A framework for enabling patient monitoring via mobile ad hoc network

A critical component of comprehensive patient monitoring is reliability in communication between the patients and the healthcare professionals without any time and location dependencies. Patient monitoring applications largely rely on infrastructure based wireless networks for signal transmission. However, infrastructure based wireless networks till date, suffer from unpredictable network coverage and have thus been attributed to the unpredictable communication reliability of patient monitoring applications. This research investigates an approach based on leveraging mobile ad hoc network to address the challenge of enhancing communication reliability in the context of patient monitoring. Mobile ad hoc network, formed among patient monitoring devices, has the potential of enhancing network coverage and enabling signal transmission from an area which has low or non-existent coverage from infrastructure based networks. In order to utilize mobile ad hoc network in the context of patient monitoring we propose (1) power management protocols that address the challenge of managing the low battery power of patient monitoring devices while maximizing communication reliability and (2) a framework that models the complex decision logic involved in leveraging mobile ad hoc network for diverse patient monitoring scenarios. Analytical evaluation of the proposed approach supports the premise that mobile ad hoc network formed among patient monitoring devices can enhance the reliability of signal transmission thereby improving the quality of patient monitoring applications. Technical and managerial implications of the research findings and the direction of future research are discussed.