Back in December, I wrote about how technology companies were looking to wireless devices as a way to advance the remote monitoring of healthcare. One of the companies with its sights set on the industry’s future was Qualcomm, which has been steadily chugging along with its Wireless Health Program.

The idea is make it much easier for doctor’s to access patient data, so they can focus on the practice of medicine. The smart way to do this, according to the Qualcomm Wireless Health Program, is to create a network of sensors in or on the human body—a Body Area Network—that can interpret and transfer data wirelessly to the physician.
 
If successful, the BAN approach would reduce hospital stays, enable the chronically ill and the elderly to live at home, cut wasted healthcare spending, and improve fitness levels and preventative medicine.
 
For example, wireless pills developed by Proteus Biomedical with Qualcomm technology are powered by stomach acid, according to a Wired article. These pills send temperature and acidity data to a sensor on the abdomen via electrical impulse, using the body itself as the conductor.
 
Another arrives in the form of an electronic patch, which targets congestive heart failure, a condition brought about by a build up of pressure from excess internal body fluid. The patch monitors vital signs and transmits them wirelessly to a cellular gateway located in the home, which then relays the information to the patient's physician. From there, the practitioner can track daily trends in their patient's health and alter dosages as needed.
 
While I wouldn’t volunteer myself to participate in a study, a few trials of wireless health technology have already been conducted by companies like Cardionet, with positive results. Stay tuned for more on the Qualcomm Wireless Health Program, as well as others committed to making wireless health a reality.