Infusing image processing capabilities into an RFID-based personal mobile medical assistant

Abstract

The technological fusion of modern handheld devices, like Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), wireless networking, and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, is considered capable of providing the solution to the healthcare community's increasing need to enhance patient safety and reduce medication-dispensing errors by rapid and precise delivery of medical information within an all-wireless digital hospital environment. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to propose a wireless solution that utilizes RFID technology to enable physicians and healthcare professionals to automatically identify patients and easily access their medical information through PDAs, remotely. The developed PDA-based application is capable to identify each patient's RFID tag, retrieve his/her medical data (images, bio-signals, reports, pharmaceutical treatment etc.) and display them by means of a user friendly graphical interface that suites the needs of the healthcare professional. Additionally, the application is further enhanced by incorporating advanced image processing capabilities to improve the diagnostic potential of medical images. © 2012 ICST Institute for Computer Science, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering.