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Holistic System Design for Distributed National eHealth Services

Martin Wulf Gerdes disputerer for ph.d.-graden med avhandlingen “Holistic System Design for Distributed National eHealth Services” onsdag 3. april 2019.

This project covers the design, development and evaluation of a reference solution for integrated eHealth services and applications targeting remote monitoring and decision support in telehealth and telecare.

Martin Wulf Gerdes

PhD-candidate and Assistant Professor

PhD-candidate and Assistant Professor Martin Wulf Gerdes at the Faculty of Engineering and Science has submitted his thesis entitled "Holistic System Design for Distributed National eHealth Services" and will defend the thesis for the PhD-degree Wednesday 3 April 2019.

He has followed the PhD-programme in Engineering and Science with Specialisation in Information- and Communication Technology (ICT).

Summary of the thesis by Martin Wulf Gerdes:

“Holistic System Design for Distributed National eHealth Services”

The ongoing process of “Digital Revolution” turns societies around the globe into “Information Societies”.

The dynamic development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) reaches all facets of private and professional life, we are surrounded by portable connected devices, machines, and gadgets forming an “Internet of Things (IoT)”, and “Artificial Intelligence (AI)” bears huge opportunities as well as risks for many areas. We are in a “Digital Age” or “Information Age”, that affects all aspects of social organization, including particularly the health sector.

eHealth allows chronic patients a highquality of life

eHealth systems and services utilizing information and communication technologies (ICT) have the potential to increase the efficiency of professional and informal caretakers when monitoring the healthcare status and assistance needs of patients and their relatives.

Patients with chronic diseases and age related medical conditions receive support through technologies that allow them to live independently and securely with a high quality of life (QoL). Independent from the public health systems, further services and applications are emerging to promote individual fitness and wellness goals to maintain a healthy life style.

A reference solution

This project covers the design, development and evaluation of a reference solution for integrated eHealth services and applications targeting remote monitoring and decision support in telehealth and telecare.

The different types of stakeholders involved in such a solution – healthcare nurses, doctors, IT specialists, system developers, researchers, and the patients – and the required multi-disciplinary research cooperation in different phases of the project, have been a specific challenge and focus of the work.

Field-trial revealed insights

For the evaluation of the conceptual solution, a prototype system providing applications and services for the remote monitoring of home living patients with chronic diseases has been designed.

A field trial with more than 100 patients in South-Norway has revealed insights about the technical solution and the support for specialized nurses taking care remotely for their patients.

Disputation facts:

The Candidate: Martin Wulf Gerdes (1969, Kiel, Germany): Rheinisch Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen (ó Technical University of Aachen); I received a „Dipl. Ing.” = Engineering Diploma in General Electrical Engineering in 1998 (at that time Germany had not implement BA and MA; the Dipl.Ing. degree had (at least) the level of today’s MA), Research fellow (2012 - 2016), from 2016 Assistant Professor and Researcher at UiA (fulltime; permanent).

The trial lecture and the public defence will take place at Room C2 040, Campus Grimstad.

Assistant Dean, Professor Rein Terje Thorstensen, will chair the disputation.

Trial lecture at 10:15 a.m.

Public defense at 12:15 p.m.

Given topic for trial lecture: "Machine Intelligence in Health Applications: Technical Needs from a Design Science Perspective”

Thesisd title: “Holistic System Design for Distributed National eHealth Services”

Search for the thesis in AURA - Agder University Research Archive, a digital archive of scientific papers, theses and dissertations from the academic staff and students at the University of Agder. The thesis will also be available at the University Library, and some copies will also be available for loan at the auditorium where the disputation takes place.

Opponents:

First opponent: Professor Kåre Synnes, Luleå University of Technology

Second opponent: Professor Dr. Martine Herpers, Hochschule Fulda (University of Applied Sciences)

Associate Professor Morten Goodwin, Department of Information and Communication Technology, UiA, is appointed as the administrator for the assessment commitee.

Supervisors were Professor Rune Werner Fensli (main supervisor) and Andreas Fasbender (external supervisor)