A User-centered Smartphone Application for Wireless EEG and its Role in Epilepsy

Abstract

Electroencephalography is well-known for its importance in the diagnosis and treatment of mental and neurological disorders and abnormalities, being especially noted in critically ill patients who suffer a variety of cerebral injuries and altered states of consciousness. However, there is an important lack of adapted equipment and applications designed to suit the clinical and research needs. Hence, patients, physicians and researchers suffer, in most cases, from a restricted mobility due to non-portable devices and wires which keep them attached to the bed, leading to an uncomfortable patient experience or difficulties during the recording. In addition, nowadays, both physicians and researchers need to access the recordings and patient information from different places such as different units or hospitals. To solve this problem, this paper presents the design and evaluation of the high-fidelity prototype of a wireless EEG smartphone application based on a user-centred design, including expert panel guidance, paper and high-fidelity prototyping and usability testing, which confirm the accuracy of the defined context of use and the validity of the prototyped application to suit the clinical and research needs. In fact, since the EEG is the most efficient and specific way to define the epileptogenic cortex, we will focus on the possible use of the presented App in epilepsy diagnosis, which is one of the main targets in the field.