Outlining a Novel Framework for Monitoring User's Vital Signs and Activity Data in Caregiving Facilities

Wearable sensors are consistently decreasing in size, while their computational power simultaneously rises. Current wearables enable high-quality measurements of vital signs and activity data, comparable to state-of-the-art technologies. However, they are rarely implemented in caregiving facilities, such as hospitals or elderly homes. A framework using a wearable sensing unit is proposed that mainly relies on an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), where an extension to a variety of sensor types are possible. This sensing unit is worn by the patient and connected to a base station. This will be locally distributed by placing one unit in each room. The sensor unit extracts various vital signs and activity parameters, transmitting such information wirelessly through a low-energy transmission standard. The data is easily accessible to any caregiver using a common mobile end-user device. The proposed approach is superior to previous attempts, as it overcomes common barriers that prevented implementation. By outlining current challenges, solutions are recommended to appropriately overcome these issues within a future system.