Defense Officials Use Internet of Things to Monitor Health

By Military Health System Communications Office

Imagine if a military doctor could know what kind of injury a warfighter had sustained in combat, the severity of the injury, and what kind of surgeon was needed, before the soldier reached the hospital. Advances in health information technology (HIT) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are helping to make this a reality.

“We’re looking at being able to process and manage large amounts of data by using the Internet of Things,” said Army Lt. Col. Mark Mellott, Execution Branch Chief of the Defense Health Agency (DHA) HIT Innovation and Advanced Technology Development Division. “IoT has the potential to change the dynamic of health care itself. It’s about how different devices are all connected with one another, on the battlefield and in garrison, and how we are able to better share information and make well-informed, data-driven decisions.”

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark Mellott explains the “Remotely Caring for Vulnerable Populations during a Pandemic” project to a patron at the Global City Teams Challenge in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Military Health System Communications/Released)

IoT is the next stage in the evolution of smart technologies, where devices “talk” to each other and to humans. For example, DHA HIT is working on a project that focuses on theater mobile computing applications that will report injuries sustained on the battlefield through automated alerts to medical staff.

“The project is changing the dynamic of health care itself,” said Mellott. “If you as a physician know you’re getting the right information, you can then focus on improving the quality of care and perhaps enable patients to regain their health faster.”

IoT has also enabled DHA HIT to develop self-powered biosensors capable of monitoring a person’s vital signs, activities, and how much sleep they’re getting. The sensors are placed inside clothing and are comfortable for longtime wear. Both of these projects are being managed by the DHA’s Pacific Joint Information Technology Center (Pacific JITC), which focuses on rapid development, research and testing of warfighter medical solutions and products. The Pacific JITC helps the Military Health System (MHS) to be agile and flexible in determining what IT solution is best and most cost effective based on early-stage development and research results.

“All we are doing will help improve the readiness of warfighters, and perhaps increase their chances of survivability, should they sustain an injury,” said Mellott. “What’s really ground-breaking is that a lot of this technology doesn’t require that a physician touch the patient in order to gather information about them. Biosensors will provide this information via theatre mobile applications and download it to a patient’s electronic health records (EHR).”

Another project spearheaded by the Pacific JITC is its Innovation Ecosystem. The ecosystem will create a simulated military environment where internal and external stakeholders can go to test new technologies and determine if they will function in a real-time military environment. “The benefit of this project is that if we fail, we fail early, and can do additional research and development to see what needs to be done to improve the mission of MHS,” said Mellott. “This really ties into the future of acquisition and enhancing the capabilities of warfighters.”

Story and information provided by the Military Health System and the Defense Health Agency
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Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense. For other than authorized activities, such as, military exchanges and Morale, Welfare and Recreation sites, the Department of Defense does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this DoD website.

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By Military Health System Communications Office

Imagine if a military doctor could know what kind of injury a warfighter had sustained in combat, the severity of the injury, and what kind of surgeon was needed, before the soldier reached the hospital. Advances in health information technology (HIT) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are helping to make this a reality.

“We’re looking at being able to process and manage large amounts of data by using the Internet of Things,” said Army Lt. Col. Mark Mellott, Execution Branch Chief of the Defense Health Agency (DHA) HIT Innovation and Advanced Technology Development Division. “IoT has the potential to change the dynamic of health care itself. It’s about how different devices are all connected with one another, on the battlefield and in garrison, and how we are able to better share information and make well-informed, data-driven decisions.”

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark Mellott explains the “Remotely Caring for Vulnerable Populations during a Pandemic” project to a patron at the Global City Teams Challenge in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Military Health System Communications/Released)

IoT is the next stage in the evolution of smart technologies, where devices “talk” to each other and to humans. For example, DHA HIT is working on a project that focuses on theater mobile computing applications that will report injuries sustained on the battlefield through automated alerts to medical staff.

“The project is changing the dynamic of health care itself,” said Mellott. “If you as a physician know you’re getting the right information, you can then focus on improving the quality of care and perhaps enable patients to regain their health faster.”

IoT has also enabled DHA HIT to develop self-powered biosensors capable of monitoring a person’s vital signs, activities, and how much sleep they’re getting. The sensors are placed inside clothing and are comfortable for longtime wear. Both of these projects are being managed by the DHA’s Pacific Joint Information Technology Center (Pacific JITC), which focuses on rapid development, research and testing of warfighter medical solutions and products. The Pacific JITC helps the Military Health System (MHS) to be agile and flexible in determining what IT solution is best and most cost effective based on early-stage development and research results.

“All we are doing will help improve the readiness of warfighters, and perhaps increase their chances of survivability, should they sustain an injury,” said Mellott. “What’s really ground-breaking is that a lot of this technology doesn’t require that a physician touch the patient in order to gather information about them. Biosensors will provide this information via theatre mobile applications and download it to a patient’s electronic health records (EHR).”

Another project spearheaded by the Pacific JITC is its Innovation Ecosystem. The ecosystem will create a simulated military environment where internal and external stakeholders can go to test new technologies and determine if they will function in a real-time military environment. “The benefit of this project is that if we fail, we fail early, and can do additional research and development to see what needs to be done to improve the mission of MHS,” said Mellott. “This really ties into the future of acquisition and enhancing the capabilities of warfighters.”

Story and information provided by the Military Health System and the Defense Health Agency
Follow Armed with Science on Facebook and Twitter!
———-

Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense. For other than authorized activities, such as, military exchanges and Morale, Welfare and Recreation sites, the Department of Defense does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this DoD website.

from Armed with Science http://ift.tt/1OflDU4