IOSPress

Information technology helps to improve the quality of health care by disseminating and systematizing knowledge of diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities as well as the organization and management of care. Unobtrusive, active, non-invasive technologies, including wearable devices, allow us to continuously monitor and respond to changes in the health of a patient. Such devices range from micro-sensors integrated in textiles, through consumer electronics, to belt-worn personal computers with head mounted displays. Such ubiquitous computing allows us to identify new ways of managing care that promises to be considerably easier in letting patients maintain their good health while enjoying their life in their usual social setting, rather than having to spend much time at costly, dedicated health care facilities. It may prove essential for ensuring quality of life as well as health care for increasingly aging societies. In addition to the traditional topics of health and biomedical informatics, ‘Ubiquity: technologies for better health in aging societies’, a promising field for the future of health care, has been chosen as special topic for this publication of MIE2006.