Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Nanomedicine, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Taiwan.
Program in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Front Public Health. 2023 Jun 16;11:1188304. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1188304. eCollection 2023.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, posing unprecedented challenges for healthcare systems worldwide. The overwhelming number of patients infected with the virus placed an enormous burden on healthcare providers, who struggled to cope with the sheer volume of cases. Furthermore, the lack of effective treatments or vaccines means that quarantining has become a necessary measure to slow the spread of the virus. However, quarantining places a significant burden on healthcare providers, who often lack the resources to monitor patients with mild symptoms or asymptomatic patients. In this study, we propose an Internet of Things (IoT)-based wearable health monitoring system that can remotely monitor the exact locations and physiological parameters of quarantined individuals in real time. The system utilizes a combination of highly miniaturized optoelectronic and electronic technologies, an anti-epidemic watch, a mini-computer, and a monitor terminal to provide real-time updates on physiological parameters. Body temperature, peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO), and heart rate are recorded as the most important measurements for critical care. If these three physiological parameters are aberrant, then it could represent a life-endangering situation and/or a short period over which irreversible damage may occur. Therefore, these parameters are automatically uploaded to a cloud database for remote monitoring by healthcare providers. The monitor terminal can display real-time health data for multiple patients and provide early warning functions for medical staff. The system significantly reduces the burden on healthcare providers, as it eliminates the need for manual monitoring of patients in quarantine. Moreover, it can help healthcare providers manage the COVID-19 pandemic more effectively by identifying patients who require medical attention in real time. We have validated the system and demonstrated that it is well suited to practical application, making it a promising solution for managing future pandemics. In summary, our IoT-based wearable health monitoring system has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by providing a cost-effective, remote monitoring solution for patients in quarantine. By allowing healthcare providers to monitor patients remotely in real time, the burden on medical resources is reduced, and more efficient use of limited resources is achieved. Furthermore, the system can be easily scaled to manage future pandemics, making it an ideal solution for managing the health challenges of the future.
新冠疫情使全球陷入停顿，给全球医疗系统带来前所未有的挑战。大量感染病毒的患者给医疗保健提供者带来了巨大的负担，他们难以应对如此庞大的病例数量。此外，由于缺乏有效的治疗方法或疫苗，隔离成为减缓病毒传播的必要措施。然而，隔离给医疗保健提供者带来了巨大的负担，他们往往缺乏资源来监测轻症或无症状患者。在这项研究中，我们提出了一种基于物联网（IoT）的可穿戴健康监测系统，可以实时远程监测隔离人员的确切位置和生理参数。该系统利用高度微型化的光电和电子技术、抗疫手表、微型计算机和监控终端的组合，提供生理参数的实时更新。体温、外周血氧饱和度（SpO2）和心率是重症监护的最重要指标。如果这三个生理参数异常，可能代表危及生命的情况和/或可能发生不可逆转损伤的短暂时间。因此，这些参数会自动上传到云数据库，以便医疗保健提供者进行远程监控。监控终端可以显示多个患者的实时健康数据，并为医务人员提供预警功能。该系统大大减轻了医疗保健提供者的负担，因为它无需手动监测隔离患者。此外，它可以通过实时识别需要医疗关注的患者，帮助医疗保健提供者更有效地管理新冠疫情。我们已经验证了该系统，并证明它非常适合实际应用，是管理未来大流行的有前途的解决方案。总之，我们基于物联网的可穿戴健康监测系统通过为隔离患者提供经济高效的远程监测解决方案，有可能彻底改变医疗保健行业。通过允许医疗保健提供者实时远程监测患者，减少了医疗资源的负担，实现了更有效地利用有限资源。此外，该系统可以轻松扩展以管理未来的大流行，是管理未来健康挑战的理想解决方案。
