A Cloud Infrastructure for Health Monitoring in Emergency Response Scenarios

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2024-10, Vol.24 (21), p.6992
• Main Authors: Orro, Alessandro, Geminiani, Gian Angelo, Sicurello, Francesco, Modica, Marcello, Pegreffi, Francesco, Neri, Luca, Augello, Antonio, Botteghi, Matteo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Architecture; Blood pressure; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Cloud Computing; Collaboration; Data processing; digital health; Efficiency; Electrocardiogram; Electrocardiography; Electrocardiography - methods; Emergency management; Emergency medical care; Emergency Medical Services - methods; Emergency Responders; Humans; Information sharing; Infrastructure (Economics); Internet of Things; IoT; Medical equipment; Medical personnel; Monitoring, Physiologic - instrumentation; Monitoring, Physiologic - methods; Occupational health and safety; occupational health monitoring; Oxygen saturation; Patients; real-time emergency management; Research methodology; Safety and security measures; Sensors; User experience; Vital Signs - physiology; Wearable computers; wearable device; Wearable Electronic Devices
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s24216992

Wearable devices have a significant impact on society, and recent advancements in modern sensor technologies are opening up new possibilities for healthcare applications. Continuous vital sign monitoring using Internet of Things solutions can be a crucial tool for emergency management, reducing risks in rescue operations and ensuring the safety of workers. The massive amounts of data, high network traffic, and computational demands of a typical monitoring application can be challenging to manage with traditional infrastructure. Cloud computing provides a solution with its built-in resilience and elasticity capabilities. This study presents a Cloud-based monitoring architecture for remote vital sign tracking of paramedics and medical workers through the use of a mobile wearable device. The system monitors vital signs such as electrocardiograms and breathing patterns during work sessions, and it is able to manage real-time alarm events to a personnel management center. In this study, 900 paramedics and emergency workers were monitored using wearable devices over a period of 12 months. Data from these devices were collected, processed via Cloud infrastructure, and analyzed to assess the system's reliability and scalability. The results showed a significant improvement in worker safety and operational efficiency. This study demonstrates the potential of Cloud-based systems and Internet of Things devices in enhancing emergency response efforts.