Application Note:Both Institutional and Home Care Medical Apps Benefit from Optoelectric Sensors

Electronic components have been incorporated into medical equipment designs for years. An aging and expanding population is not only accelerating the development of medical equipment with a higher electronic content, it is also driving the need for different types of medical equipment. Until recent years, medical electronics has been focused primarily on creating technology for the institutional side of the medical market -- expensive diagnostic equipment such as MRIs and CAT Scans for use in hospitals and clinics. Aging baby boomers are now putting a strain on the conventional medical system. Medical experts are changing the way they think about and design medical equipment and demanding new devices that both minimize cost and maximize performance. The high cost of health care is demanding medical equipment that is appropriate for home care and ambulatory treatment. Such equipment must be patient friendly, both technically and physically.