TELEMEDICINE - REMOTE SENSORY INTERACTION WITH PATIENTS FOR MEDICAL EVALUATION AND DIAGNOSIS

摘要

This paper presents the development of a system of telemedicine that will provide sustainable, comprehensive, low-cost, fast, private and convenient access of medical consultation and diagnosis for patients from remote locations. The system will be equally effective in both urban and rural environments, as it will alleviate the pressure on healthcare systems by reducing avoidable hospital visits and by providing a service that can directly address the specific needs of elderly and disabled patients. In conservative societies, the self-guided use of the facility and the increased patient privacy which the system provides are further desirable features. The telemedicine system consists of a sensor jacket which is worn by the patient during monitoring. It has the capabilities of sensing, signal acquisition and processing, information extraction and communication and a graphical user interface. The associated hardware, methodologies and developmental steps are described in this paper. Some results are presented to demonstrate the feasibility and the effectiveness of the system.