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Design considerations of a semantic metadata repository in home-based healthcare
Author(s)
Van der Watt, Cecil Clifford
Date Issued
2011
Type
Thesis
Publisher
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Abstract
The research was conducted as part of a socio-tech initiative undertaken at the Cape
Peninsula University of Technology. The socio-tech initiative overall focus was on
addressing issues faced by rural and under-resourced communities in South Africa,
specifically looking at Home-Based Healthcare (HBHC) primarily in the Western Cape.
As research into the HBHC context in rural and under-resourced communities
continued numerous issues around data and data-elements came to light. These data
issues were especially prevalent in relation to the various paper forms being used by
the HBHC initiatives that attempt to deliver care in these communities. The
communities have the tendency to suffer from poor access to formal healthcare
services and healthcare facilities. The data issues were primarily in terms of how data was defines and used within the
HBHC initiatives. Within the HBHC initiatives that cater for rural and under-resourced
communities there was a clear prevalence of paper-based systems, and a very low
penetration of IT-based solution. Because similar and related data-elements are used
throughout the paper forms and within different context these data-elements are
inconsistently used and presented. The paper forms further obfuscate these
inconsistencies as the paper forms regularly change due to internal and external
factors. When these paper forms are changed date elements are added or removed
without the changes to the underlying ontologies being considered.
Peninsula University of Technology. The socio-tech initiative overall focus was on
addressing issues faced by rural and under-resourced communities in South Africa,
specifically looking at Home-Based Healthcare (HBHC) primarily in the Western Cape.
As research into the HBHC context in rural and under-resourced communities
continued numerous issues around data and data-elements came to light. These data
issues were especially prevalent in relation to the various paper forms being used by
the HBHC initiatives that attempt to deliver care in these communities. The
communities have the tendency to suffer from poor access to formal healthcare
services and healthcare facilities. The data issues were primarily in terms of how data was defines and used within the
HBHC initiatives. Within the HBHC initiatives that cater for rural and under-resourced
communities there was a clear prevalence of paper-based systems, and a very low
penetration of IT-based solution. Because similar and related data-elements are used
throughout the paper forms and within different context these data-elements are
inconsistently used and presented. The paper forms further obfuscate these
inconsistencies as the paper forms regularly change due to internal and external
factors. When these paper forms are changed date elements are added or removed
without the changes to the underlying ontologies being considered.
Additional information
Thesis (MTech (Information Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011.
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