Performance study of routing protocols in a mobile patient monitoring network

Abstract

Patient monitoring and connected medical devices are dramatically changing for providing more care and health services. A WBAN is based on IEEE 802.15.6, allowing near field communication up to one-meter range from the human body. In patient monitoring, the physiological data is sensed by sensor and forward to the medical professional, where the received data is continuously compared with the original data base of a patient. In order to give more care to patients, it is necessary to monitor the patient when they are in motion. This gives a promising way to assist the medical professionals for improving their monitoring abilities. Mobile patient monitoring system detects the patient’s situation when he/she is in motion and allows a patient to roam around the hospital without health professional. For proper communication between the mobile nodes of the patient monitoring system, the IEEE standard WLAN and WPAN are to be implemented. When the patient is moving in the arbitrary trajectory an unpredictable topology and link instability is formed, that make routing protocols a core issue. Different routing protocols such as AODV, DSR, DSDV, and AOMDV have been analysed in NS2 for different types of patient monitoring scenario. Most WLAN are based on IEEE 802.11 and provide wireless connection between the nodes for the communication. This gives users the ability to move around within a local coverage area up to hundred meter range and still be connected to the network. WPAN system is designed under IEEE 802.15.4 standard and provides interconnection of communicating devices. Also it can serve for more specialized purpose such as allowing the surgeon and other team members to communicate during an operation inside the operation theatre. The simulation results shows that IEEE 802.11 is best suited for designed mobile patient monitoring network as it provides more coverage area to the patient.