Digital Health bits | March 29th 2021
Note: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer
#DigitalHealth #Innovation #AI #DigitalTherapeutics #COVID-19 #TeleHealth
Drone in your home? Telehealth makeover underway at Univ of Cincinnati
A group of inventors at the University of Cincinnati are developing a drone that can be used to conduct virtual visits in patients' homes. The technology aims to fill the gap in telehealth delivery among those who do not have access to the necessary devices or have uneven internet connectivity.
Once fully developed, the drone will be able to navigate indoor spaces and bring two-way communication equipment directly to patients, said Dr. Manish Kumar, one of the inventors and a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Cincinnati, in a phone interview.
Royal Free patient first to receive smartphone connected defibrillator
A 61-year-old year old man has become the first patient at the Royal Free London to receive a new type of implantable defibrillator that can be connected to a smartphone app.
Issac Williams, from Kingsbury in Brent, underwent the procedure at Barnet Hospital. The equipment, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), was inserted with leads planted directly into his heart. The battery sits under his collar bone just beneath the skin and is connected via a smartphone app with Bluetooth connectivity, to Issac’s own mobile phone.
The Gallant device can detect any dangerous speeding up of the heart rhythm and delivers a ‘jolt’ if necessary. The hour-long procedure was carried out by cardiology consultant, Dr Raj Khiani.
The technology is only available for new implants and can’t be retrospectively added to current pacemakers or defibrillators. It is suitable for people who have had a life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm, as well as for those whom tests show they are a risk of having one, such as those who have heart conditions including cardiomyopathy.
Amazon to Take Its Telehealth Service Nationwide
Jumping headfirst into the virtual and in-home health market, Amazon.com Inc. is rolling out its internal Amazon Care program as a workplace benefit to employers across the country, along with all its U.S. employees beyond its Washington base. An Amazon spokesperson told Investopedia this week that it’s "in discussions with a number of companies" about the service.
Unlike other established players in the virtual-first care space, Amazon is looking to partner directly with employers, not health plans.
The move closely follows the creation of a new in-home care policy coalition in early March, of which Amazon Care is a founding member.
Announced last week in a company news blog,1 these expansions—slated to begin this summer—could potentially grow the reach of Amazon’s app-based messaging, video, and in-person care options to millions of people. They’re also expected to ratchet up competition among existing telehealth providers and retail clinics, analysts say.
The move confirms recent rumors about the company’s big intentions in the healthcare arena and follows a successful pilot for Amazon employees in and around the company’s Seattle headquarters, who have been using Amazon Care since September 2019. In addition, it coincides with the launch of a new, Amazon-backed initiative intended to advance in-home health trends.
Spanish mobile network Yoigo launches telemedicine service Doctor Go
Spanish mobile operator, Yoigo, part of the telecommunications MásMóvil group brand, has launched a family package telemedicine service for its customers.
At €6 per month, the Doctor Go telemedicine service offers video-consultations with family doctors and specialists, as well as telepharmacy services for electronic prescriptions and the delivery of medicines.
Available from last week on Android and IOS platforms, the service covers two adults and all children within a family unit. The initiative aims for immediate round-the-clock medical care, which includes a chat platform with specialists, access to the more than 40,000 professionals in the Quirón network, booking of COVID-19 testing and electronic prescriptions with shipping delivery of medicines, with discounted courier costs.
The initiative also provides wellness services, offering consultations with specialists in nutrition, personal training and psychology. Yoigo also plans to provide access to face-to-face care through its agreement with the QuironSalud group.
Cardiac patients in Tasmania can now seek digital health rehabilitation
Digital health group Cardihab has partnered with Tasmania’s health department and the Royal Flying Doctor Service, an aeromedical organisation, to roll out its Cardihab app in public hospitals throughout the state. The app will enable patients in Tasmania with heart disease to undergo rehabilitation programmes and receive medical advice at home through weekly phone calls and video consultations.
Cardiac disease is the leading cause of death in Tasmania, with its fatality rate higher than the national average by 9.8 deaths per 100,000 people. A study by RFDS researchers also showed that Australians living in rural areas are 1.6 times more susceptible to be hospitalised for coronary heart disease and 1.3 times more likely to die as compared to their counterparts who reside in urban developments. RFDS also released another statement stating that four out of five deaths resulting from premature cardiac disease could be prevented if there were cardiac rehabilitation services available in rural areas.
AppliedVR raises $29M as it seeks FDA clearance of VR system for pain treatment
Earlier this year, AppliedVR shared results of a pivotal study that it plans to submit to the FDA. It received a breakthrough device designation last year to use its VR platform to treat fibromyalgia and lower back pain.
As it pursues FDA clearance of its virtual reality platform for pain relief, AppliedVR raised $29 million in funding.
Founded in 2013, the Los Angeles-based startup is developing a digital therapeutic to treat chronic pain using VR. Rather than focusing on VR as a physical therapy tool, AppliedVR is designing self-guided courses with mindfulness exercises and pain education.
It received a breakthrough device designation from the FDA last year, and recently shared results of a pivotal trial that it plans to submit to the regulator. In a randomized, controlled trial, it found that its eight-week program resulted in a 42% reduction in pain intensity for people with chronic lower-back pain.
The EKFZ for Digital Health researches the use of smart glasses in everyday clinical practice
The tooz smart glasses are not typical, often heavy and unwieldy AR glasses, but instead integrate the complex optical system almost invisibly into the shape of normal prescription glasses.
Despite the increasing availability of medical data, for example in the form of digital patient records, access to relevant information in everyday clinical practice is often spatially and technically limited. In the future, the use of data glasses in the healthcare sector is expected to increase the quality of care and patient safety as well as to reduce the burden on the people working in this field. Together with the Chair of Software Technology at the TU Dresden and the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, the EKFZ for Digital Health is researching possible applications of smart glasses in daily doctor's visits. The aim of the research project is to develop a communication platform that provides relevant information about the patient to the carrier at the right time and in the right place. In doing so, the special requirements regarding data protection and other regulatory specifications are taken into account from the very beginning.
Note: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer