Defining the standard for wide use of Bluetooth wireless technology in medical, health and fitness applications
Düsseldorf – November 14th, 2007 – The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is announcing the Medical Device Profile for Bluetooth wireless technology at Medica, the 39th World Forum for Medicine in Düsseldorf (14-17 November 2007). The Bluetooth SIG is hosting a pavilion (hall 15 / C48) at the show for 11 member companies that will be showing how to use Bluetooth® wireless technology in medical, health and fitness applications.
A Bluetooth profile defines how different applications use Bluetooth wireless technology to set up a connection and exchange data. The Medical Devices Working Group of the Bluetooth SIG developed this profile to ensure that devices used in medical, health and fitness applications can transfer data between devices in a secure and well defined way via Bluetooth wireless technology. Thanks to its elementary values such as low power, low cost, high security and robustness, Bluetooth wireless technology is ideally suited for these applications. With the healthcare costs globally caught in a relentless upward spiral, the healthcare industry needs creative solutions to meet the ever-growing need for quality health services with wireless convenience while allowing patients, insurers, and governments to keep their budgets in check.
In the Bluetooth SIG pavilion A&D Medical, Bluegiga, ConnectBlue, Cybercom, Ezurio, Intel Corporation, lesswire, National Semiconductor, Nonin Medical Inc. Stollmann and Lintech will display innovative and creative products and prototypes that contribute to an improved medical environment. The recently announced ultra low power addition to Bluetooth technology will further strengthen the opportunities to reduce cost size and power consumption for many small, button-cell operated health and fitness devices. This is expected to be available for general use in such devices in 2008.
The rapidly expanding health market is increasingly making use of Bluetooth wireless technology to connect devices. Most of these connections are between a computing device (e.g. home health station, cellular phone, telemedicine device, computer or PDA ) and one or more Bluetooth enabled devices (e.g. medical, health and fitness sensors such as heart rate, blood pressure, glucose, weight, and oximeters etc). The transmission of data takes place quickly and seamlessly such that the user need not be involved. The Bluetooth enabled telemedicine solutions will help patients to recover or monitor their health and wellness while at home or away potentially saving significant amounts of money by reducing in-hospital care. For the elderly, wireless applications allow a more mobile monitoring system and less confinement to a room or a bed, thereby contributing to a better quality of life, and for emergency applications the reduction of cables causing immense problems in sometimes chaotic situations is vital.
“For medical and health applications, data can be very sensitive; therefore, it is important to make sure the solution facilitates compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other international data privacy requirements,” says Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director, Bluetooth SIG. “In addition, some applications require increased reliability of connectivity, timely processing of data, proper prioritization of time sensitive data for single and multi-profile applications, improved data interpretation and improved resiliency to network issues. The new Medical Device Profile ensures the medical health and fitness industries the best wireless solutions on the market.”
About Bluetooth® Wireless Technology
Bluetooth wireless technology is the global short-range wireless standard for personal connectivity of a broad range of electronic devices. The technology is now available in its fourth version of the core specification and continues to develop, building on its inherent strengths – small-form factor radio, low power, low cost, built-in security, robustness, ease-of-use, and ad hoc networking abilities. More than five new Bluetooth wireless technology enabled products are qualified every working day and 13 million Bluetooth wireless technology units are shipping per week. The installed base of Bluetooth devices is one and a half billion and climbing, making it the only proven choice for developers, product manufacturers, and consumers worldwide.
About the Bluetooth SIG
The Bluetooth SIG, comprised of leaders in the telecommunications, computing, consumer electronics, automotive and network industries, is driving development of Bluetooth wireless technology and bringing it to market. The Bluetooth SIG includes Promoter group companies Ericsson, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, along with over 9,000 Associate and Adopter member companies. The Bluetooth SIG, Inc. headquarters are located in Bellevue, Washington, U.S.A. For more information please visit www.bluetooth.com.
The Bluetooth word mark, “B & Oval Design” figure mark and “Bluetooth & Design” combination mark are registered trademarks and are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
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