Ear and Hearing health supported by eHealth solutions - eHEar

Purpose and goal:

The purpose of this project was to develop a mobile application for the assessment of ear-related problems (e.g., ear information). In the project, we have taken a first step towards developing and evaluating a solution that is intended to primarily function as a support for clinical staff in primary care. The solution is based on an artificial network that makes a prediction based on medical information (e.g., anamnesis, otoscopic images) collected at the patient´s care visit.

Expected results and effects:

The project results are promising based on the evaluation made of different types of neural networks for the assessment of ear-related problems. The results show that the tested neural networks have an accuracy higher than 80%.

The project expects in the short term to improve the diagnosis of ear-related problems because it is currently difficult for the doctor to make a correct diagnosis. In the longer term, a reduced prescription of antibiotics for suspected otitis is expected, which is desirable to reduce the risk of the formation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Approach and implementation:

n the project, we have used an agile project methodology and worked in an interdisciplinary manner by having different competencies active within the project. Analysis of the project´s implementation has been carried out, on an ongoing basis, at the end of each stage in the project. At these end of stage meetings, analysis of what went well and bad during the stage was noted and then included as input to the subsequent stage. This analysis is important when working with continuous quality improvement within a project.