Wireless Technologies for Healthcare Applications

Abstract

Wireless and mobile technologies are widely accepted, influencing many aspects of our daily life (Agrawal and Zeng, 2003; Bing 2000). Wireless systems are designed to provide “anytime, anywhere” service, enabling data entry and data access by medical personnel at the point of care, direct data acquisition from medical devices, patient and device identification, and remote patient management. Wireless technologies will spawn new applications and industries to address healthcare issues in the coming years. Wireless monitoring and communication allows patient mobility and efficient response in emergency situations. It is expected that wireless monitors will be commonly used in hospitals and for home monitoring in the next few years; it is estimated that at least 20% of practicing physicians in the US will use a wireless device other than cell phones and pagers for clinical purposes by the end of 2004 (Health Technology Center, 2003). Basic wireless technologies are now a commodity, widely available in pagers, cordless phones, cell phones, wireless computer networks, ham radio, etc. Increased support for data communications in the third-generation wireless systems outlines a current trend that will facilitate a whole range of new applications and systems. Wireless communication technologies represent one of the most critical factors for the acceptance of mobile personal monitoring in telemedical systems. We present a survey of existing and future wireless technologies and standards suitable for data transmission in mobile healthcare applications (Agrawal and Zeng, 2003). There are important issues to be considered when designing a wireless system, including range, bandwidth, power consumption, personal health risks, FCC regulation, interference, security, and applicability to different health applications. Case studies of wireless healthcare applications and in-depth coverage of security, issues are provided in later chapters of this book.