Bits and Pieces of Conclusions

…SO FAR

Attempts are being made to digitize healthcare services with the introduction of personal health devices, and with connecting them to the aggregation manager and the health care. Different producers have come up with various connectivity profiles, either wired or wireless, making it impossible to use multiple devices at the same time. Continua assumed the role of the arbiter trying to control the ehealth connectivity.  The concepts of PAN connection attract most attention since there are currently many different wireless standards battling over which function to perform and where. Continua has selected Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, ZigBee and USB for transporting data since these technologies proved most efficient for devices in the chain of healthcare data collection and transportation.

For the wide area network (WAN) interface that connects the aggregation manager and the health service center, platforms such as Wi-Fi are commonly used, but GSM, GPRS or EDGE also can be options. Standards used in the WAN are commonly high power and can help achieve long range connection, unlike those used in the PAN which require low power, long operation time and small ranges (typically 10-100m).

Bluetooth low energy (BLE) has been introduced by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) and has been adopted by Continua Alliance to fulfill the PAN interface connectivity. BLE targets data exchange using lower power consumption than Bluetooth classic. It operates within the same spectrum range (2402 MHz to 2480 MHz) as classic Bluetooth, but with a different set of channels. The power reduction in BLE can be explained by the reduction of the synchronization word, as well as connection mechanism. The duration of a BLE link does not exceed 3ms; this is why it consumes little power – most of the time the device is in standby mode.

Built on top of the IEEE 802.15.4 PHY layer, ZigBee uses the 802.15.4 standard. The 2.4 GHz band remains the most used frequency band as of today. Unlike IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee allows full mesh networks. ZigBee was chosen to fill in the connectivity requirements at LAN level. Many argue that because BT LE comes packaged together with the classic Bluetooth and given the current reign of Bluetooth, ZigBee will be replaced. However both Bluetooth and BT LE cannot perform LAN functions and will therefore just remain steady complements of ZigBee in medical devices not competitors.

I have talked a lot about the standardization process of Bluetooth Low Energy: how it started as a Nokia project and then was salvaged by Bluetooth and then how it was selected as a standard by Continua even before it was officially released. After reading specifications and technical reports, it comes out that Continua is not a knight in shining armor or a mean monster driven by profit (no meaner than any other standardization organization), but the BT LE technology actually is the key of the future mobile devices. In addition, a lot of friction in the process arises from formal standardization bodies which either introduce barriers or require additional checking. However, the necessary steps are known by now, all there is left is a solid implementation method. Due to the fact, that the alliance is gathering together all stakeholders in one union, the industry cooperation provides additional input and brings the market closer to the end customer.

With the ubiquity of wireless technologies and the emergence of new standards, the healthcare industry is experiencing a revolution in the way healthcare is being delivered. With the support of wireless technologies and the logo certification Continua is implementing, telehealth offers the potential to help control the cost of healthcare while enabling patients to maintain a good quality of life.