A scalable telemedicine architecture for under developed countries. A case study: Democratic Republic of Congo

Telemedicine, defined as the use of telecommunications technologies to provide medical information and services, is electronic transfer of medical data being able to include the sound and the images to practice remote medicine. In under developed countries, as the Democratic Republic of Congo, the capability to remote monitor patients that live in villages or small rural town, is a "Big step ahead" for the health system and citizens. In this paper we present a Scalable Telemedicine Architecture designated to be used in a real scenario as the Dem.Rep. of Congo. A prototype of low cost sensor, integrable into architecture, as a pulse oximeter called Ebloops (Experimental Blood Pressure Smart Sensor), is also presented. Pulse oximetry allows doctors to monitor vital parameters as oxygen levels in a human body, heart frequency and other ones. © 2008 IEEE.