Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Out-patient house
Out-patient
Anywhere
Healthcare
provider
HTTP
Protocol
HTTP
Protocol
Medical data
ZigBee
coordinator
Internet
PDA
ZigBee to Wi-Fi
Gateway
Data server
Data
HTTP
Protocol
HTTP
Protocol
ZigBee
coordinator
Monitored
In-patients
Healthcare
providers
Medical data
Monitoring Stations
ZigBee-based Vital
Signs Sensors
PDAs
Hospital
Fig. 8
Simplified view of the system architecture developed and implemented in the case-study
project
it involved researchers from all areas described in §3.2 (and others), and the different
healthcare professionals and end-users in the roles described in §3.1. The system
architecture is represented in Fig.
8
.
It is important to mention that the proposed architecture was designed for this
specific type of use scenario. For example, in the case of intensive care units, where
the use specifications and requirements are very different, but also where patients
only move within a very restricted area, other solutions have been identified [
18
].
Only to illustrate the variety of applications within this field, one can mention also
remote rescue and care [
19
], or disaster scenarios [
15
-
17
]. A plethora of other cases
can be found in the literature [
20
].
The developed sensors, network gateways, applications, user interfaces, etc., are
being field tested at the Guimaraes Private Hospital (Grupo AMI - Assistencia
Medica Integral) and have been recently showcased in many media sources,
including national television. This project paves the way for future innovation in
the area, highlighting the advantages of user-centered development and synergic
cooperation between universities and companies, and will have practical effect on
the quality of healthcare for many patients.
7
Concluding Remarks
This chapter presents some considerations about the coordination of multidisci-
plinary teams for the development of medical devices. The different people that
usually become involved in the process, even at a laboratory development stage,
