An Interconnected Smart Technology System for Individuals with Mental Illness Living in the Community and Transitional Hospital Apartments

Abstract

The overall objective of this research was to develop and test the use of smart technology in delivering safe, effective mental health services before expanding into community homes. A system was created that linked multiple screen devices such as smartphones and tablets and health monitoring devices with a central secure database for data to be funneled and stored for monitoring and tracking. In order to assess the feasibility of this technological innovation, the research team installed equipment in two prototype apartments at two inpatient psychiatric hospitals and in up to eight community homes operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association and London Middlesex Community Housing. The results indicate that most participants found the technology acceptable, and that the system was successfully able to export data securely.

Developing a Smart Home Technology Innovation for People With Physical and Mental Health Problems: Considerations and Recommendations

“…To be most impactful, components of the intervention should be client tailored and thus, developed and integrated under a framework of validated health behavior theories [ 44 ]. In the Lawson Health Smart Home study [ 17 ], participants were able to add/remove equipment as and when was needed, or due to personal preference. For example, one participant originally declined the medication dispenser but then later requested it to assist with medication adherence.…”

“…A major aspect of building a smart technology innovation is for the individual pieces of equipment to be able to communicate with one another, or that they are all compatible with 1 central data center. See Figure 2 for an example of the smart home system from the Lawson Health study [ 17 ]. With multiple operating systems currently available (eg, Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, Raspberry), it is crucial that the technologies are capable of interacting with one another and able to transmit data seamlessly without any drop in performance.…”

“… System architecture for the Lawson Smart Homes Innovation [ 17 ]. CHR: collaborative health record; LIDB: Lawson Integrated Database; Qnaires: Questionnaires from CHR; SSH: secure shell.…”

“…Reflecting on our own experience in this area [ 17 ], we have identified 4 key steps for developing a successful smart home–based intervention for supporting mental and physical health and health care that are outlined in Figure 1 : (1) set up the digital infrastructure; (2) ensure components of the system can communicate; (3) ensure that the system is designed for the intended population; and (4) engage stakeholders. These 4 key steps are embedded within the overarching principle of data security and privacy.…”

Smart Technology in the Home for People Living in the Community with Mental Illness and Physical Comorbidities

“…This study consisted of two interactive platforms, the Lawson Integrated Database (LIDB) and the Collaborative Health Record (CHR). The LIDB is an information management platform that collates and manages health data and is protected behind the St.Joseph's Health Care hospital firewall [11]. It is a web-based application that can be accessed by health care professionals and research staff via secure log-in.…”