Patient Data Management System — Periodic Model using GSM
In monitoring a patient's real-time vital signs through Body Area Networks (BAN), rich data sources are communicated to medical practitioners. It is essential that data is delivered in timely-context aware manner. In this paper a system is designed for patients with cardiac disorders, with an emphasis on the design of the sensing device and communication scheme chosen. Several existing wearable physiological devices (Patient Sensing Device — PSD) used in the Healthcare systems are bulky in design and are not flexible and comfortable for the elderly patients. Presented is a unique flexible, as well as detachable PSD for the comfort of patients. Also discussed is a model for transmission, storage and processing of patient related data, which ensures periodic logging of patient data without saturating communication networks. A proof of concept prototype has been developed and implemented to enable transmission of Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal and body temperature of a patient, which can be expanded to include other vital signs. Communication between a mobile smart-phone and the ECG and temperature acquisition apparatus is implemented Bluetooth. The presented Data Management System — Periodic Model (DMS — PM) is designed to manage wireless interface of sensor units with the patient database at a Medical Service Provider (MSP) through a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or a Smart phone making use of the existing GSM network.