Research and Development for Advanced Tele-maintenance Capability with Remote Serial Console Access and Proactive Monitoring of Medical Devices

摘要

The U.S. Army Medical Department has the urgent need of a remote diagnostic access (RDA) capability in support of the configuration, problem detection, and troubleshooting of medical equipment densities within the theatre of operations and in fixed medical facilities throughout the world. Currently, there is no telemaintenance capability for medical equipment. Through research efforts funded by U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) and the US Army Medical Materiel Agency (USAMMA), the objective is to develop a comprehensive RDA in support of telemaintenance. The research concluded with a cost effective prototype device that enables biomedical technicians to perform secure remote diagnostics. The new RDA capability supports both in-band and out-of-band console access allowing the technicians to effectively and efficiently perform secure remote diagnostic tasks. The key achievements of the research includes the engineering of the RDA prototype device that is agnostic to the brand, make, or model of the medical equipment; and a unique ability to support remote USB Smartcard, which remotely unlocks the diagnostic functions on the medical equipment. The new RDA capability improves the availability and resilience of the medical equipment, reduces costs associated with unscheduled repairs, and validates equipment performance measures, which in turn provides the physicians with the ability to deliver quality health care to their patients.