Wireless pager system for enhancing emergency communication in hospital environment
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Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka
Abstract
Maintaining fast and efficient communication between hospital staff is critical to ensure patient safety during emergencies. However, challenges such as the lack of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) signals in countries like Sri Lanka and the risk of using cable communication during hazardous weather conditions further complicate emergency communication. This paper proposes a wireless pager system utilizing LoRa (Long Range) technology to facilitate seamless interaction between doctors, nurses, and other supportive and administrative staff in a hospital. LoRa operates on sub-gigahertz frequencies, providing robust signal penetration and extended range, making it ideal for hospital environments where walls and infrastructure often disrupt traditional signals. The proposed system consists of three primary modules: the Ward Module, Central Hub, and Doctor Module. The Ward Module, placed in hospital wards, allows nurses to trigger emergency alerts by selecting an available doctor. It also provides status updates on message delivery and doctors' responses. The Central Hub acts as the system's control center, maintaining a database of doctors and wards, managing doctor availability, registering new entries, and logging communication transactions. It utilizes a web-based application to handle and collect data, which runs on the Central Hub, streamlining data management and access. The Hub also backs up data to the cloud and stores it locally during internet outages, synchronizing once the connection is restored. The Doctor Modules enable doctors to log their presence by selecting their ID from a list obtained from the Central Hub. This login data is updated in the Central Hub and shared with the Ward Modules. Upon receiving an emergency alert, doctors can respond by accepting, canceling, or forwarding the message, with the updated status being communicated back to the Ward Module. The system was tested in a simulated hospital environment using two Ward Modules, two Doctor Modules, and a Central Hub, covering a 200m distance. Both the Ward and Doctor Modules were built using ESP32 microcontrollers with LoRa modules operating at 433 MHz, while the Central Hub was developed using a Raspberry Pi single board computer with a LoRa module. The system demonstrated reliable performance, maintaining stable communication across the test range. It also demonstrated potential for larger hospitals, with extended range possible through proper antenna configuration. A 96% success rate was recorded, with message transmission in under 2 seconds. While LoRa offers robust long-range communication with low power use, its limited bandwidth poses challenges for large data transmission. However, for emergency pager systems, the trade-off between power efficiency and data capacity is acceptable. The system operates independently of traditional communication infrastructure, providing hospitals with a sustainable and resilient solution for emergency communication. It streamlines emergency response in hospital wards by enabling realtime communication and status updates between staff, ensuring fast and accurate transmission of critical information. This enhances the efficiency of interventions and improves patient care outcomes.
Description
Keywords
Emergency Alert, Health Care Management, LoRa Technology, Pager System, Wireless Communication
Citation
Gunarathna T. G. L.; Adhikari A. M. N. D. S.; Bandara K. D. Y.; Gunawardana K. D. B. H.; Seneviratne J. A.; Perera M. H. M. T. S. (2024), Wireless pager system for enhancing emergency communication in hospital environment, Proceedings of the International Conference on Applied and Pure Sciences (ICAPS 2024-Kelaniya) Volume 4, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka. Page 217