A context-management framework for telemedicine: an emergency medicine case study

Patient care can be intense and stressful, especially in emergency care situations. Emergency care has two parts, field care by a paramedic and in-hospital care. Paramedics often consult with physicians before the patient reaches the hospital. To do this effectively, they must convey the patient's condition rapidly and effectively. Upon hospital arrival they must also transfer as much patient data as possible to ensure continuation of care. In this paper, we present a context-management framework for telemedicine that is designed to capture sensor data for transfer to a remote location. We further describe an application developed on top of the framework for emergency medicine. We examine design considerations for the application based on collaboration with medical personnel. Finally, we present technical results obtained from use of the technology in simulated emergency scenarios.