Wireless Monitoring of Patient’s Vital Signs

Abstract

With all the technological advances and current devices available, large and good projects are not only restricted to the invention of new technologies and concepts but also, and mainly, to the merging of existing technologies resulting in new ideas and devices that address problems not yet solved.Mobile computing and portable devices, for example, are changing the relationships between human and computers, and are introducing a new approach of communication based on context.According to Figueiredo (Figueiredo & Nakamura, 2003) this new approach of communication allows people to interact seamlessly with objects, computers, environments, etc.Such technological advances are a significant departure from the existing computational paradigm in which users need to interact explicitly with the systems in order to achieve the expected results.This new paradigm, known as Ubiquitous Computing, named by Weiser (Weiser, 1991), has the ability to foster a different computer vision, focusing on people's daily life (and daily tasks).Its current applications and future possibilities can be utilized in an almost invisible way, allowing the user to communicate with technology without even realizing it.Thus, the processes occur for the user, as the services and interfaces are hiding the complexity of the system.The medical field, in its constant pursuit for finding new methods of healing and improving patients' quality of life, has been, and will continue to be, a major beneficiary of Ubiquitous Computing.Although not a substitute for the direct contact between physician and patient, is increasingly becoming an essential and indispensable factor for physician's decisionmaking.The current telemedicine systems provide global integration, which enables the sharing of data, images and voice from different sources and applications.This chapter proposal describes how wireless technologies can be used in medicine, offering many benefits to doctors and patients including new methods of surgery, appointments or monitoring.It presents a review of the current medical situation and how it can be improved using new technologies.