ROLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

TECHNOLOGIES(ICT)IN MEDICAL FIELD

COMMUNICATION TOOLS GUIDE LEARNING

CT tools can be used to find, explore, analyze, exchange and present information responsibly and without discrimination. ICT can be employed to give users quick access to ideas and experiences from a wide range of people, communities and cultures

AN EXAMPLE—TECHNOLOGY OF STEPHEN HAWKING’S

WHEELCHAIRuses computer based communication using Intel i7 core processor and Intel solid state 520 series.

interface to the computer is EZ keys program which provides a keyboard on screen, where a cursor automatically scans the keys and stops with his cheek’s movement

when he has build the sentence, then speech synthesizers work to voice his words.

various facial recognition systems and brain controlled interfaces can be used in order to improve the communication speed.

ICT AND MEDICINE

MEDICALEQUIPMENT

PATIENT RECORDS

WEB BASED SUPPORT/

DIAGNOSIS

COMMUNICATION

RESEARCH

We may find symptoms diagnosis on the web.

Information is available about treatments and alternative therapy.

Support groups for people suffering from particular condition

Access to research and medical journals

The best example of this can be VisualDx which is a unique clinical decision support system that delivers diagnostic answers where and when physicians need them. WebMD is a android based application (requires data connectivity) used to educate people about health problems.

WEB BASED SUPPORT/DIAGNOSIS

E-MEDICINE

Online clinical medical knowledge base found in 1996By Scott Plantz and Richard Lavely.

Website easily searchable by Keywords and consists of 6800 Articles updated yearly.

Each article is authored by board certified specialists.

The article's authors are identified with their current faculty appointments

 Although underemployed in most medical faculties, it represents the future of initial and continuous medical training. Virtual resources and communities, simulations and 3D animations.

E-LEARNING AND 3-D IMAGING

NEW ERA IN MEDICINE: WIRELESS MEDICAL DEVICES

Digital age is changing the nature of health care delivery.

Capitalizing new medical technologies that will improve care and lower costs.They can be either implanted on the body and used as an external devices.

Formers controls and monitors heart rhythms, monitor hypertension, electrical stimulation of nerves, glaucoma sensors and cranial pressures etc. Latter assists the movements of artificial limb and acts as a miniature base station for transmission an collection of various physiological parameters.

ADVANTAGES OF WIRELESS REVOLUTIONMany products that were once tethered to patients,

positioned next to hospital beds and located at a nurses' station are now transportable

By incorporating a wireless protocol such as 802.11b into a patient monitor, a patient can leave their hospital bed while still having their vital signs continuously monitored through the hospital's access points

Allowed at-home patient monitoring, minimising patient trips to the hospital and saving valuable hospital space.

Quicker diagnosis via telemetry saves the time.

Bluetooth a low power, point-to-point protocol in medical space,  enables increased patient mobility and gives healthcare professionals easier access to patient data. A good example is a wireless electrocardiogram

An 802.11b compact flash card designed by Plexus. The 802.11b protocol is the most common wireless network deployed in hospitals

WIRELESS MEDICAL TELEMETRY

use of  telecommunication and IT in order to provide clinical health care at a distance

 permit communications between patient and medical staff , as well as the Transmission of medical, imagingand  various body vitals data from one site to another

Recent forms of telemedicine is achieved with videotelephony, and advanced diagnostic methods. 

NASA first employed telemetry to monitor astronauts

Wireless medical telemetry transmits physiological data from patient to computer.

FDA : Food and Drug administration

FCC : Federal communication commission

CMS :Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services

CATEGORIES OF WIRELESS MEDICAL DEVICES

SHORT RANGE MEDICAL DEVICES:Transmit data from the patient to a local receiver/monitor.The receiver may or may not be connected to a central monitoring station.

Medical Body Area Network

Measure physiological information and performs diagnostics and theraptic actions using EM signals.

Operates in the range of 2360-2400MHz

Operates a distance up to few feet

Historically, these devices have been used to control cardio activity

Operate in the bands below 200kHz.

Communicates at a distance less than a feet from the patient.

INDUCTIVE IMPLANT

BLUETOOTH,WI-FI AND ZIGBEE

Unlicensed technologies used commonly with cell phones, PCs and held devices, can also be used for body worn medical devices.

These devices operate in 2400-2483.5 , 902-928, 5725-5850 MHz bands respectively

These operate at a distance up to few hundred feet.

COMPARISONCOMPARISON

LONG RANGE MEDICAL TELEMETRY

Transmits patient’s data directly to remote monitoring location.

WIRELESS MEDICAL TELEMETRYUses unlicensed spectrum to communicate data from body sensors to remote monitoring locations.

Operate in various bands between 600-1432MHz at a distance up to several 100 feet.

WiMAXOften referred to as last mile broadband access technology

Provides 70Mbps broadband at distance over several kilometre

Based on IEEE 802.16 standard and uses around 2.5GHz in US

DESIGN ISSUES

Electromagnetic Compatibility and performance of wireless functions.

Wireless Coexistence.

battery life.

Spectrum usage.

ICT changing the future of Health

The key developments in health care in last 25 years is the incursion of information and communications technologies . ICT has changed the ways in which medicine is practiced and taught.