Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
INTRODUCTION
Telemedicine system which provides a simple
and easy but very effective integrated manage-
ment system for the patient, general practitioner
and pharmacist.
Telemedicine is a relatively new and fast grow-
ing trend in the world of technology that uses
telecommunication as a tool in the practice of
medicine. It can be defined as the use of advanced
telecommunication technologies to exchange
health information and provide health care services
across geographic, time, social, and cultural barri-
ers (Choi, Krause, Seo, Capitan, & Chung, 2006).
Recently, Telemedicine is being used by doctors,
hospitals, and other health care providers around
the globe although the concept is relatively new,
but it is not a separate technology or a new branch
of medical science. Also, it is not a new technique
for curing all health problems nor will it replace
people. This concept developed based on the need
of personal health management and remote health
monitoring. Personal health technology such as
internet-based home monitoring and cell phone-
based personal health records emerged in the
first decade of the 21st century (Continua Health
Alliance, 2008). Mobile phones using GPRS or
EDGE technology offer a technically attractive
solution to establish data transfer between patients
and clinicians (Farmer, Gibson, Hayton, Bryden,
Dudley, Neil, & Tarassenko, 2005). The major-
ity of the population now has a mobile phone.
Recent GPRS or EDGE enabled mobile phones
possess a range of features that make them par-
ticularly suitable for such use. They can transmit
and receive data in real time, they have a screen
for the graphical display of data, and they have a
small keyboard to allow entry of additional data.
In addition, the computing power within a phone
provides an additional resource for analyzing data
(Farmer, Gibson, Hayton, Bryden, Dudley, Neil,
& Tarassenko, 2005). Internet based monitoring
system and mobile phones are the key tool for a
well designed Telemedicine system. Lots of well
designed Telemedicine system developed due to
these reasons and this number is increasing day
by day. This chapter describes Android-based
WHAT IS TELEMEDICINE?
It can be defined as “remote medical care” Tele-
medicine is a way by which patients can be ex-
amined, analyzed, monitored and treated, without
being co-located with the doctor. Advancements
in sensor, mobile and information technologies
have created new opportunities in the field of
Telemedicine to provide a better quality of life for
individuals. Telemedicine field has seen a tremen-
dous growth in the recent years in countries like
the UK, USA, Greece, Japan, Canada, Germany
and now in developing countries like Bangladesh
where 70% people live in rural areas.
Two types of interaction are taking place
in Telemedicine- the Real-time (synchronous)
and the Store and Forward (asynchronous). The
benefits of Telemedicine, particularly remote
monitoring, are well-documented. It has been
recognized in the health care industry where long-
term continuous monitoring is the key element
in caring people with chronic conditions such as
cardiovascular disease. This avoids hospitaliza-
tion and enables those in geographically isolated
settings to access specialized and preventive medi-
cine (Gay, Leijdekkers, & Barin, 2009). Distant
monitoring has special efficacy for patients with
chronic disease such as diabetes, congestive heart
failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
and chronic skin ulcers for which changes in vital
signs can signal a need for medical intervention
(Tahat, 2009). The development of embedded
mobile technologies and IT technologies in the
health care can be considered as both evolution-
ary and revolutionary. Telemedicine technologies
can transmit data on a regular, real time basis and
prevent hospitalizations by identifying and treat-
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