Mobile control and diagnosis system

Business Challenges

The system is intended for the continuous patients' telemetry monitoring and analysis. It consists of the server application, running on the doctors' desktop computer, and the client complex, running on the patients' handheld computer.

Server contains all the information on all patients, whereas client complex is explicitly programmed for each patient. At the moment of client system initialization, doctor will hard-code "threshold" and critical for health values of telemetry data into the patient's application. Every time the patient's handheld device is synchronized with his desktop computer (usually, several times a day) or with the doctor's server computer (every visit), the doctor will receive all the telemetry data for the period of time passed since the last synchronization.

Should the hard-coded "threshold" values be violated, the client complex will immediately inform the patient of the possible health threat, as well as contact the doctor and provide him with all the data collected since the last synchronization session. After having analyzed the data, the doctor can immediately contact the patient, if there's such a need, and invite him to his office, or send E.R. to the patient.

System Functionality

• The following telemetry data can be read:
  • body temperature;
  • pulse;
  • blood pressure;
  • electrocardiogram;
  • spirogram.
    Note: It is impossible to simultaneously read all these parameters. The doctor should decide which of them are the most important for diagnosis. That decision will affect the choice of hardware sensors and software plugins.
• Constant monitoring and analysis of the received data;
• The data can be read explicitly on demand;
• During client complex initialization, doctor should do the following:
  • enter all the "threshold" values for the patient, as well as recommendations which will be given to the patient, should the values be violated;
  • program the system so that it will contact the doctor, when the values are violated;
  • enter the drug taking calendar.
• The following data processing is available:
  • all the data is stored on the server;
  • data analysis for the specified period of time;
  • recommendations for the doctor.
• Keeping of case history.

Summary

Currently, there are no systems which provide constant control and diagnosis. Moreover, existing medical software (mostly textbooks and references) has been traditionally developed for handheld computers running under PalmOS and has now become obsolete. In the course of 2001-2002 years, the PocketPC has taken the leading role in the world of handheld devices. This tendency is visually illustrated by the retail statistics of one of the largest Russian handheld distributors, MacCenter, which can be accessed at http://www.hpc.ru/stat/.

From this point, developing software for this platform seems to be most promising. PocketPCs have modern high-speed processors, large amounts of expandable memory and can accomodate many types of additional hardware (telemetry sensors, in our case).

Used languages & Technologies

• We propose to develop the server application for personal computers running under Windows XP. The server will be able to access and collect data from the patients' devices, data analysis and handheld programming.
• We propose to develop the client application for keyboardless handheld computers running under Windows CE 3.0/PocketPC 2002 edition with more than one expansion slot (Toshiba e740, Rover P5, retailing at about $600). The client complex will be able to read and collect data from hardware sensors, analyse it and warn the patient of possible health problems.
• The system will take care of patients' data and doctors' recommendations security. No one but the patient will be able to access and read recommendations. No one but the doctor will be able to access the patient's data. Password authentication will be required to execute most of the cruicial functions. Patients' data will be encrypted and stored on the removable media (CompactFlash cards).
• The patient will be able to select hardware and software components and drugs for himself. Instead, only the doctor will be able to hard-code these parameters into the patient's device, using his server.