Improved home care activities for brain-injured children: The creation of a wireless platform

Abstract

A project is presented for creation of a network for managing Home Care activities in brain-injured children. At the patient's side, a Home Care platform is provided made of a medical instrument, and a device for collecting measured data and for accessing the Web portal of the project. The medical instrument is wearable for maximum patient's freedom, and transmits the measured physiological data (blood oxygen saturation, heart rate and respiration rate) to the collecting device through an innovative radio communication technology called Bluetooth. From the collecting device, the data are transmitted to a Service Center again with wireless radio technology (at the moment GPRS, in future UMTS). The measured patients' data are then available through Internet for all the professionals for Health Care activities involved in the project. Through the Web portal, the patients and their families will directly be in touch with the professional, as well as with associations and other social entities. The final outcomes of the project are reducing hospitalization and corresponding assistance costs, and removing frustration from families making them feel inside and organized and efficient virtual community.