Body Area Networks in Healthcare: A Brief State of the Art

A body area network (BAN) comprises a set of devices that sense their surroundings, activate and communicate with each other when an event is detected in its environment. Although BAN technology was developed more than 20 years ago, in recent years, its popularity has greatly increased. The reason i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied sciences 2019-08, Vol.9 (16), p.3248
Main Authors: Vera, Daniel, Costa, Nuno, Roda-Sanchez, Luis, Olivares, Teresa, Fernández-Caballero, Antonio, Pereira, Antonio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Batteries
body area networks
Chronic illnesses
Communication
Design
Diabetes
Energy consumption
Energy sources
Health care
healthcare
IEEE 802.15.6
Internet of Things
Literature reviews
Network topologies
Physicians
Population
Portable equipment
Power supply
Privacy
Quality of service
Quality standards
Security
Sensors
state of the art
Sustainability
Usability
Wireless networks
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Summary:A body area network (BAN) comprises a set of devices that sense their surroundings, activate and communicate with each other when an event is detected in its environment. Although BAN technology was developed more than 20 years ago, in recent years, its popularity has greatly increased. The reason is the availability of smaller and more powerful devices, more efficient communication protocols and improved duration of portable batteries. BANs are applied in many fields, healthcare being one of the most important through gathering information about patients and their surroundings. A continuous stream of information may help physicians with making well-informed decisions about a patient’s treatment. Based on recent literature, the authors review BAN architectures, network topologies, energy sources, sensor types, applications, as well as their main challenges. In addition, the paper focuses on the principal requirements of safety, security, and sustainability. In addition, future research and improvements are discussed.
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app9163248