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Background and Objective. Kinect-based rehabilitation is an effective solution for creating motivation and promoting adherence to rehabilitation programs in stroke patients. The current study was aimed at examining the effects of Kinect-based rehabilitation systems on performance improvement, domains of use, and its limitations for stroke patients. Method. This study was conducted according to Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. To investigate the evidence on the effects of Kinect-based rehabilitation, a search was executed in five databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and IEEE) from 2010 to 2020. Results. Thirty-three articles were finally selected by the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies had been conducted in the US (22%). In terms of the application of Kinect-based rehabilitation for stroke patients, most studies had focused on the rehabilitation of upper extremities (55%), followed by balance (27%). The majority of the studies had developed customized rehabilitation programs (36%) for the rehabilitation of stroke patients. Most of these studies had noted that the simultaneous use of Kinect-based rehabilitation and other physiotherapy methods has a more noticeable effect on performance improvement in patients. Conclusion. The simultaneous application of Kinect-based rehabilitation and other physiotherapy methods has a stronger effect on the performance improvement of stroke patients. Better effects can be achieved by designing Kinect-based rehabilitation programs tailored to the characteristics and abilities of stroke patients.

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Stroke is one of the main causes of disability and mortality worldwide. Most survivors experience impairments in their upper limb motor function. Methods: This experimental study was performed as a clinical trial on 30 chronic stroke patients who experienced stroke from 6 to 96 months ago. Patients were non-randomly divided into the intervention (Virtual Reality besides conventional occupational therapy) and control (conventional occupational therapy) groups. Each treatment session lasted for one hour which was divided into conducting conventional occupational therapy techniques and Virtual Reality (VR) for the intervention group, and routine techniques for the control group. The intervention effectiveness was evaluated by the Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity Scale, Stroke Impact Scale, Chedoke Arm and Hand Activity Inventory, Motricity Index, Modified Ashworth Scale and goniometer. Results were analyzed by SPSS and one-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Shapiro-Wilk test, Independent Samples t-test and Mann Whitney U test were applied to assess the normality of data and to detect significant differences between study variables. Results: The results suggested that investigated parameters such as upper limb motor function, muscle tone and the range of motion were significantly different in the intervention group, compared to control group; however, there was no significant changes in none of the group's daily living activities. Discussion: VR-based computer games in combination with routine occupational therapy interventions could improve upper extremities functional impairments in chronic stroke patients. However, it seems the mechanisms behind the effectiveness of video games and their impact on brain cortex as well as upper limbs function need to be further investigated.

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Internet of Things (IoT), known as a new paradigm, has shown to have a significant role in healthcare domains including remote vital sign monitoring systems, physical activity tracking, early disease diagnosis, and prevention of disease risks. Therefore, designing an integrated healthcare system based on Internet of Things is highly dependent on designing a layered architecture pattern. However, there are no comprehensive studies on Internet of Things layered architecture in the healthcare industry. The purpose of this study was to identify and scrutinize different types of layered architecture of Internet of Things in healthcare in terms of functions, and technologies. We evaluated studies proposing layered architecture of Internet of Things based on security aspects (security requirements and solutions). A systematic literature review was conducted by searching IEEE, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science between 2005 and. We were able to find 47 academic studies based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. We systematically reviewed applied functions and technologies and categorized them into three main layers namely, the perception, network, and application layers. This study also presented a comprehensive classification of sensor types. Only 28 out of 47 studies proposing Internet of Things architecture addressed security aspects among which privacy, authentication, and access control, confidentiality, and integrity had the highest rank. The layered architecture of Internet of Things is needed to provide an integrated framework for healthcare system, make better communication, and enhance the information management process. We suggest several potential solutions for future research directions according to technical, management, and security challenges Povzetek: Podan je pregled literatura za zdravstvene sisteme, ki uporabljajo večnivojske arhitekture interneta stvari.

Background Public health dashboards facilitate the monitoring and prediction of disease outbreaks by continuously monitoring the health status of the community. This study aimed to identify design principles and determinants for developing public health surveillance dashboards. Methodology This scoping review is based on Arksey and O'Malley's framework as included in JBI guidance. Four databases were used to review and present the proposed principles of designing public health dashboards: IEEE, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. We considered articles published between 2010 and 2022. The final search of articles was done on November 30, 2022. Only articles in English language were included. Qualitative synthesis and trend analysis was conducted. Results Findings from sixty-seven articles out of 543 retrieved articles which were eligible for analysis, indicate that most of the dashboards designed from 2020 onwards were at the national level for managing and monitoring COVID-19. Design principles for the public health dashboard were presented in five groups, i.e., considering aim and target users, appropriate content, interface, data analysis and presentation types, and infrastructure. Conclusion Effective and efficient use of dashboards in public health surveillance requires putting the design principles into practice to improve the functionality of these systems in monitoring and decision making. Taking requirements of users into account, developing a robust infrastructure for improving data accessibility, developing and applying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for data processing and reporting purposes, and designing interactive and intuitive interfaces are key for successful design and development.