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Table 3 Framework, characteristics, advantages, disadvantages and applicable conditions

From: Interoperability frameworks linking mHealth applications to electronic record systems

Framework

Characteristics

Advantages

Disadvantages

Applicable conditions

Telemedicine Interoperability Framework Model (TIFM)

Cloud based (PaaS) Telemedicine platform for secure remote access to health information by participatory entities and patients.

Easy access to patients information anywhere and anytime from any types of device. Usage and cost tracking feature. Support for wired and wireless data transmission methods while ensuring optimum speed, latency and availability.

XML-schemes and structure require agreements between entities and to be adapted to systems prior to data interchange. Semantic challenges for diseases identification tags during data exchange. Dependency on the vendor’s infrastructure and software, increases data security risks.

Remote patient monitoring and management over distributed network environments.

X73PHD-IHE framework

Enhancement of the security and interoperability features of the X73- PHD standards PHDs. A comprehensive IHE-based extension with layers adapted to supporting different eHealth and mHealth technologies.

Secure and robust, yet cost effective approach for PHDs, ideal for syntactic and semantic interoperability with other medical devices.

Limited specifications about IHE profiles required to implement interoperable eHealth/mHealth applications.

Requires different levels of security and interoperability with each healthcare system.

Framework support is grouped in the domains of Health and Fitness, Independent Living and Disease Management.

Mobile health CDSS Framework

Realtime cloud based decision support mHealth solution utilising FASTO ontology to enhance knowledge quality and semantic interoperability with different EHR systems.

Remote collection, formalizing, integration, and analyzing of patient data through body sensors.

Offers a complete, personalized, and medically intuitive care plans and sub-plans based on patient profiles.

The framework however lacks in addressing patient data security considerations.

The cloud-based solution is ideal for remote monitoring and management of medical conditions such as type 1 diabetes mellitus.

The Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) frameworks

An ecosystem of medical sensors, computers, wireless networks and software applications for remote healthcare monitoring in an Ambient Assisted environment.

Support for personalized, adaptive, and anticipatory features, necessitating high quality-of-service to achieve interoperability, usability, security, and accuracy.

Security, privacy, reliability, and robustness are perceived as main challenges.

Requires more technical, economical, and multi-organizational resources and commitment to succeed.

Usability is an issue since end-users who are mostly elderly, and disabled, have no technical expertise in handling different devices, applications, network equipment, gateways, and other infrastructural components.

Application of ICT technologies in personal healthcare and telehealth systems for countering the effects of growing elderly population.

The primary goal being to extend the time which elderly people can live independently in their preferred environment using ICT technologies for personal healthcare.