ABSTRACT
In the face of rising population, erratic climate, resource depletion, and increased exposure to natural hazards, environmental monitoring is increasingly important. Satellite data form most of our observations of Earth. On-the-ground observations based on in situ sensor systems are crucial for these remote measurements to be dependable. Providing open-source options to rapidly prototype environmental datalogging systems allows quick advancement of research and monitoring programs. This paper introduces Loom, a development environment for low-power Arduino-programmable microcontrollers. Loom accommodates a range of integrated components including sensors, various datalogging formats, internet connectivity (including Wi-Fi and 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE)), radio telemetry, timing mechanisms, debugging information, and power conservation functions. Additionally, Loom includes unique applications for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. By establishing modular, reconfigurable, and extensible functionality across components, Loom reduces development time for prototyping new systems. Bug fixes and optimizations achieved in one project benefit all projects that use Loom, enhancing efficiency. Although not a one-size-fits-all solution, this approach has empowered a small group of developers to support larger multidisciplinary teams designing diverse environmental sensing applications for water, soil, atmosphere, agriculture, environmental hazards, scientific monitoring, and education. This paper not only outlines the system design but also discusses alternative approaches explored and key decision points in Loom's development.
ABSTRACT
The quality of cancer care delivery varies across different regions of Ghana, highlighting the need for improved access to quality healthcare services. Telemedicine has emerged as a promising solution to address this disparity, as it can reduce costs and improve access to healthcare services for cancer patients in remote areas. Despite the widely reported benefits of telemedicine, its adoption in low-resource settings has been slow due to several challenges. This study explores strategies for incorporating telemedicine into the current healthcare system in Ghana for the benefit of all patients especially those diagnosed with cancer. The study also highlights the current challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation and utilisation of telemedicine in Ghana. This research was a cross-sectional study conducted in Accra, Ghana that adopted a mixed-methods approach. Participants were selected through multi-stage probability sampling. Quantitative data were collected via a survey whereas qualitative data were obtained by means of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions among healthcare professionals, patients and key stakeholders in the telemedicine industry. The Statistical Program for the Social Sciences (version 21) was used to assemble, analyse and display the research data. The major challenges discussed centered on high initial investment costs, privacy and security concerns, poor internet connectivity, insufficient infrastructure and training of healthcare providers as well as the resistance to change among healthcare professionals. The study contributes to the understanding of telemedicine adoption in Ghana with findings underscoring the potential to address healthcare challenges while highlighting the need to overcome implementation obstacles. The study findings also provide valuable insights for policymakers, healthcare institutions and stakeholders to enhance telemedicine adoption in Ghana.
ABSTRACT
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in Ghana were compelled to suspend routine learning activities and shut down to avert a possible public health crisis. As such, online learning was introduced as a temporary measure to ensure continuity in learning. For nursing and midwifery students who are usually more engaged in face-to-face practical learning, it will be interesting to ascertain how they experienced online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in a technologically deprived country. Hence, data was collected from March to June 2021 using online methods and a cross-sectional study design among students of nursing and midwifery training colleges in the five regions of Northern Ghana. Logistic regression and descriptive analysis were conducted using SPSS (version 22) to determine the association between (1) socio-demographic factors, (2) internet exposure and accessibility factors, and the outcome variable; students' experiences. The results for 318 students revealed that pleasant experiences were below average (42.8%) and that reliable college internet connectivity, older age, year of study, and residence in southern Ghana were significant predictors of pleasant experiences. However, high cost of data and home distractions were identified as the main challenges to online learning. Therefore, it is important for nursing and midwifery training colleges in northern Ghana to establish robust information and communication technology infrastructure on their campuses to ensure reliable internet connectivity.
ABSTRACT
In the context of the nationwide shift to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its possible effect on mental health, this study investigated the relationship between demographic, gadget and Internet profiles, and disease and consequence related COVID-19 anxiety among Filipino college students. This is a quantitative cross-sectional study. A total of 952 students participated in the online survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to draw insights from the data. Findings suggest that majority of the student respondents had high levels of disease and consequence related COVID-19 anxiety. Students from poorer households, who do not own laptops and desktop computers, and those with limited Internet connection exhibited higher levels of disease-related COVID-19 anxiety. Younger, poorer, female students who were enrolled in lower year levels, do not own laptops or tablets, and have limited or borrowed Internet connectivity demonstrated higher levels of consequence-related COVID-19 anxiety.
ABSTRACT
Telehealth using high quality satellite internet has been shown to improve health service delivery in three very remote Aboriginal communities, however, further expansion of telehealth in this and other areas of the Northern Territory (NT) is limited by the lack of adequate internet. Despite the growing evidence of the benefits of telehealth there remains limited uptake in the NT in the primary health care sector. A national survey through Broadband for the Bush Alliance (B4BA) and its member organisations into consumers' experiences of telecommunications and telehealth services was done. The survey was supported by detailed case studies based on semi-structured interviews. It was found there were a number of barriers to telehealth uptake at the national level: Lack of adequate internet; consumers not being aware of, or knowing how, to access telehealth; lack of access to clinicians providing telehealth services; lack of Medicare item numbers for telehealth and the lack of resourcing at the patient end. The research indicated there needs to be investment into telecommunications infrastructure, public education about telehealth, an increase in Medicare telehealth item numbers and resourcing for primary health care services to support telehealth expansion particularly in rural, regional and remote areas.