This workshop project is to explore the breadth of the topic of home health care technologies and identify significant areas of research which remain unexplored or unexploited. A key outcome of the project would be a report that: identifies major trends and areas expecting or needing development; prioritizes areas where an expansion of science and engineering knowledge is necessary; identifies potential gaps or barriers in moving from product development and design to delivery of effective and safe technologies, and helps establish a collaborative infrastructure that would effectively address longer-term needs and problems in this area.
The workshop project will be conducted in two steps. The first step is to conduct a Mini-Workshop of 1¢ days in the fall of 1998 to refine an agenda for the full workshop and to facilitate preparation of documents for pre-distribution to the Full Workshop participants. Participants would be a core team of 12-15 (organizers, facilitators and panel co-chairs). The second step is to hold the 2¢ day Full Workshop in the Spring of 1999 that would produce the report mentioned above. Participants are to include a core of 30 invited speakers and panelists, up to 30 paid registrants, and up to 20 invited observers. The workshop organizers are to be advised by an advisory board of experts in the important aspects of home care technologies. Major stakeholders would be represented in the workshop: biomedical engineering research, medical science, nursing, allied health, telemedicine, computer science, health policy/health economics; government; industry; users (patient advocacy). The project is partially supported by the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The workshop project is the first comprehensive examination of this rapidly developing area of health care technology.
The report to be produced will be found on the web at URL <www.ee.cua.edu/hct/workshop>. ***
