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TECHNOLOGY
MEDICAL
The Electronic
Haider Karomi
A quick and precise diagnosis of a serious medical condition is vital — if a doctor can perform
this remotely it saves both time and money. The Star Trek gadget may not yet be
reality but remote patient monitoring is and brings with it some fears of data protection.
Doctor
User
HealthCare
Central
Monitor Centre
Ambulance
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Telemedicine diagram (Source: Paxiva Service / Personal HealthCare Telemedicine)
It was back in the late 1940s when NASA were planning
to put an astronaut into orbit that they began to experiment
with primates and developed the first system for
remotely monitoring vital signs during launch and re-entry
into the atmosphere (but rarely, alas, after impact). The
term ‘Telemedicine’ was coined to describe these early
monitoring systems which were further refined and went
on to provide telemetry data when astronauts finally ventured
into space and later from the moon.
Now, half a century later the installation of wide bandwidth
telecommunications channels in the home and
availability of convenient, precision sensors makes it possible
for doctors to monitor the health of their patients
over great distances. A decision on the patient’s course
of treatment can be made by experts almost instantaneously;
specialist doctors are able to determine if anomalies
in ECG (Electro Cardiogram) readings taken at
home indicate that a patient requires emergency treatment
or just a change in their medication.
Telemedicine offers the possibility of not just diagnosis but
also remote therapy and consultation between doctors.
‘TeleHome care’ is one branch of telemedicine and uses
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elektor electronics - 10/2006