It’s official: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has finalized the apportionment of the nation's wireless spectrum to wearable medical sensors, reportedly becoming the first nation in the world to do so, according to a story by Eric Wicklund.
The FCC in May first considered giving part of the spectrum away for free to hospitals and healthcare providers so they would have their very own frequency to send and receive signals.
As of Oct. 11, wearable sensors will now be able to send and receive non-voice data without interference from Wi-Fi or other devices, though they'll still be considered secondary users, Wicklund noted.
The devices that apply are “miniaturized body-worn sensors that collect patient-specific information including EKG readings and respiratory function,” Anthony Vecchione reported.
According to the ruling, medical body area networks (MBAN) will need to be registered, and how and when they’re used must be coordinated. The rules, however, won't allow monitors and network hubs to communicate directly, but will allow the monitors to be integrated with other platforms inside the hospital.
The FCC and the Food and Drug Administration, which has regulatory control over mobile medical devices, announced last month that they would together streamline the approval process for medical devices that use the wireless spectrum.
The FDA regulates how those devices are used in a medical setting, while the FCC regulates the devices as a form of communication.
The whole idea behind the allocation of the spectrum is to free patients to move around while still being watched over by their doctors.
"The MBAN technology will provide a flexible platform for the wireless networking of multiple body transmitters used for the purpose of measuring and recording physiological parameters and other patient information or for performing diagnostic or therapeutic functions, primarily in healthcare facilities," the FCC ruling stated, according to Wicklund. "This platform will enhance patient safety, care and comfort by reducing the need to physically connect sensors to essential monitoring equipment by cables and wires."
These wearable devices do everything from measure heart rate and glucose readings, to tell when someone’s blood pressure is too high, or even how a wound is healing.
MBANS are even useful in intensive care units, as even though people who are there are usually too critically ill to move around, they can remain connected to their doctors at all times, allowing for the continuous monitoring of vital signs even while the patient is being moved from unit to unit.
And patients can be monitored before they reach a hospital and after they’re sent home.
But probably the most value an MBAN provides is in the event of an emergency, or a change in a patient’s condition. The MBAN sends an alert to healthcare providers so intervention can be immediate.
Edited by
Braden Becker
