In my last column (June 2020), I wrote about my experience with COVID-19 and the challenges involved with getting medical attention. The problem is still with us, even with the improved availability of personal protection equipment and masks. The experience of calling for a doctor’s appointment and being told I could not come into the doctor’s office was unsettling to say the least.
A “video consultation” was all that was offered. My reaction was “Wait, you won’t be getting any vital signs or other medical information that way!” This led to the natural conclusion that remote detection would be helpful in these conditions. Telemedicine has long been of interest, especially for treating patients in rural or isolated areas where physicians and hospitals may be in short supply or absent entirely. Wearable sensors have become popular items for people who want to track their daily exercise or challenge themselves to exceed past performance with new records.
To continue reading this article by Vint Cerf in the Communications of the ACM, go to:
https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2020/8/246354-on-the-internet-of-medical-things/fulltext