Two hundred and ninety-four cases of emergency room (ER) violence were reported last year, one-third of which were caused by people who were drunk, according to Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics. Fighting among drunk patients occurs more often in the nation’s south, E-Da Hospital physician Lin Kuo-hsuan (林國軒) said. A collaborated clinical experiment involving TMU Hospital and E-da Hospital used a “smart” wearable device on drunk patients in the emergency room to monitor their heartbeat and make sure they were not in critical condition. “Smart” wearable devices are utilized in the simulations where patients’ vital signs can be checked without disturbing them, Chou said. Li said the College of Medical Science and Technology also established a Healthcare Internet of Things (IoT) medical research alliance earlier this year, promoting “IoT in acute care” and “IoT in chronic care” using “smart” wearable devices.

Source: Taipei Times May 27, 2017 15:56 UTC