A literature review of transmission effectiveness and electromagnetic compatibility in home telemedicine environments to evaluate safety and security.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to determine already reported cases of transmission/reception failure and interferences to evaluate the safety and security of the new mobile home telemedicine systems.


METHODS
The literature published in the last 10 years (1998-2009) has been reviewed, by searching in several databases. Searches on transmission effectiveness and electromagnetic compatibility were made manually through journals, conference proceedings, and also the healthcare technology assessment agencies' Web pages.


RESULTS
Search strategies developed through electronic databases and manual search identified a total of 886 references, with 44 finally being included in the results. They have been divided by technology in the transmission/reception effectiveness studies, and according to the type of medical device in the case of electromagnetic interferences studies.


CONCLUSIONS
The study reveals that there are numerous publications on telemedicine and home-monitoring systems using wireless networks. However, literature on effectiveness in terms of connectivity and transmission problems and electromagnetic interferences is limited. From the collected studies, it can be concluded that there are transmission failures, low-coverage areas, errors in the transmission of packets, and so on. Moreover, cases of serious interferences in medical instruments have also been reported. These facts highlight the lack of studies and specific recommendations to be followed in the implementation of biomonitoring systems in domestic environments using wireless networks.
Carranza
Noemí
N
Telemedicine and eHealth Research Unit, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain.
Ramos
Victoria
V
Lizana
Francisca G
FG
García
Jorge
J
del Pozo
Alejando
A
Monteagudo
José Luis
JL
D016494:Computer Security / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D004869:Equipment Safety; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D013030:Spain; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000458:organization & administration