Our Procedures & Guidelines

USING THE EHEALTH HOUSE

USERS & ACTIVITIES

The eHealth House provides a simulated living environment where technology can be tested in a realistic but controlled setting. The eHealth House can be used for research, education, and developments in the field of health technology but is primarily focused on innovations in mobile and digital health technology.

The eHealth House facilities are free to use for students and employees that are part of the TechMed Centre or Personalized eHealth Technology programme. Users from other institutes within or outside the University of Twente that want to use the eHealth House facilities can contact the TechMed Simulation Centre to discuss possibilities for usage.

ACTIVITY REQUEST

To use the eHealth House facilities, you need to make a request first. For a selection of activities listed below, you can make a direct request. Larger activities need to be requested via the approval procedure:

If you are not sure whether you can make a direct reservation or need to make a request via the approval procedure, please contact the reception of the TechMed Simulation Centre.

APPROVAL PROCEDURE

Activities that require approval can be requested via the application form. The eHealth House coordinator will then evaluate the application within one week. The eHealth House coordinator checks whether your activities can be facilitated/supported and whether these activities are within the scope of the eHealth House. Possible outcomes of the evaluation:

·         Disapproval: The proposal is rejected (i.e. if facilities are not available)

·         Referred: The proposal will be referred to the eHealth House steering committee for approval (i.e. long-term projects, external activities). Response time: 3 weeks

·         On hold: The proposal needs adaptation or further discussion

·         Approval: The proposal is accepted

After approval of your procedure, you can reserve the eHealth House facilities via the reception of the TechMed Simulation Centre. 

RESERVATIONS OF LAB SPACE AND EQUIPMENT

The eHealth House lab space or meeting room can be reserved via the reception of the Techmed simulation Centre after your activity request has been approved. Equipment can also be reserved via the reception of the TechMed Simulation Centre. 

Note: as the eHealth House is a shared facility where we want to support as many people as possible, it is possible that the facilities are not available for some time. We ask for your understanding and flexibility. In case conflicting activities are expected, the steering committee of the eHealth House will prioritize activities.

ACCESS TO LAB AND EQUIPMENT

Access to the eHealth House lab or meeting room can be obtained via the Techmed Simulation reception. Student assistants can open the door of the rooms, or lend an electronic key to users. 

Equipment that is not part of the basic inventory of the eHealth House can also be picked up and returned at the TechMed Simulation reception. 

USER SUPPORT

Student assistants of the Techmed Simulation reception can provide general information about the eHealth House and its facilities and can refer users for further support if needed.  

House rules

• You can only use the eHealth House facilities for activities that have been approved.
• You will reserve the eHealth House facilities before usage via the TechMed Simulation Centre.
• You will use the facilities and equipment of eHealth House as instructed. Manuals of equipment and use of the lab spaces are available within the eHealth House or at the TechMed Simulation Centre reception.  
• You will make sure safety is ensured under all circumstances
• You will report any damage, missing equipment, or misuse as soon as possible to the TechMed Simulation Centre reception.
• You will clean the lab spaces after usage, and leave equipment in the original state:  
• Make sure the furniture is placed in the original position
• Refresh any bedsheets if you used the bed
• Bring laundry to TechMed Simulation Centre reception
• Empty trash cans if full
• Make sure the dishes are washed and the dishwasher is empty
• Remove any food you brought to the eHealth House
• Shut down all equipment and systems at the end of the day
• Charge any electronic equipment
• Make sure all equipment is returned in a complete state
• Clean the lab spaces, furniture, or equipment if dirty. Cleaning materials are available in the eHealth House kitchen or can be asked at the TechMed Simulation Centre reception.
• If you are using the eHealth House for a longer period and want to leave any set-up, make this clear to other users by leaving a note in the eHealth House and by reporting this to TechMed Simulation Centre reception.
• Use the ‘do-not-disturb’ sign to notify other people that they cannot enter during an experiment.  
• You need approval to use equipment of the eHealth House in other locations than the eHealth House, which can be requested at the TechMed Simulation Centre reception.
• You will not give access to the eHealth House to third people. If others want to use the lab facility during/after your stay in the eHealth House, they can contact the TechMed Simulation Centre reception.
• You will need ethical approval for studies that include human subjects
• You will adhere to the data management guidelines stated by the University of Twente
• You are responsible for the correct collection, processing, and storage of data. This also includes anonymizing your data.
• You will remove any data related to your research from the local equipment or computers of the eHealth House directly after collection. We will remove all data stored on the equipment periodically.  
• You are not allowed to perform activities in the eHealth House outside opening hours (8:30-17:30).

Human studies

The eHealth House can be used for experiments with human subjects, as long as the following criteria are met:

• Ethical approval has been obtained
• The experimental set-up is safe to use
• The activity has been requested and approved via the official route (see: activity request)
• Subjects should give consent to participate in any research activities
• Subjects should approve collection and publication of any personal data  

More information and support.

Data management

The eHealth House has systems available that can be used to collect and store data. We are currently working on a data management structure to support the collection of data using systems of the eHealth House.

If you are using the eHealth House, be aware that you are responsible for the correct collection, processing, and storage of data according to guidelines stated by the University of Twente and Dutch laws.

For more information go to the website about research data management. 

We will remove data periodically from all equipment in the eHealth House, so make sure you will export and delete any data related to your research directly after collection.