- The FCC has proposed the allocation of spectrum for Medical Body Area Network (MBAN) devices.
- Deloitte expects the wireless health device market to triple in the next few years
3. Wireless body monitoring
We need only to listen to the words of FCC chairman Julius Genachowski to get a feel for the potential for wireless body monitoring. Genachowski noted last year that “a monitored hospital patient has a 48% chance of surviving a cardiac arrest,” compared with only 6% for an unmonitored patient.
With the tremendous opportunity for improving health care in mind, the FCC proposed allocating spectrum for Medical Body Area Network, or MBAN, devices. Such devices will record vital signs and other important physical information through sensors attached to a person’s body, with the data transmitted to a local wireless hub. The information can then be monitored remotely by clinical professionals, with alerts sent to let these experts know when medical intervention could be needed.
GE Healthcare (NYSE: GE ) is one company already developing MBAN devices. The giant company plans to introduce technology using sensors that monitor heart and breathing rates, temperature, and pulse oximetry within the next few years. Deloitte predicts that the wireless body monitoring market could more than triple in just the next couple of years. Within the next decade, this technology could be key in helping control overall medical costs.