Telemedicine and Tools for Health Monitoring in Adults and Foetuses
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Digital Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 8451
Special Issue Editors
Interests: bioengineering; public health; healthcare decision making; machine learning and data mining for healthcare; modeling and analysis of biomedical data; health technology assessment; quality improvement in healthcare; lean six sigma; biomedical signal processing and analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: heart rate variability; electrocardiography; chronic heart failure; Lean Six Sigma; machine learning
Interests: applications of systems and control theory to bioengineering; computational biology; modeling and control of biomedical devices; computational analysis and robust control of dynamic systems in biomedical engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: biomedical engineering; bioengineering; nanomedicine; magnetic resonance imaging; contrast agents; microfluidics; biomaterials; nanoparticles; biomedical data analysis; biomedical signal processing; heart rate variability; fetal heart rate variability; electronic fetal monitoring; lean six sigma in healthcare
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Telemedicine is an important research field that arises from the evolution of electromedical equipment combined with information technology and telecommunication systems, in order to ensure diagnosis, specialist consultation, and remote monitoring, even to patients residing in places far from adequately equipped health centres (e.g., islands, decentralized urban centres, or rural areas, especially in developing countries), often forced to move for unnecessary consultation or even to improper hospitalizations.
The fields of application of telemedicine are various and constantly evolving, from cardiology (transmission of electrocardiographic traces) to radiology (transmission of radiographic images), dermatology (transmission of digital images of skin lesions), pathological anatomy, and many others. Practically every branch of medicine could make use of this tool to improve patient quality of life and healthcare sector management. A mobile phone, for example, is sufficient to transmit data from a portable electrocardiograph to a listening centre and to allow real-time diagnosis at home.
Of course, telemedicine should assure the same safety and efficacy parameters as the traditional health care offered in hospitals and, in general, in the clinical environment.
On the other hand, foetal monitoring is a very important and delicate research field since the foetus is protected in the maternal womb and therefore, until the moment of delivery, accessible only through indirect measures. Furthermore, every mother experiences the need to know the health of their foetus. Hence, the best way to monitor foetal health, with continuity and avoiding false positives, has always been sought.
The field of gynaecology is therefore well-suited to a greater use of telemedicine. The need for this tool arises above all from the high frequency of very long monitoring, especially in the management of pregnancies at risk, with a consequent increase in the number of outpatient checks, as well as prolonged and not always necessary hospitalizations and, last but not least, an increase of cost effectiveness.
Conversely, the development of mobile devices and the increase in wireless networks can allow the provision of medical support when and where patients need it.
Abdominal electrocardiography and cardiotocography are particularly used in prenatal telemedicine, although other methodologies, such as phonocardiography, could be used.
The objective of this Special Issue is to attract ideas regarding the application of telemedicine tools for health monitoring in adults and foetuses. Especially appreciated are original research articles which could contribute to provide guidelines, tools, and techniques that could help spread the knowledge of these methodologies and possibly push hospital structures to obtain supplies in order to facilitate patient monitoring and thus streamline hospital procedures.
Review articles which summarize the state of the art and recent advances in these topics are also welcome.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
- Proposals of new foetal and adult monitoring methodologies;
- Descriptions of experience already introduced in the hospital environment;
- Clear illustrations of necessary techniques to support telemedicine;
- Reducing the number of pregnant hospitalizations;
- Saving costs for the hospital and at the same time improving quality of life of pregnant people.
Dr. Giovanni Improta
Prof. Dr. Maria Romano
Prof. Dr. Francesco Amato
Dr. Alfonso Maria Ponsiglione
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- telemedicine
- telemedicine cost-effectiveness
- telemedicine and health outcomes
- health monitoring
- foetal health monitoring
- foetal heart rate
- biomedical signal processing and analysis
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