness of the CDSS in the clinical practice Suggestions for future research: - systematic review will allow to identify gaps in psychosocial interventions research - this approach could be implemented in other chronic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]