Body Sensor Networks for Mobile Health Monitoring: Experience in Europe and Australia

Remote ambulatory monitoring is widely seen as playing a key part in addressing the impending crisis in health care provision. We describe two mobile health solutions, one developed in the Netherlands and one in Australia. In both cases patients´ biosignals are measured by means of body worn sensors which communicate wirelessly with a handheld device. Alarms and biosignals can be transmitted over wireless communication links to a remote location, and a remote health professional can view the biosignals via a web application. The clinical purposes are similar, however the technological approaches differ in some respects. We compare the two approaches and the experience gained working with a number of different patient groups and clinical specialties during trials in Europe and Australia.