Telia launches mobile service for remote monitoring of patient health

Hospitals and health care units in Sweden will soon have access to a new and

unique service. Using GPRS in the mobile network, hospital and health care staff

can remotely monitor patients with sicknesses or diseases that do not require

hospital treatment or other types of medical care. The service, called BodyKom,

has been developed by TeliaSonera Sweden in association with Hewlett Packard and

Kiwok, a Swedish software company.

BodyKom functions by means of a communications device that is connected

wirelessly to a number of sensors on a patient's body. The communications

device communicates with health care personnel over TeliaSonera Sweden's

nation-wide mobile network and constantly monitors the patient's health status

remotely. If the sensors detect any changes in the patient's health, or if the

patient notices changes to his or her body functions, the system can

automatically dispatch an alarm to an on-call doctor or to members of the

patient's family.

"It can be difficult for patients to know exactly how their body is

functioning if they have an irregular heartbeat, for example. Using this

service, a patient can theoretically be at home or at work and still feel

secure. If an emergency situation should develop, health care personnel can be

immediately notified and take the necessary measures," says Professor

Christer Sylvén at the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm.

TeliaSonera

Sweden is responsible for selling BodyKom to hospitals and will also manage the

data traffic in the service. BodyKom is currently being used to monitor the

pulse of patients, but in the future the service will also be offered to

patients with diabetes, asthma and other illnesses that might require emergency

help.

"The service will mean better quality of life for patients, who will no

longer have to be hospitalized but will still have access to health check-ups

and emergency assistance if they need it. If a larger number of patients can be

discharged earlier from hospitals, BodyKom will naturally lead to savings in the

health care sector," says Erik Heilborn, Head of the Business Segment at

TeliaSonera Sweden.

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