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WhitepaperInternational Journal of Serious Games30 Jun 2017

A Proposed Framework for the Collection of Health-Related Data from Serious Games and Apps

Key insights

6 slides

The problem

Serious Games for Health data is not integrated into clinical records.

Proprietary, non-standardized data from Serious Games for Health (SGFH) cannot be integrated into clinical workflows or Electronic Health Records (EHRs). This creates significant barriers for physician adoption and patient treatment monitoring.

Key barrier. The lack of standardized data collection is a primary barrier to clinical adoption of serious games for health.

The solution

A proposed framework aims to bridge the gap between game data and clinical systems.

The framework uses standardized interfaces like HL7 FHIR to ensure health data is semantically rich and interoperable with Hospital Information Systems (HIS). This facilitates seamless integration of patient-generated health information.

Think of it like a universal translator for game data, making it understandable to medical systems.

Bridging the gap. The framework introduces a universal data model and a dedicated software development kit to bridge the gap between proprietary game metrics and professional medical workflows.

Key component

A Decision Support System generates actionable health recommendations.

A central component of the framework is a Decision Support System (DSS) that processes both game-proprietary metrics and medical data. This system generates actionable health recommendations for patients and clinicians.

Actionable insights. The dual-engine decision support system translates raw gameplay scores into actionable clinical insights.

Developer support

A Software Development Kit will lower the barrier for game developers.

The project plans to develop a Software Development Kit (SDK) to lower the barrier to entry for game developers. This allows them to output standardized medical data without requiring deep expertise in clinical data integration.

Ease of use. The SDK is designed to bridge the gap between proprietary game metrics and professional medical workflows.

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Summary

Serious games for health represent a significant opportunity to improve patient outcomes, yet the lack of standardized data collection remains a primary barrier to their clinical adoption. A proposed framework addresses this fragmentation by introducing a universal data model and a dedicated software development kit designed to bridge the gap between proprietary game metrics and professional medical workflows. By facilitating the seamless integration of patient-generated health information into electronic health records, this system enables physicians to monitor progress and compliance with greater precision.

The architecture relies on a centralized web service and a dual-engine decision support system that translates raw gameplay scores into actionable clinical insights. This approach is informed by the successful implementation of the INTERACCT project, which utilized game-based reporting tools to enhance remote communication and patient adherence within pediatric oncology. By standardizing how disparate game metrics are interpreted, the framework transforms subjective engagement data into objective, evidence-based health indicators suitable for professional medical environments.

While the initiative faces ongoing challenges regarding industry-wide data standardization and the necessity of broad developer engagement, it establishes a foundational path for the future of digital therapeutics. The current scope focuses on creating a scalable infrastructure that supports both health monitoring and clinical decision-making. Future efforts will prioritize the validation of the proposed data model and the refinement of the decision support components to ensure they meet the rigorous requirements of modern healthcare systems. This framework ultimately seeks to elevate serious games from isolated digital tools to integrated, essential components of the clinical diagnostic and treatment process.

A Proposed Framework for the Collection of Health-Related Data from Serious Games and Apps

A Proposed Framework for the Collection of Health-Related Data from Serious Games and Apps

Key insights

Serious Games for Health data is not integrated into clinical records.

A proposed framework aims to bridge the gap between game data and clinical systems.

A Decision Support System generates actionable health recommendations.

A Software Development Kit will lower the barrier for game developers.

The data model categorizes information into two distinct streams.

The INTERACCT project demonstrates the framework's potential.

Summary

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