Ibrahim Noorzaie Survey Paper on Medical Applications of wireless n 1 of 15 file F www cse574 06 ftp medical wireless index html With recent developments in the wireless networks field new and innovative medical applications based on this technology are being developed in the research as well as commercial sectors This trend has just started and we predict wireless networks are going to become an integral part of medical solutions due to its benefits in cutting down healthcare costs and increasing accessibility for patients as well as healthcare professionals In this survey paper we give some background on applications of wireless networks in the medical field and discuss the issues and challenges We have also tried to identify some of the standards in use Another contribution due to this paper is the identification of innovative medical applications of wireless networks developed or currently being developed in the research and business sectors In the end we also talk about the future trends in this field Keywords medical applications survey medical applications wireless networks sensor networks wireless applications wireless homecare smarthomes WBAN patient management CodeBlue wireless medical solutions Washington University in St Louis Back to Raj Jain s Home Page 1 Introduction 1 1 Why Wireless Networks for Medical Applications 1 2 Who Benefits 2 Challenges and Issues 3 Wireless Networks Technologies in Use 3 1 Wireless Technologies in Use Current and Past 4 Standards 5 Research Applications 5 1 Code Blue 5 2 MobiHealth 5 3 Wireless Physiological Sensors for Ambulatory and Implantable Applications 5 4 Project Connect 6 Industry Applications 6 1 LifeSync Wireless ECG System 6 2 Airborne TM Embedded Wireless Device Server Modules and Radios 6 3 ecgAnywhere 6 4 LifeSource Products 6 5 HealthTrax 7 Future Trends 7 1 Patient Homecare 7 2 Context Sensitive Medicine 11 27 2013 2 01 AM Ibrahim Noorzaie Survey Paper on Medical Applications of wireless n 2 of 15 file F www cse574 06 ftp medical wireless index html 7 3 iRevive Summary References List of Acronyms Date Last Modified 4 24 2006 Wireless networks technology has been consistently improving with time and increasingly finding its way into all aspects of our daily lives Medical applications is a field where technologies such as Wireless Networking have a promising future In the healthcare field access and cost saving are two of the hottest issues these days Wireless Technologies have something to contribute towards helping with both of these issues The healthcare system is continuously getting more complex around the world but especially in the United States Up to 98 000 patients die each year as a result of preventable medical errors Vawdrey03 These are errors that could have been avoided The sad story is that physicians and clinicians most of the time provide patient care without knowing history of prescriptions and medical procedures resulting both wasteful duplication and sketchy clinical decisions that do not take into account critical data related to patient health Wireless technology offers tools that can help with such situations These tools can help give caregivers real time access to accurate patient data clinical histories treatments medications tests lab results insurance information and etc With all this discussion of wireless applications healthcare providers such as hospitals insurance agencies and the government are becoming interested in investing in this area Cost saving is one of the main factors because medical medical errors by doctors brings in law suits Patient and hospital management can be very expensive too In this survey paper we will be talking about applications of wireless networks in the Medical field We will start out with some discussion on issues and challenges in the medical field Then we will talk about some of the wireless technologies currently in use Afterwards we will present example applications of wireless networks in the research and commercial sectors In the end we will talk about future trends and end with a summary 1 1 Why Wireless Networks for Medical Applications Due to advances in the wireless networks field new and innovative applications are being thought of in medical as well as healthcare field In the medical field applications ranging from equipment management to patient management are being developed Efficiency among hospital staff is increased by using some of these newly available applications and tools In the healthcare field issues such as long term patient care support for elderly people and smart homes are being discussed in the realm of wireless networks There is also research being done on creating teletrauma systems Chu04 using the wireless channel This will potentially allow trauma specialist to be virtually on patients bed sides while they are being moved to the trauma center In the near future homes can be designed that take care of patients or people with disabilities without the presence of a healthcare provider A patient who is located remotely can be cared for remotely by communicating his her status in realtime to caregivers Another issue that concerns the healthcare field is the 11 27 2013 2 01 AM Ibrahim Noorzaie Survey Paper on Medical Applications of wireless n 3 of 15 file F www cse574 06 ftp medical wireless index html very large number of expensive medical devices that are incompatible with each other Tedious routines are involved in translating results from one machine to another With Wireless Technology this compatibility issue can be reduced Another hot issue in the wireless networks field is implantable devices These devices can be implanted on normal day to day wearables Malan04 Wireless sensor implanted inside patient s body have their own significant benefits Timmons04 Scanlon03 Patients can wear sensors that monitor vital signs and report them in realtime to their doctor This helps towards the issue of access because now the patient doesn t need to be around the hospital all the time This improves access and quality of healthcare for patients and saves money for care providers 1 2 Who Benefits Whenever a new technology or tool is introduced to public use the first question is how will it help me or what can it do for me Here we discuss who benefits from applications of wireless networks in the healthcare field We hear in the news everyday that there is a shortage of specialized doctors or nurses around the country One of the benefits of
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