Integrated Embedded System for Pre-Natal Health Care

• Published in: Procedia computer science 2015, Vol.57, p.313-322
• Main Authors: Megalingam, Rajesh Kannan, Pocklassery, Goutham, Thulasi, Athul Asokan, Jayakrishnan, Vivek, Mourya, Galla, Nair, Manoj Sajeev
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: healthcare; low resource settings; pre-natal; rural areas; vital parameter
• ISSN: 1877-0509; 1877-0509
• DOI: 10.1016/j.procs.2015.07.345

Adequate health care facilities are not available for people of low resource settings in India. It is even worse when it comes to the monitoring of the health of pregnant women in villages. In this paper we discuss about the integrated healthcare system which has both vital parameter monitoring and ultrasound scanning, particularly for pregnant women in rural areas. We present in depth about the significance of vital parameter measurements in pregnant women and the system we designed for this purpose and the experimental setup. The measured parameters are stored in SD card by the healthcare workers who carry the portable system to villages. This SD card is taken to the nearest primary health care center for diagnosis of any pre-natal disorders by medical experts. The same is reported back to the pregnant women in case of any treatment is required. The measured parameter values are also provided in this paper. Such a system would help in global effort for reduction in child and mother mortality rates in low resource settings, identification of prenatal disorders and treatment at right time.