Development of low cost central monitoring platform by modeling and simulation for patients care in low middle income countries

Abstract

This study discusses and presents a medical engineering approach for developing a cost effective central monitoring platform for underprivileged patients in hospitals of the low to middle income countries. Over decades, the developed countries have improved their patients care through medical engineering by establishing Central Monitoring Station (CMS). Whereas, low middle income countries like Bangladesh is yet to introduce CMS for standard patients care in most of hospitals due to lack of local expertise and awareness about the technological advancement and their potential benefits. The main focus is on the development and application of advanced and proven vital parameters measuring technologies by modeling and simulation in the biomedical engineering laboratory. Central monitoring platform is designed and tested for centralized monitoring of vital patient information to observe basic parameters i.e. ECG, SpO2, NIBP, Temp, RR using simulation. A set of UniPort was connected to expand the function modules providing monitor of IBP, CO2, AAg, BIS, PiCCO and noninvasive ICG which is presently found as very unpleasant. We have seen that the patient care from medical equipment in the middle income countries is found unsafe, unreliable and costly. But simulation results using such CMS has shown that the life-threatening influences can be monitored from a single platform by quick check of patient’s status directly from a standard PC, Mac or tablet PC, a wireless PDA or smartphone. Patients care will be enhanced in many folds with safe and convenient method in cost effective manner. It is an urgent issue to produce and introduce such medical engineered CMS in hospitals of low and middle income countries which will improve patients care and HTM at overall.