Title: A ubiquitous mobile telemedicine system for the elderly using RFID

Authors: Muhammad Wassim Raad

Addresses: Computer Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, KFUPM, Box # 5065, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia

Abstract: The last two years have witnessed an explosion of interest in Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) and mobile technologies. Radio frequency identification systems have many applications in manufacturing, supply chain and healthcare. In an RFID system, products and objects are given RFID tags to identify themselves. In a health care context, the use of RFID technology can be employed for not only cutting down health care costs but also help automating and streamlining patient identification processes in and outside hospitals. However, privacy and security issues pose considerable challenges on these systems. In this paper, we present a mobile telemedicine solution based on low cost wearable RFID bracelet tags for perceiving emergency situations in elderly with chronic diseases and initiate emergency action. The proposed system can assist patients inside as well as outside hospitals, collect vital signs of the elderly for delivering prompt care remotely, and help to improve the Activity of Daily Living (ADL).

Keywords: mobile telemedicine; ubiquitous; smart cards; electrocardiograms; RFID; radio frequency identification; WIFI network; ADL; healthcare technology; wearable RFID tags; emergency situations; elderly; chronic diseases; vital signs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSN.2010.032214

International Journal of Security and Networks, 2010 Vol.5 No.2/3, pp.156 - 164

Published online: 17 Mar 2010 *

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