Remote Blood Glucose Monitoring in mHealth Scenarios: A Review.

Glucose concentration in the blood stream is a critical vital parameter and an effective monitoring of this quantity is crucial for diabetes treatment and intensive care management. Effective bio-sensing technology and advanced signal processing are therefore of unquestioned importance for blood glucose monitoring. Nevertheless, collecting measurements only represents part of the process as another critical task involves delivering the collected measures to the treating specialists and caregivers. These include the clinical staff, the patient's significant other, his/her family members, and many other actors helping with the patient treatment that may be located far away from him/her. In all of these cases, a remote monitoring system, in charge of delivering the relevant information to the right player, becomes an important part of the sensing architecture. In this paper, we review how the remote monitoring architectures have evolved over time, paralleling the progress in the Information and Communication Technologies, and describe our experiences with the design of telemedicine systems for blood glucose monitoring in three medical applications. The paper ends summarizing the lessons learned through the experiences of the authors and discussing the challenges arising from a large-scale integration of sensors and actuators.

Clinical factors associated with statins prescription in acute ischemic stroke patients: findings from the Lombardia Stroke Registry.

BACKGROUND: Statins, due to their well-established pleiotropic effects, have noteworthy benefits in stroke prevention. Despite this, a significant proportion of high-risk patients still do not receive the recommended therapeutic regimens, and many others discontinue treatment after being started on them. The causes of non-adherence to current guidelines are multifactorial, and depend on both physicians and patients. The aim of this study is to identify the factors influencing statin prescription at Stroke Unit (SU) discharge. METHODS: This study included 12,750 patients enrolled on the web-based Lombardia Stroke Registry (LRS) from July 2009 to April 2012 and discharged alive, with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) and without contra-indication to statin therapy. By logistic regression analysis and classification trees, we evaluated the impact of demographic data, risk factors, tPA treatment, in-hospital procedures and complications on statin prescription rate at discharge. RESULTS: We observed a slight increase in statins prescription during the study period (from 39.1 to 43.9%). Lower age, lower stroke severity and prestroke disability, the presence of atherothrombotic/lacunar risk factors, a diagnosis of non-cardioembolic stroke, tPA treatment, the absence of in-hospital complications, with the sole exception of hypertensive fits and hyperglycemia, were the patient-related predictors of adherence to guidelines by physicians. Overall, dyslipidemia appears as the leading factor, while TOAST classification does not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: In our region, Lombardia, adherence to guidelines in statin prescription at Stroke Unit discharge is very different from international goals. The presence of dyslipidemia remains the main factor influencing statin prescription, while the presence of well-defined atherosclerotic etiopathogenesis of stroke does not enhance statin prescription. Some uncertainties about the risk/benefit of statin therapy in stroke etiology subtypes (cardioembolism, other or undetermined causes) may partially justify the underuse of statin in ischemic stroke. The differences that exist between current international guidelines may prevent a more widespread use of statin and should be clarified in a consensus.

Smartphone applications for nutrition Support: A systematic review of the target outcomes and main functionalities.

INTRODUCTION: A proper nutrition is essential for human life. Recently, special attention on this topic has been given in relation to three health statuses: obesity, malnutrition and specific diseases that can be related to food or treated with specific diets. Mobile technology is often used to assist users that wish to regulate their eating habits, and identifying which fields of application have been explored the most by the app developers and which main functionalities have been adopted can be useful in view of future app developments. METHODS: We selected 322 articles mentioning nutrition support apps through a literature database search, all of which have undergone an initial screening. After the exclusion of papers that were already reviews, not presenting apps or not focused on nutrition, not relevant or not developed for human subjects, 100 papers were selected for subsequent analyses that aimed at identifying the main treated conditions, outcome measures and functionalities implemented in the Apps. RESULTS: Of the selected studies, 33 focus on specific diseases, 24 on obesity, 2 on malnutrition and 41 on other targets (e.g., weight/diet control). Type 2 diabetes is the most targeted disease, followed by gestational diabetes, hypertension, colorectal cancer and CVDs which all were targeted by more than one app. Most Apps include self-monitoring and coaching functionalities, educational content and artificial intelligence (AI) tools are slightly less common, whereas counseling, gamification and questionnaires are the least implemented. Body weight and calories/nutrients were the most common general outcome measures, while glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was the most common clinical outcome. No statistically significant differences in the effectiveness of the different functionalities were found. CONCLUSION: The use of mobile technology to improve nutrition has been widely explored in the last years, especially for weight control and specific diseases like diabetes; however, other food-related conditions such as Irritable Bowel Diseases appear to be less targeted by newly developed smartphone apps and their related studies. All different kinds of functionalities appear to be equally effective, but further specific studies are needed to confirm the results.

The Case Manager: An Agent Controlling the Activation of Knowledge Sources in a FHIR-Based Distributed Reasoning Environment.

BACKGROUND: Within the CAPABLE project the authors developed a multi-agent system that relies on a distributed architecture. The system provides cancer patients with coaching advice and supports their clinicians with suitable decisions based on clinical guidelines. OBJECTIVES: As in many multi-agent systems we needed to coordinate the activities of all agents involved. Moreover, since the agents share a common blackboard where all patients' data are stored, we also needed to implement a mechanism for the prompt notification of each agent upon addition of new information potentially triggering its activation. METHODS: The communication needs have been investigated and modeled using the HL7-FHIR (Health Level 7-Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standard to ensure proper semantic interoperability among agents. Then a syntax rooted in the FHIR search framework has been defined for representing the conditions to be monitored on the system blackboard for activating each agent. RESULTS: The Case Manager (CM) has been implemented as a dedicated component playing the role of an orchestrator directing the behavior of all agents involved. Agents dynamically inform the CM about the conditions to be monitored on the blackboard, using the syntax we developed. The CM then notifies each agent whenever any condition of interest occurs. The functionalities of the CM and other actors have been validated using simulated scenarios mimicking the ones that will be faced during pilot studies and in production. CONCLUSION: The CM proved to be a key facilitator for properly achieving the required behavior of our multi-agent system. The proposed architecture may also be leveraged in many clinical contexts for integrating separate legacy services, turning them into a consistent telemedicine framework and enabling application reusability.

An eHealth App (CAPABLE) Providing Symptom Monitoring, Well-Being Interventions, and Educational Material for Patients With Melanoma Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Protocol for an Exploratory Intervention Trial.

BACKGROUND: Since treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is becoming standard therapy for patients with high-risk and advanced melanoma, an increasing number of patients experience treatment-related adverse events such as fatigue. Until now, studies have demonstrated the benefits of using eHealth tools to provide either symptom monitoring or interventions to reduce treatment-related symptoms such as fatigue. However, an eHealth tool that facilitates the combination of both symptom monitoring and symptom management in patients with melanoma treated with ICIs is still needed. OBJECTIVE: In this pilot study, we will explore the use of the CAPABLE (Cancer Patients Better Life Experience) app in providing symptom monitoring, education, and well-being interventions on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes such as fatigue and physical functioning, as well as patients' acceptance and usability of using CAPABLE. METHODS: This prospective, exploratory pilot study will examine changes in fatigue over time in 36 patients with stage III or IV melanoma during treatment with ICI using CAPABLE (a smartphone app and multisensory smartwatch). This cohort will be compared to a prospectively collected cohort of patients with melanoma treated with standard ICI therapy. CAPABLE will be used for a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6 months. The primary endpoint in this study is the change in fatigue between baseline and 3 and 6 months after the start of treatment. Secondary end points include HRQoL outcomes, usability, and feasibility parameters. RESULTS: Study inclusion started in April 2023 and is currently ongoing. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study will explore the effect, usability, and feasibility of CAPABLE in patients with melanoma during treatment with ICI. Adding the CAPABLE system to active treatment is hypothesized to decrease fatigue in patients with high-risk and advanced melanoma during treatment with ICIs compared to a control group receiving standard care. The Medical Ethics Committee NedMec (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) granted ethical approval for this study (reference number 22-981/NL81970.000.22). TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05827289; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05827289. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/49252.

The Case Manager: Driving Medical Reasoning in a Distributed Environment for Home Patient Monitoring.

The CAPABLE project has been funded by the EU Horizon 2020 Programme over the years 2020-24 to support home care. A system is being designed and implemented supporting remote monitoring and virtual coaching for cancer patients. The system is based on a distributed modular architecture involving many components encapsulating various knowledge. The Case Manager has been designed as a separate component with the aim of coordinating the problem solving strategies. A first version of the Case Manager has been released and used by the components in a prototypical scenario shown at the first project review.

A configurable home care platform for monitoring patients with reminder messaging and compliance tracking services.

This paper illustrates a platform based on a general architecture for implementing home care services for chronic patients composed of a Remote Care Unit located at a patient's home and a Health Care Center Unit located at the treating center. The Remote Care Unit may be deployed on multiple platforms including PCs, mobile phones and even embedded devices not equipped with monitor, and may be configured to support many interoperability issues occurring among the parties involved in a health care delivery process. The platform may be tailored to match the specific issues of any chronic disease supporting either data acquisition as well as customized reminders and notifications from the center. Remote Care Unit platforms are also able to exploit multiple channels for acquiring data, including wireless links with medical devices, speech interaction and graphical user interaction. In this paper a couple of applications addressing the needs of diabetic and nephropatic patients developed on top of that platform are also introduced.

Bringing spatiotemporal gait analysis into clinical practice: Instrument validation and pilot study of a commercial sensorized carpet.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: We illustrate a low-cost platform easing the estimation of spatio-temporal parameters (GA-STP) ready for large-scale deployment in fall prevention. METHODS: We used a commercial sensorized carpet with a limited cost and a very coarse resolution. An instrument validation test was accomplished: the Wilcoxon test for paired samples and the correlation test with Spearman method were used to compare the values computed by the platform with reference ones. Hierarchical clustering using Ward's method and ROC curves have been used to assess the performance in a pilot study enrolling patients. RESULTS: Validation shows no significant difference between computed and reference values of gait speed (ρ-value:0.99; p-value:2.2E-16), step number (ρ-value:0.91; p-value:5.8E-16) and stride-length (ρ-value:0.92; p-value:7.5E-9). The clinical pilot study confirms that the platform may also be used to track the improvements occurring during a rehabilitation program. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that the use of a commercial carpet makes the solution proposed ready to be deployed on a large scale for effectively bringing GA into the clinical practice.

A pilot study of a smartphone-based monitoring intervention on head and neck cancer patients undergoing concurrent chemo-radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Multidisciplinary treatment for head and neck carcinoma offers the best curative results but generates acute toxicities, which negatively affect both patients' quality of life and treatment compliance. Usually, the patient's clinical condition is recorded during scheduled, time-limited office visits and patients might forget to discuss symptoms occurred weeks before. They could also have difficulties contacting their clinicians outside of these limited encounters. Technology-based interventions for oncological patients have already been proved to encourage accurate symptoms report through regular inquiries of their clinical conditions. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this work is to present the results of a pilot study about the assessment of a novel mobile application for reporting clinical parameters, quality of life, and symptoms of home patients affected by head and neck carcinoma, during chemo-radiotherapy and the subsequent follow-up period. Results will inform app designers about the necessary modifications to face a full-scale trial. METHODS: Ten patients used the app for the foreseen period (up to 65 days, median 50.5), at the end of which they answered a paper questionnaire addressing user satisfaction with the app. The questionnaire included 8 questions and a free text comment field. Patients were followed by three clinicians, who also answered a similar paper questionnaire at the end of the pilot study. Questionnaires total score ranged 0-25 and a threshold of 16 was set in the study protocol to represent an overall positive outcome. However, to consider the individual constructs, questions about usability, perceived usefulness and user acceptance were also analyzed separately, and association among them was investigated. Finally, the feasibility of the intervention was analyzed in terms of the actual use of the app, i.e. dropout rates and compliance with the required data input. Statistics were only performed on patients' data, due to the small number of doctors involved in the study. RESULTS: The median of the total score per patient was 18.5 (interquartile range 11.2-20.5), and per doctor was 16 (range 11-20), thus showing a positive overall satisfaction with the app. Concerning patients, only 4 out of a total of 80 answers (10 patients × 8 questions) expressed a definite negative feeling. Perceived usefulness was a critical issue for some patients. It was positively correlated with usability, and both aspects were independent predictors of acceptance. Feasibility was demonstrated by the low percentage of dropouts (9%) and noncompliance with assignments (10%). A significant (p = 0.007) negative correlation between the severity of reported symptoms and the EuroQoL questionnaire scores was found, supporting the consistency of the entered data. Free comments were reported by 6 Patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study was meant to explore the context of outpatients' remote monitoring through the collection of patient-reported outcomes. The intervention for a proactive approach to symptoms monitoring in curatively treated head and neck cancer patients resulted feasible and acceptable by both patients and oncologists. The study revealed a criticality on the perceived usefulness, but, at the same time, the patients' comments suggested how to improve this aspect. Further actions will need to focus on measuring the impact of HeNeA on the process of care and on the health outcomes.

Permutation Entropy Applied to Fitbit Data: Long-Term Sleep Analysis on One Healthy Subject.

In this work we exploited an algorithm, already present in the literature, and based on the notion of signal permutation entropy, to analyze a very long time series of sleep data from a single subject. The aim of the work is to explore methods for personalizing alerts related to sleep anomalies, and recommendations for improving sleep quality. As a matter of fact, sleep duration and sleep quality may differently affect daily performance of different people, as well as daily activities may differently affect sleeping during the night. Data have been collected from a Fitbit Alta HR activity tracker worn by the subject for about three years. Results show that personalized inferences may be very different from the generic (population-based) ones, and that correlations found may suggest subject-specific life-style modifications useful to improve sleep quality.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring Linked to an Artificial Intelligence Risk Index: Early Footprints of Intraventricular Hemorrhage in Preterm Neonates.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a new risk score for intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in preterm neonates based on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). STUDY DESIGN: We retrospectively analyzed CGM traces obtained from 50 very preterm neonates, grouped into two sub-cohorts started on CGM within 12 and 48 h of birth, respectively. A CGM linked to an Artificial Intelligence Risk (CLAIR) index was developed to quantify glucose variability during the first 72 h of life in neonates with and without IVH. Brain-US was performed at least twice a day for the first 5 days of birth. An integrated remote monitoring platform was developed to capture major clinical events in real time and gather data for the risk index. The new score performance was further compared with other measures of glucose variability (coefficient of variation [CV] and standard deviation [SD]) and with a clinical risk index for babies II (CRIB-II) as a predictor of IVH event. The two cohorts were analyzed separately for internal validation of the method. RESULTS: The primary cohort consisted of 26 neonates (gestational age 30 [28, 31] weeks; BW1275 g[1090, 1750]). Controls (n = 23) exhibited higher CLAIR index than cases (P = 0.004). A cut-off of 0.69 for the new CLAIR index allowed a 100% sensitivity and an 83% specificity for IVH prediction. The CLAIR index was the sole significant predictor for IVH (P = 0.003) when compared with clinical variables, CV, SD, and CRIB-II. In a subgroup analysis in very low-birth-weight infants, the CLAIR index was the sole variable significantly associated with IVH (P = 0.009). Analysis on the secondary cohort (five cases and 16 controls) confirmed a higher CLAIR index in the controls (P = 0.008), in the absence of a difference for CV, SD, and CRIB-II between the two groups. CONCLUSION: CGM, combined with the AI-algorithm, provides a high-sensitivity index for risk detection of IVH that reflects the glycemic impairment preceding IVH.

An mHealth Application for Educating and Monitoring Patients Treated with a Ketogenic Diet Regimen.

Ketogenic Diet (KD) is a high-fat diet used to treat refractory epilepsy in patients, also including children. Because of the inherent differences with a balanced diet, patients starting KD face an abrupt switch of dietary habits. Moreover, KD is associated with several side effects that should be closely monitored. In this paper, we propose an mHealth application for training and empowering patients in managing KD. The application also acts as a bridge connecting patients with the health care staff for coaching and monitoring purposes.

An Environment for Guideline-based Decision Support Systems for Outpatients Monitoring.

OBJECTIVES: We propose an architecture for monitoring outpatients that relies on mobile technologies for acquiring data. The goal is to better control the onset of possible side effects between the scheduled visits at the clinic. METHODS: We analyze the architectural components required to ensure a high level of abstraction from data. Clinical practice guidelines were formalized with Alium, an authoring tool based on the PROforma language, using SNOMED-CT as a terminology standard. The Alium engine is accessible through a set of APIs that may be leveraged for implementing an application based on standard web technologies to be used by doctors at the clinic. Data sent by patients using mobile devices need to be complemented with those already available in the Electronic Health Record to generate personalized recommendations. Thus a middleware pursuing data abstraction is required. To comply with current standards, we adopted the HL7 Virtual Medical Record for Clinical Decision Support Logical Model, Release 2. RESULTS: The developed architecture for monitoring outpatients includes: (1) a guideline-based Decision Support System accessible through a web application that helps the doctors with prevention, diagnosis and treatment of therapy side effects; (2) an application for mobile devices, which allows patients to regularly send data to the clinic. In order to tailor the monitoring procedures to the specific patient, the Decision Support System also helps physicians with the configuration of the mobile application, suggesting the data to be collected and the associated collection frequency that may change over time, according to the individual patient's conditions. A proof of concept has been developed with a system for monitoring the side effects of chemo-radiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our environment introduces two main innovation elements with respect to similar works available in the literature. First, in order to meet the specific patients' needs, in our work the Decision Support System also helps the physicians in properly configuring the mobile application. Then the Decision Support System is also continuously fed by patient-reported outcomes.

Ambulance Protocols: A Mobile Solution.

The paper illustrates a pilot study involving nurses and paramedic staff to evaluate a mobile platform for rendering and distributing emergengy care protocols. Its specific features were developed to simplify the consultation and reduce the factors that negatively affect the adherence to standards. The study was planned to last one month and two questionnaires are administered to the participants: one at the starting phase, pre-intervention, and one at the end, post-intervention. Here we report the results and considerations coming from the first administration.

Day-and-Night Closed-Loop Glucose Control in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes Under Free-Living Conditions: Results of a Single-Arm 1-Month Experience Compared With a Previously Reported Feasibility Study of Evening and Night at Home.

OBJECTIVE: After testing of a wearable artificial pancreas (AP) during evening and night (E/N-AP) under free-living conditions in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), we investigated AP during day and night (D/N-AP) for 1 month. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty adult patients with T1D who completed a previous randomized crossover study comparing 2-month E/N-AP versus 2-month sensor augmented pump (SAP) volunteered for 1-month D/N-AP nonrandomized extension. AP was executed by a model predictive control algorithm run by a modified smartphone wirelessly connected to a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and insulin pump. CGM data were analyzed by intention-to-treat with percentage time-in-target (3.9-10 mmol/L) over 24 h as the primary end point. RESULTS: Time-in-target (mean ± SD, %) was similar over 24 h with D/N-AP versus E/N-AP: 64.7 ± 7.6 vs. 63.6 ± 9.9 (P = 0.79), and both were higher than with SAP: 59.7 ± 9.6 (P = 0.01 and P = 0.06, respectively). Time below 3.9 mmol/L was similarly and significantly reduced by D/N-AP and E/N-AP versus SAP (both P < 0.001). SD of blood glucose concentration (mmol/L) was lower with D/N-AP versus E/N-AP during whole daytime: 3.2 ± 0.6 vs. 3.4 ± 0.7 (P = 0.003), morning: 2.7 ± 0.5 vs. 3.1 ± 0.5 (P = 0.02), and afternoon: 3.3 ± 0.6 vs. 3.5 ± 0.8 (P = 0.07), and was lower with D/N-AP versus SAP over 24 h: 3.1 ± 0.5 vs. 3.3 ± 0.6 (P = 0.049). Insulin delivery (IU) over 24 h was higher with D/N-AP and SAP than with E/N-AP: 40.6 ± 15.5 and 42.3 ± 15.5 vs. 36.6 ± 11.6 (P = 0.03 and P = 0.0004, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: D/N-AP and E/N-AP both achieved better glucose control than SAP under free-living conditions. Although time in the different glycemic ranges was similar between D/N-AP and E/N-AP, D/N-AP further reduces glucose variability.

Evaluating the Experience of Children With Type 1 Diabetes and Their Parents Taking Part in an Artificial Pancreas Clinical Trial Over Multiple Days in a Diabetes Camp Setting.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the experiences of children with type 1 diabetes and their parents taking part in an artificial pancreas (AP) clinical trial during a 7-day summer camp. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A semistructured interview, composed of 14 questions based on the Technology Acceptance Model, was conducted at the end of the clinical trial. Participants also completed the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ, parent version) and the AP Acceptance Questionnaire. RESULTS: Thirty children, aged 5-9 years, and their parents completed the study. A content analysis of the interviews showed that parents were focused on understanding the mechanisms, risks, and benefits of the new device, whereas the children were focused on the novelty of the new system. The parents' main concerns about adopting the new system seemed related to the quality of glucose control. The mean scores of DTSQ subscales indicated general parents' satisfaction (44.24 ± 5.99, range 32-53) and trustful views of diabetes control provided by the new system (7.8 ± 2.2, range 3-12). The AP Acceptance Questionnaire revealed that most parents considered the AP easy to use (70.5%), intended to use it long term (94.0%), and felt that it was apt to improve glucose control (67.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Participants manifested a positive attitude toward the AP. Further studies are required to explore participants' perceptions early in the AP development to individualize the new treatment as much as possible, and to tailor it to respond to their needs and values.

Randomized Summer Camp Crossover Trial in 5- to 9-Year-Old Children: Outpatient Wearable Artificial Pancreas Is Feasible and Safe.

OBJECTIVE: The Pediatric Artificial Pancreas (PedArPan) project tested a children-specific version of the modular model predictive control (MMPC) algorithm in 5- to 9-year-old children during a camp. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 30 children, 5- to 9-years old, with type 1 diabetes completed an outpatient, open-label, randomized, crossover trial. Three days with an artificial pancreas (AP) were compared with three days of parent-managed sensor-augmented pump (SAP). RESULTS: Overnight time-in-hypoglycemia was reduced with the AP versus SAP, median (25(th)-75(th) percentiles): 0.0% (0.0-2.2) vs. 2.2% (0.0-12.3) (P = 0.002), without a significant change of time-in-target, mean: 56.0% (SD 22.5) vs. 59.7% (21.2) (P = 0.430), but with increased mean glucose 173 mg/dL (36) vs. 150 mg/dL (39) (P = 0.002). Overall, the AP granted a threefold reduction of time-in-hypoglycemia (P < 0.001) at the cost of decreased time-in-target, 56.8% (13.5) vs. 63.1% (11.0) (P = 0.022) and increased mean glucose 169 mg/dL (23) vs. 147 mg/dL (23) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This trial, the first outpatient single-hormone AP trial in a population of this age, shows feasibility and safety of MMPC in young children. Algorithm retuning will be performed to improve efficacy.

An environment for representing and using medical checklists on mobile devices.

Checklists have been recently introduced in the medical practice playing the role of summarized guidelines, streamlined for rapid consultations. However, there are still some barriers preventing their widespread diffusion. Those concern the representation, dissemination and update of their underlying knowledge, as well as the means currently adopted for their actual use, that is still mostly paper-based. In this paper we propose a new platform for the implementation and use of checklists. First, an editor supports domain experts in porting the checklist from the traditional paper-based format into an electronic one. Then, an application allows the distribution and usage of checklists on portable devices such as smartphones and tablets, exploiting their additional features in comparison with those made available by Personal Computers. The platform will be illustrated through some examples designed to support volunteers and paramedic staff in dealing with emergency situations.

A collaborative environment for shared classification of neuroimages: The experience of the Colibri project.

The Colibri project is introduced, whose aim is setting up a shared database of Magnetic Resonance images concerning pediatric patients affected by neurological rare disorders. The project involves 19 Italian centers of excellence in pediatric neuro-radiology and is supported by the nationwide coordinating center for the Information and Communication Technology research infrastructure. After the first year devoted to the design and the implementation, in November 2014 the system finally went into service at the centers involved in the project. This paper illustrates the initial assessment of the user perception and provides some preliminary statistics about its use.