Affordable M2M enabled e-health using standard ban technology

摘要

E-health technologies reduce the costs of social medical/healthcare system not only in developed but also in developing countries. Body area network (BAN) standards are accepted as a common communication method for portable medical and healthcare equipment. Machine-to-Machine technologies in conjunction with the BAN standards are expected to provide scalable and affordable e-health services. This paper discusses e-health activities and positions BAN within the activities. BAN is in a unique position to converge e-health standards from the view point of big data producer. We explain the BAN-enabled portable health clinic (BAN-PHC) and discuss the synergies generated by the combination of M2M technologies from the view point of the business model. BAN devices with M2M features create new business entities and M2M-enabled BAN-PHC is a candidate to enable affordable e-health services in developing countries accommodating various business entities. The success of the e-health services would also serve as a centripetal force for e-health standardization activities.