Assignment12CatharineStarbird

Assignment12CatharineStarbird

To Do

• please work as individuals for this assignment
• read the paper for the guest lecture on November 17
  • K. H. Connelly, A. M. Faber, Y. Rogers, K. A. Siek, T. Toscos: "Mobile applications that empower people to monitor their personal health"

Task

Post one question about the paper including a rationale why you find your questions interesting and important!

Response

1. Members of the Group

Kate Starbird

2. KatieQuestion

The DIMA project brought to mind another chronic disease, HIV, and the potential of mobile technologies to help these patients. In the last few years, HIV experts have reclassified HIV-AIDS in the U.S. as a chronic disease, with an initial (and hopefully low) life expectancy placed at 24 years after infection. This expectancy relies on adherence to (sometimes extremely) complicated medication schedules and the adjustment to a wide range of side effects. Patients who do not take their medication correctly stand the chance of having their disease mutate away from being treatable, which is both a personal and public health hazard. Untreated or poorly treated patients can be much more contagious to their sexual partners than treated patients. Mobile technologies, especially persuasive technologies, like the one used for DIMA, would seem a perfect fit for HIV drug compliance. Is there research being done on this?

I would also hypothesize that mobile phone enabled support systems that offer anonymous interaction with other patients would allow patients to support each other emotionally and give advice on the management of medication side effects - where medical research is currently 3-5 steps behind.

Most of my sources come from www.thebody.com www.projectinform.com