Advance hardware in mhealth
1.Hardware - Is defined as all of the physical components of a computer.
A. Advance Computer Hardware.
More powerful processing in ever-smaller package.
More power distributed across many, many machines.
Ex. Tablet, bridge between a desktop and a smartphone, wearable devices.
B. Advance in large capacity redundant storage allows rapid access to massive amounts of data.
RAID's - Sharing data among disks make it possible to store larger chunks of information than a
single storage device can handle.
Cloud computing - The ability of a mobile device to access a large amount of computers
connected through a communication network and run a program or application on many
connected computers at the same time.
2. Wireless communication - The ability of a mobile device to connect with networks in multiple ways is
the foundation of mobile computing and mhealth.
Mobile telecommunication technology from 3G to 4G.
Wifi, Bluetooth and Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID), 4G provide faster performance.
The peak speed equipments for the 4G service are 100 megabits/sec for high mobility
communication (e.,g.. communication while traveling by a car or train).
1 gigabits/sec for low mobility communication (e.,g.. communication while walking or standing
still).
3. Standards and Protocols - Use of well-established standards and best practices allows global and easy
access to networks and network information in a standardized way.
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).
Internet Protocol (IP).
This suit of standards provides end - end connectivity specifying low data are formatted
addressed, transmitted, routed and recieved at the destination.
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
Health Level International (HL7) - Maintains the framework and standards for the exchange, integration,
sharing and retrieval of electronic health information. These standards are the most commonly used in
the world for packaging and communicating health information from one party to another using
language, strut, and data types that allow seamless integration between systems.
Clinical Content Object Workgroup (CCOW) - Is an HL7 standard protocol that enables different
applications to synchonized at the user - interface level in real time. This standard allows
application to present information in a unified way.
4. Drivers of Mobile Health care - Clinicians shifting from a focus on disease management to a focus on
ending lifestyle disease may leverage the use of mobile platforms.
Mobile devices represent the opportunity to interact and provide this care beyond the office
walls (mHIMSS), (ACA).
5. Technology in Mobile Health care - Mobile technology may be key to providing more effective
preventive care, improving patient outcomes, improving access to specialized medical services, and
driving system - wide cost reduction.
Electronic Health Records (EHR's)
Personal Health Records (PHR's) and patient portals.
Hospital systems and ambulatory practices have also started using products like facetime, skype,
google, hangouts, and other consumer - oriented video - telephony and Voice - Over Internet
Protocol (VOIP) software applications for patient, consult , follow-up, and care coordination.
The IT departnent ensure that the hospital, clinic, or practice wireless network is secure
designed properly, and robust enough to support various types of medical devices such as
infusion pumps, mobile EKG devices, mobile X-ray devices, ultrasounds, and blood gas analysers
on a single infrastructure.
6. Mobile Devices - In a short period, mobile devices performance has jmproved radically, putting them
closer and closer in capability to general computing such as laptops and desktops.
7. Telehealth - Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
ATTACH HERE TABLE 3.1
8. Future of mhealth inside healthcare facilities.
The nation's healthcare model is on the path toward consolidated, coordinated value - core.
Wireless networking began to be widely adopted in hospitals about 10 years ago.
Still unified communications (a combination of messaging, video, and voice) has not yet realized
full potential in healthcare facilities.
9. Consideration for mhealth planning.
The role of cellular networks in video and voice aplication is expanding rapidly.
Patient newly discharged from the hospital will followed by nurses with devices that allow the
nurses to see and hear the patient, monitor wound healing, and address family concerns.
Remote monitoring of patient is increasingly viewed as essential for mhelth planning.
As a result, healthcare will become more patient centered, and mobile and health visits will
occur in the home, school and office.
10.Setting the stage for mhealth adoption.
Patient no longer have to travel to the clinic or hospital for routine monitoring. Patient can
check their blood sugar, blood pressure, oxygen level, and other vital signs at home with thier
result wirelessly transmitted to thier healthcare providers.
11. Privacy and security.
The cornerstone of trust in healthcare is privacy and security.
The goal of privacy and security is to provide as much effort as needed to protect patients
personal health information from being compromised.
12. Legal and policy
Professionalism : Because social media is so ubiquitous, healthcare. professionals may face new
question such as whether or not it is appropriate to "friend" a patient.
Privacy : There have been several widely reported incidents of healthcare professionals posting
data related to patients on social media sites. Even if the patient's name is not revealed,
releasing data that is not completely de-identified violates the HIPAA privacy standards (Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
There is no question that great change is happening in healthcare and among healthcare
professionals. The new technology is mobile . The new face of healthcare will be mhealth.
