A cloud computing based 12-lead ECG telemedicine service

doi:10.1186/1472-6947-12-77

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2012; 12: 77.

Published online 2012 July 28. doi: 10.1186/1472-6947-12-77

PMCID: PMC3461479

A cloud computing based 12-lead ECG telemedicine service

Jui-chien Hsieh¹ and Meng-Wei Hsu¹

¹Department of Information Management, Yuan Ze Uiversity, 135 Yuan-Tung Road, Chungli 32003, Taiwan

Corresponding author.

Jui-chien Hsieh: jchsieh/at/saturn.yzu.edu.tw; Meng-Wei Hsu: s986315/at/mail.yzu.edu.tw

Received February 27, 2012; Accepted July 28, 2012.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Background

Due to the great variability of 12-lead ECG instruments and medical specialists’ interpretation skills, it remains a challenge to deliver rapid and accurate 12-lead ECG reports with senior cardiologists’ decision making support in emergency telecardiology.

Methods

We create a new cloud and pervasive computing based 12-lead Electrocardiography (ECG) service to realize ubiquitous 12-lead ECG tele-diagnosis.

Results

This developed service enables ECG to be transmitted and interpreted via mobile phones. That is, tele-consultation can take place while the patient is on the ambulance, between the onsite clinicians and the off-site senior cardiologists, or among hospitals. Most importantly, this developed service is convenient, efficient, and inexpensive.

Conclusions

This cloud computing based ECG tele-consultation service expands the traditional 12-lead ECG applications onto the collaboration of clinicians at different locations or among hospitals. In short, this service can greatly improve medical service quality and efficiency, especially for patients in rural areas. This service has been evaluated and proved to be useful by cardiologists in Taiwan.

Keywords: ECG, Telecardiology, Cloud computing, Pervasive computing

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