SmartDevices
Medical Devices, Computerized -- SmartDevices
Overview
Machines and devices used in medicine to monitor and treat patients are being developed with integrated computers and communication capabilities.
As a class, devices like infusion pumps that once were simply mechanical and later, mechanical devices with electronic controls, are said to have become "smart" when they include integrated computers with on-board databases, data storage and networking capabilities.
Some existing non-computerized devices, such as some vital signs monitors, can be augmented with external add-ons and made to communicate over networks.
Other devices, such as automated dispensing machines, have developed over time into networked, dispensing systems offering also clinical decision support which provides dispensing alerts, dose conversion information, cumulative dose dispensed alerts and administration process reminders.
A major topic of interest for informaticians is smart device integration with Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems. Smart device integration has been discussed by Rausch and Judd in 2006 (Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2006;Suppl:6740-3). These authors mention that "interoperability between medical devices and electronic medical records (EMR) is one key to developing a system of higher quality , safer, and efficient healthcare delivery."
Device integration can be one-way (from device to EMR) or two-way communication. There are use cases for both. For example, a
