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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>TARDIS STUDY</title> <atom:link href="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis</link> <description>Using smartphones to track activity in relation to disease</description> <lastBuildDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2014 14:14:30 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/?v=6.4.4</generator> <item> <title>The app development alphabet: how to begin</title> <link>https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/2014/04/04/the-alphabet-how-to-begin/</link> <comments>https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/2014/04/04/the-alphabet-how-to-begin/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Miss E W Macharia]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2014 11:22:38 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Specification]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/?p=52</guid> <description><![CDATA[When I began my journey into medical app development, one of the most daunting things I encountered was the language. As a doctor, I appreciate the value of having opaque jargon. It allows us to say something to patients without saying what we really mean (1). Sometimes we are protecting them from the reality of […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When I began my journey into medical app development, one of the most daunting things I encountered was the language.</p><p><a href="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2014/04/code.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-60" alt="code" src="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2014/04/code-150x150.jpg" width="150" height="150" /></a>As a doctor, I appreciate the value of having opaque jargon. It allows us to say something to patients without saying what we really mean (1). Sometimes we are protecting them from the reality of the situation e.g. “You have Stage 4 pancreatic malignancy.” instead of : “Dude, it’s over. “. Sometimes jargon allows us to send quiet signals to each other. For example, ” This pleasant but acopic 51 year old lady suffered heel elevation ataxia and suffered a ground level fall resulting in a social admission.” might mean: “This lady is not pleasant. On another note, she had a few, tripped and fell and is now in hospital because there’s no-one to supervise at home.” (for more,<a title="doctors slang" href="http://messybeast.com/dragonqueen/medical-acronyms.htm" target="_blank"> follow this link</a>).</p><p>So when introduced to programmer jargon, therefore, I had my suspicions. I would read emails and forums with a suspicious mind, quite sure that the army of techies (and there is an army) was quietly laughing at my efforts. And they probably still are.</p><p>Knowing some key terms, acronyms and phrases would have helped ease the transition and enable you to have a conversation with the development team.</p><p>Below are a few:</p><ul><li>Alpha test: This is when an application is being tested within the organization. Only the development team has a copy of the app.<a href="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2014/04/alphabet.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-58" alt="alphabet" src="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2014/04/alphabet-150x150.jpg" width="150" height="150" /></a></li><li>Beta test:This is real world testing. A useful rule of thumb is states as follow: “If the boss pays the tester’s salary- its an alpha test. If the boss does not pay the tester’s salary , its a beta test. “</li><li>Code: Programmers speak in many languages. For each, there is code to be written. Source code is the most basic level of instructions to the hardware e.g. “Display a screen, it should be white and 50 x 20 cm in size”. This object is defined as a window. This is them compiled i.e. the source code converted into that generates an interface. Most software development environments obviate this step by allowing the programmer to write code for predefined objects i.e. object code. Object code is what many developers write e.g. “When the hardware object (mouse) clicks on the point x on a screen, window y will open. ” At the end of development, the code is now executable or machine code i.e. ready to be ran.</li><li>Front end: In app terms, this refers to a user interface. Conversely, back end refers to the code driving the user interface.</li><li>Iteration: This is a simple run through a set of instructions.</li><li>Java: This is a programming language. It is object oriented and used to write source code. If you find yourself saying Java, you probably mean java-script.</li><li>JavaScript: This is a language used to write executable code. It was originally called LiveScript, but the techies changed its name so the techies could use it as a tool to catch out mere mortals. It is embedded into other application typically HTML applications (web pages!). It is used to drive behaviors e.g. refresh this ad every 10 minutes. In app development, particularly when talking about the user interface, you probably mean JavaScript.</li><li>Loop: This is a repeated run through a single set of instructions. This can be useful for sorting or checking functions, or for calculations.</li><li><a href="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2014/04/think-like-a-programmer.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-62 alignleft" alt="think like a programmer" src="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2014/04/think-like-a-programmer-150x150.jpg" width="150" height="150" /></a>Objective C: The programming language used for iOS development.</li><li>Parsing: Imagine you are a scholar of ancient Greek. To translate a text into English, you need to break down the ancient Greek scroll into a series of linguistically local blocks , translate each then see if the final English version makes sense. In programming, there are many opportunities for translation. Compilers translate source code into object code. User interfaces receive information from the user and need to translate this into an action.</li><li>Stack: This is an amalgam of programs that work together. For example,</li><li>IDE: Integrated development environment. This is a program brings together that has multiple tools that the developer will use for a typical project. For researchers, a good illustration is the difference between R and R Studio. In R, you’ve got your console, but you need to use your menus or console to install packages , query libraries etc. In R Studio, some helpful person somewhere (thanks btw!) has brought all your key tools together in one integrated environment.</li><li>Virtual machine: You’ve spent a lot of money on your windows machine with the massive touch screen. Then your developer tells you that he wants to share the Xcode project with you on your mac. You don’t have a mac. Doesn’t he know how much they cost? And your research grant wont allow it. What do you do? Virtualise! Many operating systems today allow visualization i.e. running an application on your computer that creates an environment for a different operating system. So set a virtual machine, buy or download a disc with an operating system, then your good to go.</li><li>Xcode: This is an IDE. iOS applications are written in Objective C. However, this is a tricky language that takes a lot of learning. To make things easier (and trigger an explosion in app development), Apple provide a toolkit or IDE that makes it easy to create a programme. Xcode allows intuitive development e.g. select a menu, drag and drop it to the desired position , use a sub-menu to select its properties e.g. open when tapped. In the background, Xcode has helpfully converted, checked and compiled your selections into executable lines of code.</li></ul><p>References</p><p>1. Oliver, D. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2312388/" target="_blank">‘Acopia’ and ‘social admission’ are not diagnoses: why older people deserve better D. J R Soc Med. Apr 1, 2008; 101(</a>4): 168–174. doi: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1258%2Fjrsm.2008.080017" target="pmc_ext">10.1258/jrsm.2008.080017</a></p><p> </p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/2014/04/04/the-alphabet-how-to-begin/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Beta testing: Convening a focus group</title> <link>https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/2014/03/25/beta-testing-convening-a-focus-group/</link> <comments>https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/2014/03/25/beta-testing-convening-a-focus-group/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Miss E W Macharia]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 25 Mar 2014 16:13:31 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Mobile Health]]></category> <category><![CDATA[beta testing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[focus group]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/?p=24</guid> <description><![CDATA[In the research space, beta testing is an out-of-context activity. Ethics and funding applications require the researcher to describe the protocol and drive the project to its most complete form before declaring results in the form of a publication in a high impact journal. The focus group provides the researcher with a sandbox environment to […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In the research space, beta testing is an out-of-context activity. Ethics and funding applications require the researcher to describe the protocol and drive the project to its most complete form before declaring results in the form of a publication in a high impact journal.</p><blockquote><p>The focus group provides the researcher with a sandbox environment to test the minimum viable product without jumping through regulatory hoops.</p></blockquote><p><a href="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2014/03/focus-group.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-30" alt="focus group" src="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2014/03/focus-group-150x150.jpg" width="150" height="150" /></a>On the contrary, software development- particularly where ‘lean’ methods are applied, encourage iterative testing. This means testing the ‘minimal viable product’ and then going back to the drawing board to improve the next version. Some products launched on the open market in ‘beta mode’ because the value of user feedback for driving technical improvements and keeping costs low is recognized.</p><p>To understand the cross-over, consider the Phase IV clinical trial. A license to test a product on the public is only granted once the product is proven to be safe, efficacious and better than existing products on the market (phases 1 through 3). If your product was a software tool, the time and cost implications of taking such an approach would render your tool obsolete by the time it came to market. Yet, it is this very traditional framework of regulation that clinical software applications are forced to navigate.</p><p>The focus group provides a useful sandbox environment for testing a product without having to seek ethical approval. The key is testing the product in a non-clinical context. the challenge is identifying users that resemble your target user, but are not NHS patients. For example when testing an app for headache sufferers, one might advertise on Facebook for headache suffers and find plenty. However, a software developer working on an app for ovarian cancer may struggle to identify ‘everyman’ users who approach this description.</p><p><a href="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2014/03/nvivo.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-32 alignright" alt="nvivo" src="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2014/03/nvivo-150x150.jpg" width="150" height="150" /></a>Tools like Atlas.ti and NVivo help simplify and automate the process of collecting and analyzing focus group data. For data scientists unfamiliar with qualitative methods, these tools provide a framework with which to approach, categorize and quantify qualitative data.</p><p>Links</p><p><a href="http://www.qsrinternational.com/products_nvivo.aspx?utm_source=NVivo+10+for+Mac">NVivo</a></p><p> </p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/2014/03/25/beta-testing-convening-a-focus-group/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Assessing the quality of health information in apps.</title> <link>https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/2013/12/22/assessing-the-quality-of-health-information-in-apps/</link> <comments>https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/2013/12/22/assessing-the-quality-of-health-information-in-apps/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Miss E W Macharia]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sun, 22 Dec 2013 23:12:58 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Dissemination]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mobile Health]]></category> <category><![CDATA[health on the net]]></category> <category><![CDATA[quality]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/?p=11</guid> <description><![CDATA[In the 1990’s there was an explosion of health information available to the consumer via the internet. Initially, the challenge was trying to find websites with the information sought. Soon, however, the rapid evolution of search engines from basic keyword identifiers to algorithmic machines solved this issue. Instead, consumers are now presented with thousands of […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2013/12/iphone.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-13 alignleft" alt="iphone" src="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2013/12/iphone-300x225.jpg" width="180" height="135" srcset="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2013/12/iphone-300x225.jpg 300w, https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2013/12/iphone.jpg 420w" sizes="(max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px" /></a>In the 1990’s there was an explosion of health information available to the consumer via the internet. Initially, the challenge was trying to find websites with the information sought. Soon, however, the rapid evolution of search engines from basic keyword identifiers to algorithmic machines solved this issue. Instead, consumers are now presented with thousands of pages in response to a simple query.</p><p>Since the late 1990’s many health researchers have worked on standards which consumers can use to judge the quality of health information on the net. The work of the Health on the Net Foundation is exemplary in this area. As apps become a feature of both quotidian healthcare (e.g. weight tracker) and clinical care (e.g. diagnostic algorithms), researchers must turn their attention to the quality of information delivered by this medium.</p><p>Like webpages, publishing an app is open to anyone with the skill and know how. Interestingly, health professionals often have neither. There is no real way of knowing if health app was authored by a computer savvy 15 year old in their bedroom or a health professional with actual expertise.</p><p>Health professionals cannot afford to stand by the sidelines. Just like the internet, apps are no passing fad. They are popular with consumers. They have real utility for day to day tasks. Interestingly, they are popular with health professionals too. In a survey of of medical educators in the USA identified that 85% owned and used a smartphone (Franko OI, 2012 ). Over fifty percent of respondents reported app usage as part of their clinical practice. Over half of the respondents reported using apps in their clinical practice, accessing drug guides, medical calculators and coding/billing apps.</p><p>Researchers and health professionals concerned with public health must be part of the conversation about apps in healthcare. Our participation will improve the quality of information available and release the potential of apps as public health instruments.</p><p>References</p><p><em>Health on the Net Foundation. http://www.hon.ch/home1.html </em></p><p><em>Franko OI, T. T. ( 2012 ). Smartphone app use among medical providers in ACGME training programs. J Med Syst, 36(5):3135-9.</em></p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/2013/12/22/assessing-the-quality-of-health-information-in-apps/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Am I missing something?</title> <link>https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/2012/11/19/hello-world/</link> <comments>https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/2012/11/19/hello-world/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[tardis]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:13:53 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Mobile Health]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Great British geek]]></category> <category><![CDATA[smartphone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Technation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[UCL mobile]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/?p=1</guid> <description><![CDATA[Ive just completed the Great British Geek Calculator. The survey asks participants 10 questions and informs them, based on their answers, where they fit into the Tech Nation. It turns out that I am a Price Pragmatist. I am congratulated for this feat, which feels quite nice. I do wonder if they congratulate the TV […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.newsworks.org.uk/News-and-Opinion/were-all-geeks-now"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-6 alignleft" alt="Tech Nation report" src="https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/files/2012/11/technation_news_main.jpg" width="250" height="188" /></a></p><p>Ive just completed the<a title="Great British Geek Calculator" href="http://www.newsworks.org.uk/tech-nation-quiz" target="_blank"> Great British Geek Calculato</a>r. The survey asks participants 10 questions and informs them, based on their answers, where they fit into the Tech Nation.</p><p>It turns out that I am a Price Pragmatist. I am congratulated for this feat, which feels quite nice.</p><p>I do wonder if they congratulate the TV Worshipers and the Social Addict too. Wanting to find out more, I turn to a longer article on Tech Nation, hoping to find out how these categories are defined.</p><p>Apparently 40% of the Tech Rich category- the affluent high spenders with high levels of tech ownership, are women. Almost half of Social Addicts are over 35 years old.</p><p>From a developer perspective, this information is of great interest. Having spent 2 years working on an app targeted at Mums, it would be good to know if they even carry smartphones, are early adopters of technology, or need advice prior to purchasing technology.</p><p>What I can figure out is how, without asking survey participants their age and sex, the research has reached these conclusions. The source data arises from analysis of <a title="TGI clickstream" href="http://www.kantarmedia.com/product/tgi-surveys" target="_blank">Target Group Index Clickstream</a> survey panelists. As the data are probably proprietary, they are not shared. Infer with caution, I say.</p><p>Also, I always fancied myself to be a Social Addict, rather than a Price Pragmatist.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/tardis/2012/11/19/hello-world/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel></rss> If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
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