An architecture for message exchange in pervasive healthcare based on the use of intelligent agents

Aims: This paper proposes an architecture for the exchange of context-aware messages in Pervasive Healthcare environments. Materials and methods: In Pervasive Healthcare, novel information and communication technologies are applied to support the provision of health services anywhere, at anytime, and to anyone. Ubiquitous Computing technologies allow efficient and safe information exchange amongst caregivers and their patients in communities, homes and hospitals. Since health systems may offer their health records in various electronic formats, the openEHR foundation has proposed a dual model to achieve semantic interoperability between such systems. Intelligent Agents is a technology that has been applied to simulate human skills in healthcare procedures. This architecture is based on technologies from Ubiquitous Computing and Intelligent Agents, and complies with the openEHR dual model. Results: This architecture was demonstrated and evaluated in a controlled experiment that we conducted in the cardiology department of a hospital located in the city of Marília (São Paulo, Brazil). Conclusion: An application was developed to evaluate this architecture, and the results showed that the architecture is suitable for facilitating the development of healthcare systems by offering generic resources and powerful solution to integrate these systems.