Remote physiotherapy treatments using wireless body sensor networks

ABSTRACT

Technology plays an important role in both primary and secondary healthcare. With widespread use of mobile devices and ubiquitous communications, new and novel platforms are emerging to administer care. Ordinary and everyday appliances used in the home are becoming integral components within these platforms and this could potentially revolutionise how health related information is monitored, accessed and used to administer better treatments. Despite the many challenges that exist, such platforms will allow for better exploitation of networked devices to provide benefits to patients with conditions, such as arthritis and back pain. Currently these conditions are treated through physiotherapy sessions in the community, which are often costly and difficult to resource. Physiotherapists alternate between patients. This means that assessments are sporadic and subjective. This paper aims to address these limitations using a system to implement body area and sensor networks within the home with data management functions for collecting and storing motion data. This data can be accessed via the home or remotely in one or more medical facilities. Using this data, quantitative assessments are performed and used to measure the patient's progress. A case study is presented that successfully illustrates tour approach.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  B. Hardware
  B.4 INPUT/OUTPUT AND DATA COMMUNICATIONS
      B.4.1 Data Communications Devices

Additional Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.1 Network Architecture and Design
          Subjects: Wireless communication; Distributed networks

  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES
      H.1.1 Systems and Information Theory
          Subjects: Information theory

  J. Computer Applications
  J.3 LIFE AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
      Subjects: Medical information systems

General Terms:
Algorithms, Design, Experimentation, Human Factors, Languages, Management, Measurement, Standardization

Keywords:
home medical networks, measurement and movement, medical plug and play devices, physiotherapy, wireless body area sensor networks, wireless medical sensors