ABSTRACT
Wireless sensor networks provide rapid, untethered access to information and computing, eliminating the barriers of distance, time, and location for many applications in national security, surveillance, healthcare, coverage, and many more. One of the most promising applications of wireless sensor networks technology is in health-care. As the healthcare costs are rising, life expectancy is increasing, and the world population is aging, there has been a need to monitor patients and residents out of hospitals, in their own environment, and during emergency situations. Strategically placing a number of wireless sensors on the human body creates a wireless body area network that can monitor various vital signs that can provide real-time feedback to the user and medical personnel. In this chapter, we discuss the use of wireless sensor networks technology in emergency response applications, smart homecare applications, and mechanisms for continuous patient monitoring.
