Updated: Aug 26, 1998
This is the most recent structured information on this project. Complementary data can be found on previous documents
MOMEDA Mobile Medical Data

Overview

In this project a demonstrator will be built, which with new intelligent palmtop companions (or personal digital assistants, PDAs) can access electronic patient record data and provide it to the consulting physician. Diagnostic information such as radiological images as well as text and laboratory data is transmitted to a wireless pocket-size terminal in a user-friendly multimedia format using Web-approach (Data transfer tools and procedures used in internet technology. Starting from basic FTP file transfer for automated routine applications and ending up to WWW-interface for interactive data selection.). The main emphasis is on mobile GSM technology outside the hospital but also other wireless links are considered inside the buildings. Intelligent messaging is utilized to achieve the best possible usability for the professional end-user. Secondly, tools are made for mobile transmission of diagnostic signals (e.g. ECG) into the hospital system. In addition, the palmtop computer technology will be used to build a patient communication terminal that would allow patients to continue daily activities and interact with their workplace (including e-mail, voice-messages, telefax transmission, document distribution, access to Internet and related services). Furthermore, using the same information terminal, patients could access disease specific educational material. To support these actions, a demonstrator with a corresponding Intranet server at the hospital side will be built. In all phases of the project, maximum attention is paid to confidentiality and security issues regarding the data.

This innovative demonstrator project will give European industry essential information on how mobile data communication can be applied in a multimedia electronic health record environment. It will also show how telematic services with wireless technology serve the final end-users, the patients.

Purpose and objectives

On the other side, healthcare providers that are in constant move inside or even outside the hospital environment need to access patient specific information on site. In emergencies, the capability of receiving and viewing the diagnostic information such as radiological images and other patient information from the hospital electronic patient record reduces both mortality and morbidity.

The proposed system design involves the utilization of mobile terminals, wireless networking, Open Intranet technologies, data acquisition technologies, still image and audio transmission and compression prototypes. The objective in this project is to develop new services for teleconsultation based on both mobile communications and Internet technologies.

From the stand point of the end user, requirements are perceived as falling in the following main categories: the extension of mobile services to include multimedia and other broadband services, access to services regardless of internal working of the underlying networks supporting the desired services, and utilization of major developments of mobile platforms or advancements in wireless communications.

Most of the work will be done in creating the required software applications and services both for the mobile client (the physician’s terminal) and for the hospital’s host system especially the electronic patient record and image archiving systems. For the image archiving system a feature will be created, which allow on demand compression of the stored images using different compression ratios to support slow connections to the mobile clients. Mobile terminals will need additional software for implementing the automatic, host activated patient information download and also notifying the user when the download has been finished. This functionality will be implemented using smart short messaging and HTTP/FTP protocols. Viewing the diagnostic information in mobile clients with standard image viewers will be evaluated and some tools for enhanced image viewing will be developed.

Many new emerging technologies are involved in this project. For this reason testing the outcomes of the demonstrator with real users is very important to obtain feedback for the development of the commercial software products. The project will also give valuable feedback to the manufacturers of the mobile companion devices as well as providers of the mobile and fixed network infrastructure.

In conclusion, by using mobile wireless telemedicine the doctors would be able to diagnose patients remotely and offhours which enhances the effectiveness of health care and gives patients more frequent access to the specialist. More importantly , the proposed functionality provides patients with better understanding on the medical procedures that they have or will undergo during their stay at the hospital by accessing disease specific educational material. The provision of telecommunication value added helps the patient continue to some extent normal activities and external communication.

Results

List of deliverables

Year 1

• Newsletter I (6 - P )
• Physician terminal User requirement and Functional specifications document ( 6 - R )
• Patient terminal User requirement and Functional specifications document ( 6 - R )
• Newsletter II ( 12 - P )
• Formulation of design and architectural specification for the Physician’s terminal and applications ( 12 - R )
• Formulation of design and architectural specification for the Patient’s terminal and applications ( 12 - R )

Year 2

• Newsletter III (18 - P )
• Data security for Physician and Patient Mobile Information Terminal and relevant Intranet ( 18 - R )
• Physician Information Terminal architecture design and implementation document ( 19 - R )
• Patient Information Terminal architecture design and implementation document ( 19 - R )
• Report on test and evaluation results for Physicians and Patient Information Terminals ( 21 - R )
• Newsletter IV ( 24 - P )
• Report on demonstration results for Physicians Information Terminals ( 24 - R )
• Report on demonstration results for Patients Information Terminals ( 24 - R )
• Exploitation and Marketing plan ( 24 - R )

List of participants

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