Mobihealth: Mobile Services for Health Professionals (original) (raw)
Related papers
BAN-Based m-health Services: Experiences and Prospects
2005
The University of Twente and partners are developing and prototyping Body Area networks (BANs) for healthcare. We define a BAN as a network of devices worn on or around the body which communicate amongst themselves and perform a set of services for the user. Our work began with the European MobiHealth project whose objective was to investigate the potential of 2.5 and 3G wireless communication technologies to support useful services and applications. In this article we discuss the main aims and results of the MobiHealth project. On the basis of these results we further discuss a particular methodology which we believe gives leverage on the problem of managing the complex of objectives and expectations of the different parties involved in the process of design, development and implementation of ICT systems for healthcare. This methodology aims at articulation and translation of the visions and expectations of both designers and prospective users in future development scenarios. These...
The subject of this research proposal is the design and development of novel applications and services targeting 4G wireless technologies. In previous papers [1, 2] we presented a vision of two future healthcare applications which we call Virtual Trauma Team and Virtual Homecare Team. These are two instances of the wider concept of Virtual Health Care Teams. These applications are based on emerging and future wireless communication technologies. The technical research required to realise the vision of Virtual Health Care Teams (VHCTs) involves a number of areas including wireless transmission systems supporting broadband access, vehicle-based (fast roaming) networks (VANs), Body Area Networks (BANs), Personal Area Networks (PANs) and ambient intelligent environments, with ad hoc networking enabling communication between (roaming) professionals, clients and patients. In our vision of future delivery of healthcare by VHCTs we anticipate ubiquitous use of BANs by citizens in general and by health professionals, other carers and patients. This current research proposal focuses on applications relating to the BAN elements of the VHCT vision. This vision of the future also anticipates advances in other technologicies, including the development of new non-intrusive, non-invasive physiological measurement techniques, nanothechnology (miniaturisiation of medical equipment and sensors), also new security mechanisms for wireless communications, dynamic quality of service management strategies, biometric and other advanced techniques for identification and authentication, development of new generation short range, low power devices, and other technologies needed to realise the vision of (mobile) ambient intelligence. The focus for us however is on how to develop applications and services based on these new technologies which meet the needs of the citizens whilst protecting their rights to security and privacy. The clinical motivation for Virtual Trauma Team is to increase survival rates in trauma care during the vital first hour where correct intervention can greatly improve health outcomes. The motivation for Virtual Homecare Team is to improve quality of life and independence for patients by supporting care at home. The economic motivation is to replace expensive hospital-based care with homecare using ambient intelligent environments and patient BANs to support the patient and the carers. In this research proposal we focus in particular on the concept of the body area network and propose a research agenda targetting the design of a generic BAN and specific instances of BAN applications, namely paramedic and patient BANs.
MobiHealth 1 : Mobile Healthcare
The use of health BANs together with advanced wireless communications (GPRS/UMTS) enables remote management of chronic conditions and detection of health emergencies whilst maximizing patient mobility. During the MobiHealth project a generic Body Area Network for health monitoring was developed. Biosignals are measured by the BAN and transmitted to a remote healthcare location. The MobiHealth trials focus on home care, trauma care and ambulatory monitoring. In addition to serving patients, remote monitoring can also benefit non-patients going about their daily life activities.
MobiHealth: Ambulant Patient Monitoring Over Public Wireless Networks
Journal of Turbulence, 2004
The use of health BANs together with advanced wireless communications enables remote management of chronic conditions and detection of health emergencies whilst maximising patient mobility. MobiHealth 1,2 has developed a generic Body Area Network (BAN) for healthcare and an mhealth service platform. Biosignals measured by sensors connected to the BAN are transmitted to the remote healthcare location over public wireless networks (GPRS/UMTS). The project results include an architecture for, and a prototype of, a generic service platform for provision of ubiquitous healthcare services based on Body Area Networks. The MobiHealth BAN and service platform haver been trialled in four European countries with a variety of patient groups. The MobiHealth System can support not only sensors, but potentially any body worn device, hence the system has potentially very many applications in healthcare which allow healthcare services to delivered in the community. functional layers of the architecture. The M-health service platform consists of sensor and actuator services, intra-BAN and extra-BAN communication providers and an M-health service layer. The intra-BAN and extra-BAN communication providers represent the communication services offered by intra-BAN communication networks (e.g. Bluetooth) and extra-BAN communication networks (e.g. UMTS), respectively. The M-health service layer integrates and adds value to the intra-BAN and extra-BAN communication providers. The M-health service layer masks applications from specific characteristics of the underlying communication providers, such as the inverted consumer-producer roles.
2011
Body Area Network (BAN) technology emerged in recent years as a subcategory of Wireless Sensor Network technology targeted at monitoring physiological and ambient conditions surrounding human beings and animals. However, BAN technology also introduces a number of challenges seldom seen before due to the scarcity of hardware and radio communications resources under which they operate. In this chapter, we review the foundations of BANs along with the most relevant aspects relating to their design and deployment. We introduce current, state-of-the-art applications of BAN, as well as the most challenging aspects concerning to their adoption and gradual deployment. We also discuss issues pertaining to sensor node communications, tradeoffs, and interfacing with external infrastructure, in addition to important aspects relating to wearable sensor technology, enabling software and hardware, as well as future trends and open research issues in BANs.
Mobile Patient Monitoring: The Mobihealth System
2004
The forthcoming wide availability of high bandwidth public wireless networks will give rise to new mobile health care services. Towards this direction the MobiHealth 1 project has developed and trialed a highly customisable vital signals' monitoring system based on a Body Area Network (BAN) and an mhealth service platform utilizing next generation public wireless networks. The developed system allows the incorporation of diverse medical sensors via wireless connections, and the live transmission of the measured vital signals over public wireless networks to healthcare providers. Nine trials with different health care cases and patient groups in four different European countries have been conducted to test and verify the system, the service and the network infrastructure for its suitability and the restrictions it imposes to mobile health care applications. Sensors Actuators MBU Extra BAN communication Intra BAN communication BAN boundary service platform consists of sensor and actuator services, intra-BAN and extra-BAN communication providers and an M-health service layer. The intra-BAN and extra-BAN communication providers represent the communication services offered by intra-BAN communication networks (e.g. Bluetooth) and extra-BAN communication networks (e.g. UMTS), respectively. The M-health service layer integrates and adds value to the intra-BAN and extra-BAN communication providers. The M-health service layer masks applications from specific characteristics of the underlying communication providers, such as the inverted consumer-producer roles. Sensor / Actuator Services Intra BAN communication provider Extra BAN communication provider