# Transforming patient management: a study on secure, cost-effective, automated remote monitoring of urine bags

## TL;DR

A new system uses a smartphone app and sensors to remotely monitor urine bags securely and efficiently, reducing the workload for caregivers.

## Contribution

A novel, secure, and cost-effective system for remote urine bag monitoring using capacitive sensors and AES-256 encryption.

## Key findings

- The system accurately monitors urine bag volumes from 100 to 1000 mL using capacitive sensors.
- AES-256 encryption with dynamic key generation and OTP-based access control ensures data security.
- The system is reusable, non-invasive, and compatible with standard urine bags.

## Abstract

The increasing demand for efficient patient monitoring systems in healthcare and the growing need for remote monitoring, particularly post-pandemic, emphasise the importance of tracking critical parameters such as urine output, blood oxygen saturation, breath rate, and blood pressure. Urine output, a key indicator of kidney function and medical treatment response, is traditionally assessed manually, posing a significant burden on hospital staff and caregivers. Addressing this, our system facilitates continuous, accurate monitoring of urine output, enhancing patient care and healthcare efficiency. We developed a smartphone application leveraging capacitive sensors and a Wi-Fi-enabled control unit, enabling remote monitoring of urine bag volumes. The system alerts when bags are empty for extended periods or full, this is validated through experiments with volumes ranging from 100 to 1000 mL.The corresponding variations in sensor output voltage confirmed the accuracy of the system. To secure patient data, we incorporated AES-256 encryption with dynamic key generation using patient-specific IDs and OTP-based access control, ensuring data privacy and compliance with healthcare regulations. Our approach offers several advantages: ease of attachment to standard urine bags, non-invasiveness, reusability of bags, and remote monitoring through the mobile application. This innovation automates urine output monitoring, secures patient data, reduces the workload of intensive care nurses, and enhances patient care through precise and continuous monitoring. Unlike existing devices that rely on customised containers or short-range Bluetooth transmission, our system is compatible with standard urine bags, employs cost-effective capacitive copper-tape sensors, and integrates AES-256 encryption with dynamic key generation and OTP-based access control for robust data security. These unique features make the system functionally novel, technically secure, and highly practical for deployment in both hospital and home settings.