The Center for Multi Media Arts at the University of Memphis FedEx Institute of Technology in Tennessee is developing two IT initiatives that aim to help disabled children use the Internet and parents better understand clinical trial consent forms, Health Data Management reports.
The center is collaborating with staff at the Bloorview Kids Rehab Hospital in Ontario, Canada, to develop software that has a more accessible type of Web browser so severely disabled children can learn how to use the Internet.
The software application condenses standard Web commands, such as scrolling, linking or adjusting font to a series of buttons along the right and bottom sides of a Web page. The buttons illuminate in sequence and the children can select a button through hardware that uses Bluetooth technology to communicate the commands to a PDA connected to the computer, Health Data Management reports.
The center also is developing software for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., that uses animation to help parents gain a better understanding of concepts detailed in consent forms. Parents must sign such forms before their children can participate in clinical trials. The software application runs on a Windows Mobile-based PDA.
Both initiatives are in beta testing, Michael Schmidt, a professor and director of the center, said (Health Data Management, 7/5).