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- Success Factors in the Application of Lean and Six-Sigma Methodologies to Healthcare: A Literature ReviewPublication . Queijo, Ana Rita; Reis, Sara Seabra dos; Coelho, Luis; Pinto Ferreira, Luís; Silva, FranciscoTo provide a safe and fair-value health service that ensures quality, hospitals must provide efficient processes, trained and committed personnel, appropriate technology and a strategic platform which integrates these aspects effectively. At present, a broad set of tools and methodologies are available, associated to the reconfiguration of processes for enhancing efficiency and enabling excellence and sustainability. Of these, the most noteworthy are Lean and Six-Sigma methodologies. A literature review was performed covering the implementation of these methodologies in health services over the last 5 years. The aim was to determine the current approach in this sector and propose guidelines aligned with the future challenges and the needs of healthcare managers. The influence of team management strategies in the final project outcomes has also been addressed representing a novelty.
- Speech- and Language-Based Classification of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic ReviewPublication . Vigo, Inês; Coelho, Luis; Reis, Sara Seabra dosBackground: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has paramount importance due to its rising prevalence, the impact on the patient and society, and the related healthcare costs. However, current diagnostic techniques are not designed for frequent mass screening, delaying therapeutic intervention and worsening prognoses. To be able to detect AD at an early stage, ideally at a pre-clinical stage, speech analysis emerges as a simple low-cost non-invasive procedure. Objectives: In this work it is our objective to do a systematic review about speech-based detection and classification of Alzheimer’s Disease with the purpose of identifying the most effective algorithms and best practices. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed from Jan 2015 up to May 2020 using ScienceDirect, PubMed and DBLP. Articles were screened by title, abstract and full text as needed. A manual complementary search among the references of the included papers was also performed. Inclusion criteria and search strategies were defined a priori. Results: We were able: to identify the main resources that can support the development of decision support systems for AD, to list speech features that are correlated with the linguistic and acoustic footprint of the disease, to recognize the data models that can provide robust results and to observe the performance indicators that were reported. Discussion: A computational system with the adequate elements combination, based on the identified best-practices, can point to a whole new diagnostic approach, leading to better insights about AD symptoms and its disease patterns, creating conditions to promote a longer life span as well as an improvement in patient quality of life. The clinically relevant results that were identified can be used to establish a reference system and help to define research guidelines for future developments.
- Ethical Issues of Gamification in Healthcaree: The Need to be InvolvedPublication . Coelho, Luis; Reis, Sara Seabra dosGamification techniques have proven to be very effective in improving motivation and commitment, providing increased performance in both qualitative and quantitative terms. For this reason, it has been applied in more and more areas, with health and healthcare being no exception. The potential of this type of approach is enormous, and, on the one hand, it can motivate positive feelings; it can also foster deviant behaviors that fail to contribute to the individual and common good. This chapter aims to explore the relationship between the development of gamification systems and the ethical and moral aspects that are crucial elements when the target of the process becomes the human mind. The main questions and ethical dimensions that will allow us to constitute a reference framework for the development of gamification systems will be presented. Timely reflection and the inclusion of security mechanisms will allow us to develop better experiences for users, always combining improved motivation with the search for the good.
- Biomedical Students’ Motivation with Project Based Learning: A Case StudyPublication . Reis, Sara Seabra dos; Coelho, Maria De Fátima; Coelho, LuisOne of the teacher’s first goals should be to motivate students to learn. Involving students in the learning process using project-based learning could be a useful and powerful tool to prepare the students for them professional future. As part of a degree course in Biomedical Engineering, from a Portuguese University, students were asked to look at society and identify a possible failure related to the biomedical field. From the identification of this fault, the project consisted in the planning and its possible resolution. In this article we present the case study of a student’s team, whose project was candidate and winner for a national prize in the field of health innovation. Despite the particularization of this case study, the students considered the experience innovative and simultaneously motivating. They also highlighted the added value of a project going beyond the classroom. Therefore, in addition to allowing them to obtain classification to the curricular unit, this type of teaching and learning could have a special impact on civil society.
- Ethical Issues of Gamification in Healthcare: The Need to be InvolvedPublication . Coelho, Luis; Reis, Sara Seabra dosGamification techniques have proven to be very effective in improving motivation and commitment, providing increased performance in both qualitative and quantitative terms. For this reason, it has been applied in more and more areas, with health and healthcare being no exception. The potential of this type of approach is enormous, and, on the one hand, it can motivate positive feelings; it can also foster deviant behaviors that fail to contribute to the individual and common good. This chapter aims to explore the relationship between the development of gamification systems and the ethical and moral aspects that are crucial elements when the target of the process becomes the human mind. The main questions and ethical dimensions that will allow us to constitute a reference framework for the development of gamification systems will be presented. Timely reflection and the inclusion of security mechanisms will allow us to develop better experiences for users, always combining improved motivation with the search for the good.
- Project based learning supported by machine learning toolsPublication . Coelho, Luis; Reis, Sara Seabra dosThe emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) as a support tool for project-based learning has been driven by the need to prepare students for the demands of the 21st century. As the global economy becomes increasingly digital, there is a growing need for students to develop skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. Project-based learning is an effective approach to developing these skills, as it allows students to work on real-world problems and develop solutions in a collaborative environment. However, project-based learning can be challenging, as it requires students to navigate complex datasets, collaborate with peers, and receive feedback on their work. The involved teachers also must constantly monitor progress, perform sync-up meetings and define strategies accordingly. AI has emerged as a powerful tool to support project-based learning by providing students with personalized guidance, data analysis tools, and intelligent assessment. AI can be useful in data analysis, personalized guidance, improved collaborative learning and intelligent assessment. By leveraging the power of AI, project-based teaching-learning process can become more efficient, effective, and engaging, helping students to develop a wide set of skills that they need to succeed in a new technology-driven economy.
- The use of natural language processing in palliative care research: A scoping reviewPublication . Sarmet, Max; Kabani, Aamna; Coelho, Luis; Reis, Sara Seabra dos; Zeredo, Jorge L; Mehta, Ambereen KBackground: Natural language processing has been increasingly used in palliative care research over the last 5 years for its versatility and accuracy. Aim: To evaluate and characterize natural language processing use in palliative care research, including the most commonly used natural language processing software and computational methods, data sources, trends in natural language processing use over time, and palliative care topics addressed. Design: A scoping review using the framework by Arksey and O’Malley and the updated recommendations proposed by Levac et al. was conducted. Sources: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and IEEE Xplore databases were searched for palliative care studies that utilized natural language processing tools. Data on study characteristics and natural language processing instruments used were collected and relevant palliative care topics were identified. Results: 197 relevant references were identified. Of these, 82 were included after full-text review. Studies were published in 48 different journals from 2007 to 2022. The average sample size was 21,541 (median 435). Thirty-two different natural language processing software and 33 machine-learning methods were identified. Nine main sources for data processing and 15 main palliative care topics across the included studies were identified. The most frequent topic was mortality and prognosis prediction. We also identified a trend where natural language processing was frequently used in analyzing clinical serious illness conversations extracted from audio recordings. Conclusions: We found 82 papers on palliative care using natural language processing methods for a wide-range of topics and sources of data that could expand the use of this methodology. We encourage researchers to consider incorporating this cutting-edge research methodology in future studies to improve published palliative care data.