Personal Health Application for Diabetes Self-Management

TRUE Research Foundation

Stephanie Fonda, Ph.D.
True Research Foundation, Washington, DC
Team Biographies

What Was Accomplished

TRUE Research Foundation and the Diabetes Institute at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (formerly Joslin Diabetes Institute) designed a personal health application (PHA) to assist with the main components of diabetes self-management. The PHA analyzes, summarizes, displays, and makes individualized recommendations on: nutrition/ dietary data; daily physical activity data; the balance between nutrition and physical activity; prescribed medications; continuous blood glucose data; and self-reported emotional state. The PHA also enables consumers to conduct “what if” analyses, which will predict the results of choices they might be considering (such the metabolic effects of particular meals). To accomplish these functions, the TRUE team developed an analysis and recommendations rules-engine that consumers interface with via gadgets within iGoogle. Unlike other Project HealthDesign teams that developed PHA devices, TRUE’s rules engines may be embedded in many platforms. For this effort, the team made use of the Project HealthDesign data model and services for accessing (identity/security) and storing observations of daily living, certain elements of calendaring, and identity management. In their prototype testing, the team examined how the data model and services work with presenting data via gadgets within iGoogle. Specifically, their testing was concerned with issues such as whether the flow of data between source and gadgets is easy and reliable, whether calculations using data from the data model are easy to perform and accurate, whether it is easy and accurate to convert data from the data model into the gadget’s graphical interfaces, and whether the large volume of health data that this PHA will require will be accessible at all times.

Artifacts
To download any of these documents, view the 2006-08 Teams' Artifacts page.

Example Google Gadgets - Link to add a set of example Google Gadgets to user's current iGoogle page
Google Gadget Files - List of early static Google Gadget files, to record activities of daily living
Design & Planning Documents - Complete set of project design and planning documents in a variety of formats
Design Documentation - Including Satement of User Needs/Assessment Phase Design Challenge, Design/Content Outline, User Interaction and Experience, User Interface Sketches, Prototype Architecture, and User Evaluation of Prototype
Prototype Code - Initial and final prototype code for using the Common Platform
Directory of Code and Code Documentation Files
Prototype Database Creation Script - Necessary for using Common Platform and for the final version of prototype
Developer Instructions - Instructions for setting up code in Eclipse
Project Demonstration Video - 8 minute movie walk through of iGoogle and prototype usage