It's a constant and frustrating challenge for kidney dialysis patients to monitor their health - and the answer for many might fit right in the palms of their hands
Kay Connelly, assistant professor of computer science at the Indiana University School of Informatics, is collaborating with researchers at the School of Nursing at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis to test the effectiveness of personal digital assistant computing devices to help end-stage renal disease patients.
Joining in the research is Yvonne Rogers, professor of informatics and of information science; and Katie Siek, a computer science doctoral candidate.
Most ESRD patients already undergo exhausting and often painful dialysis treatments three times weekly.
Because their blood is filtered of excess fluids and toxins, they are on highly restricted diets and must monitor their fluid and sodium intake.
"Paper diaries are the primary method used by patients to record and compute their nutritional intake," Connelly says.
"But studies have shown these diaries are ineffective with as many as 80 percent of ESRD patients not adhering to their diets".
A formative study among volunteer participants at the IU Dialysis Center shows that patients prefer a combination of graphical interfaces and icons to record their daily food and fluid consumption and intake warnings.
Paper prototypes were used to simulate PDA usage by patients.
The study also found that participants organised food items similarly, preferred using an interface which combines the time of day and food groups, and understood warning symbols.
The researchers now are developing a PDA-based tool that incorporates a bar code scanner, a non-text based graphical interface for foods without bar codes and a voice recorder to help patients when they encounter problems.
The device also warns them when their fluid or sodium intake is nearing dangerous levels.
It also allows patients to ask the computer hypothetical questions such as "What if I ate-?" Testing of that tool will get under way by this summer and will be coordinated with the IUPUI nurse researchers.
The researchers also are looking at other uses of PDAs, in combination with various technologies, to help other chronically ill patients.
For example, they are developing a tool to help chronically ill people identify 'trigger' conditions such as allergies, migraines, epileptic seizures, pain and anxiety.
Connelly will present these and other ongoing research projects at the 16-20 February 2006 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in St Louis, Mo.
