Taking Care of Mobile Patients

Roland Piquepaille writes "After a patient has been hospitalized for a surgical intervention, he usually wants to return to his normal life. But doctors would like to monitor him to be sure that the operation was successful. How can they manage this without being too intrusive? In "Health Care Monitoring of Mobile Patients," Italian researchers offer a three-layer networking solution. First, a body area sensor network would continuously record your cardiac activity or your body temperature. A second level would involve a home sensor network, including for example a PC wirelessly receiving this information. Finally, this home network would be able to alert an hospital network if needed. Right now, this whole idea is at the proof-of-concept level, but it really looks promising."

Comments

Re:Similar to astronaut montioring

[ColdWetDog]

Err, umm. Aside from highly trained persons in a research environment, this appears to be a technology looking for a problem. I am a doctor and I cannot find much of a use for wiring up patients to cardiorespiratory monitors at home. We do this in the hospital because we're worried that they might do something bad sometime soon. If they're stable enough to be sent home, they're stable enough to have thier vital signs monitored by 1) the patient (weight and temperature are rather easy and low tech 2) a nurse (trained in doing vital signs, and much more importantly, a global assesement of the patient that hardware has yet to even try or 3) the extraordinarily complex technologic solution of the telephone ("Hi Mr. Smith, how do you feel today?"). If I'm so worried that the patient's heart will flat line, I'm not sending them home..... This is just another one of Roland's silly bits of "reporting". About half of the Slashdot readership should be able to cobble this up on a weekend (proof of concept indeed...). You could even use Linux. And stop worrying about all of the germs. Yes, they are out there, no they aren't jumping out of the walls to eat you. Where did you get those numbers from? Roland? Fox? The Germ Fairy? They make absolutely no sense. Just try to stay out of the ICU and you'll be fine. Put down that cigarette and for god's sake, quit sitting on your butt and reading Slashot. Go outside and play. Shoo! Shoo!