Mobile e-Health monitoring: an agent-based approach

An ageing population is now the leading healthcare concern of many countries in the world. Aged patients need more healthcare efforts as they present more cases of chronic illnesses involving higher healthcare costs. e-Health systems based on modern information technology are expected to play a role in alleviating this problem. Fortunately, there have been dramatic advances in healthcare technology in terms of mobility, size, speed and communication. However, the main drawbacks of currently deployed e-Health monitoring systems originate from the fact that patients are 'constrained' within smart rooms and beds fitted with monitoring devices. Such monitoring is not ubiquitous in view of the privacy, mobility and flexibility issues concerning patients. On the other hand, health monitoring products strapped to the patient's body provide no analysis or recommendations of results. A multi-agent architecture for mobile health monitoring is presented, involving a team of intelligent agents that collate patient data, reason collectively and recommend actions to patients and medical staff in a mobile environment.