A free event for all those interested in medical apps (UK)

September 14, 2014 | by

On Wednesday 17th September the Health Technology Forum in London is meeting again at Baker Botts’ head office at the back of the Bank of England to hear presentations from:

Joe Hagan-Brown, Regulatory Affairs Specialist at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) who has very kindly agreed to present on a huge range of app-related issues including:

The Medical Devices Directive – definition of a medical device; Software- qualification as a medical device; A brief background to software in the context of medical device legislation; Meddev 2.6/1; The market for Apps; MHRA guidance on software as a medical device; Five categories of apps; Classification; Conformity assessment; Telehealth; Vigilance/Post market surveillance; General requirements; Specific considerations

Alex Denoon, from Lawford Davies Denoon who has very indly agreed to talk to us on the impact of the proposed Data Protection Regulation on biomedical research. The talk will cover the (largely unintended) potentially catastrophic effects on matters are diverse as biobanks, personalised medicine, e-health and the development of new medicines.

The plan is to give both speakers plenty of time both for their presentations and to respond to questions, whilst still enabling all present to enjoy Baker Botts’ legendary hospitality for the networking session afterwards.

There are currently 12 spaces left. More details, and how to book are here

European celebrity, cash and consultation: any interest?

August 23, 2014 | by

Some interesting opportunities!

Firstly, how about nominating your favourite European Web Entrepreneur for a Europioneers Award? There are four categories including ‘youth’ and ‘gazelle’, so plenty of scope there.

Secondly perhaps you might like to participate in an EU health & wellbeing Horizon 2020 project bid? The 2014-2015 work program is here. More details on the Healthtech and Medicines KTN site.

Thirdly and finally (more…)

Annual SIHI conference “Informatics to deliver integrated care” 10th September

August 21, 2014 | by

If perchance in spite of our previous set of suggestions, you still aren’t booked for an event on the 10th September, why not whizz down to the University of Portsmouth’s annual SIHI conference, this year entitled “Informatics to deliver integrated care”?

Booking costs a mere £95 and is here. Last year’s event, on Big Data was exceptionally good; looking at the array of excellent speakers, it will clearly be another brilliant event.

I am just so sorry I am already committed for that date.

The NICE way to a long and healthy life

August 21, 2014 | by

The National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) has produced truly excellent draft guidance entitled Dementia, disability and frailty in later life – mid-life approaches to prevention.

As pointed out by David Oliver’s Kings Fund blog, which alerted this Editor to the NICE document, what is particularly exciting about these guidelines are “the principles and linking themes behind them, and the fact that, instead of just advising clinicians, the guidelines include direct advice to the government on health and wider social policy”.

Put another way, this document represents a holistic approach to coordinating the principal health drivers for a long and healthy old age: a major step to helping people achieve the vision of looking forward to old age. The table on page 15 of the draft emphasises just how wide (more…)

When will we learn how to evaluate complex healthcare interventions?

August 12, 2014 | by | 1 Comment

This editor’s piece last week entitled “Is this the last time the flat earth society will be celebrating” was very widely read – thank you readers – and prompted both further thoughts and an especially thoughtful pointer from Mike Clark.

As readers of that post will be aware, the paper referred to in the post focused heavily on the high cost/QALY supposedly shown by the Whole System Demonstrator RCT. Mike drew my attention to a paper, published both here and here, by Trine Bergmo on the different ways in which the concept of a QALY is calculated for remote patient monitoring. The thrust of the paper is that different methods give significantly different results for interventions like telehealth. To this editor there was another equally important message though, that (more…)

Will bicycles be another sector to leave health behind?

August 11, 2014 | by

As someone whose favourite bicycle-related activity is cooking an occasional Paris-Brest, who mounts an exercise bicycle only when there’s nothing else unoccupied in the gym, and who just occasionally sallies forth on a fold-up when alternative transport is impractical, this editor has been blown away by the revelations in the recent Beecham Research on Connected Bikes.

It seems there is no limit to how technology is transforming the bicycle with the aid, of course, of the ubiquitous smartphone. A particularly popular feature seems to be an app-driven automatic gear changer, as introduced by Cambridge Consultants when they first used the term “Connected Bike” in 2012. Fitness, navigation, anti-theft, safety and (more…)

RSM healthcare technology videos online at last!

August 6, 2014 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/RSM-logo.png” thumb_width=”150″ /]The Royal Society of Medicine’s Telemedicine and eHealth Section at last has its own dedicated website for videos of past presentations. Sadly there is only room for a selection of these, however there are important presentations there from last year’s conference, and from all the three one-day events this year on recent development in digital heath, medical apps and big data: a real treasure trove of knowledge and expertise!

Viewing is free for RSM members (including students), with a small fee for non-members (less than attending the conference though).

Mum & Baby app – delivering relevant and reliable information

August 6, 2014 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Mum-and-baby2.png” thumb_width=”150″ /]Remembering the panics due to lack of good advice from when our first child was born 36 years ago, this editor was especially intrigued to hear of an app being developed to reduce such anxiety by Sunita Sharma, Clinical Education Fellow at Imperial College, London at a recent Royal Society of Medicine Innovation event.

Sunita worked closely with Chelsea and Westminster Health Charity’s Maternity team to create this free Mum & Baby app for new mums. Developed in response to the maternity service user surveys, it aims to meet the new mum’s need for relevant and reliable information about herself and looking after her new-born baby. Topics are divided into easy to navigate sections with links to useful online resources.

The Android version can be downloaded here, and the Apple version here.

Since publishing this piece, Sunita Sharma has pointed out that the app does have some elements that are specific to Chelsea & Westminster Hospital although, if other maternity services want to use it, it is built to be easily reconfigurable.

The importance of biomedical engineering

August 1, 2014 | by

Picking up on yesterday’s post about an event on the topic in November comes a fascinating report produced by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. It gives an overview of biomedical engineering in the UK and includes case studies from UK universities and industry. It looks at the role of technology and biomedical engineers in the NHS, and makes a number of key recommendations, which would help improve healthcare in the UK and stimulate grow in the sector.

Key recommendations (more…)

Is this the last time the flat earth society will be celebrating? (UK WSD)

July 30, 2014 | by | 3 Comments

When this editor was running a telecare & telehealth programme in Surrey, there was always the dread when meeting professionals that one of the daily internet newssheets would publicise another paper about the Whole System Demonstrator (WSD) that ‘proved’ that one or other form of remote patient monitoring (RPM) cost more per QALY than a voyage on Virgin Galactic. The day was then spent unconstructively, making some or all of the points encapsulated in my original post on 22 July last year entitled “Time to bid farewell to the WSD”.

Thankfully the flow of WSD papers has since dwindled. Doubtless many hoped they had stopped for good, in view of their total irrelevance to the real world in 2014. However, on the offchance that some poor reader has found themselves being challenged about the abstract of a recent paper picked up by Pulse, on the high cost per QALY of telecare by one of the few professionals who still do not accept the value of appropriated technology, here is what you might tell them (more…)

Medvivo: correction

July 17, 2014 | by

On 13th July this editor wrote a piece entitled “Wearables & mHealth: a few observations “ which included a paragraph on staff reductions at Medvivo which we suggested might be a part of an overall reduction in Medvivo’s engagement with telehealth. We had tried to contact the company beforehand, without success, however following publication of the story, this editor was then contacted by Andrew Cowie, Chief Executive of Medvivo. He kindly pointed that with the acquisition of Magna Careline, Medvivo’s headcount has actually increased by some 50, significantly more than the number who are en route to leaving the company. The other observation mentioned in the paragraph as supporting our concerns was, apparently, entirely coincidental (and transitory), and the following paragraph, which actually related to the BBC, was so worded that Medvivo (incorrectly) took it to refer to them. We therefore unreservedly apologise, and invite readers to check out the revised article.

RSM event on Clinical Neuroscience and Telemedicine on 24th September (UK)

July 16, 2014 | by

Through presentations by world-class clinicians, this meeting on 24th September, will examine the wide range of ways in which telemedicine has improved patient outcomes, and reduced cost, in the field of clinical neuroscience. Older readers with long memories may recall a BT television advert from the late ’80’s featuring a neurosurgical consultant in his dressing gown and slippers studying a TV monitor in his home. A CT scan of an acute patient had been transferred in real time for a consultant decision using the ‘Intrans’ system. Since then, there have been many applications of image transfer, which has become the UK norm. This will be discussed, as well as the complexities and difficulties related to encryption.

However telemedicine has applications in a host of other clinical areas. Management of very acute neurological conditions remains the most obvious. ‘Apps’ in head injury management are now commonly used for both record and decision making and are about to be expanded further. We will also be discussing telemedicine intensive management with international experts by Skype. Acute stroke has also been transformed by thrombolytics, although the decision on who to treat must be made in local centres without recourse to neurological experts, so here again telemedicine plays a vital role.

Acute medicine is not the only field where telemedicine has a role. Long term management of disabled patients who find the distance to the specialist centre daunting is also vital. Telemedicine in neuro-rehabilitation is one of a number of areas where the techniques have found a clear place.

This is the fourth event organised by the RSM’s Telemedicine & eHealth Section this year – the previous three have all been extremely well attended; delegates have rated them highly in feedback reports. To book go here – as with all RSM events, prices are far below commercial rates as the Society is a charity dedicated to medical education and the promotion of medical advances.

Lessons to be learned from business clusters – UK report

July 15, 2014 | by

As this editor gets regular requests for survey data and forecasts, it would be a shame not to make readers aware of Industrial revolutions: capturing the growth potential, a recent 92-page report commissioned by the Gatsby Foundation from a partnership of Centre for Cities and McKinsey. Lord Sainsbury has written the foreword.

The report focuses on the lessons to be learned from clusters because:

1. Clusters are a major contributor to growth. The 31 economically significant clusters identified in this report contain 8% of the UK’s businesses, but generate 20% of UK output (gross value added).

2. Clusters are important sources of well-paid jobs. The United Kingdom’s top 31 economically significant clusters together employ four million people – one in seven of the working population – and they offer average salaries that are typically higher than those in the surrounding region.

3. Clusters bring business advantages that cannot easily (more…)

McKinsey: digital health mythbusters

July 15, 2014 | by | 2 Comments

Readers will find the very readable McKinsey survey of patient attitudes to digital health valuable in helping them determine the best way forward to develop their online services.

The survey covered patients in three very different health services – UK, Germany and Singapore. Principal findings, headlined as five busted myths, were:

Myth: People don’t want to use digital services for healthcare – actually 75% of them (more…)

New consultation on monitoring of home-based care services (UK)

July 15, 2014 | by

Undaunted by the apparent lack of interest in their multi supplier framework agreement for telecare & telehealth tender last year, the East Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) is now seeking to establish a multi supplier framework agreement for the supply of systems to facilitate the monitoring by local authorities and other service commissioners and service providers of home-based care services. The framework will apparently also include solutions and products that assist in the scheduling of home care visits and the rostering of care staff.

According to the announcement, the requirement is for both stand alone and integrated systems, with various hosting options and technologies. Systems should ideally be tailored to the needs of the home care sector.

At this stage, ESPO is keen to engage with interested parties to discuss the products and services currently available in the market, options regarding the structure of the procurement and the anticipated direction of future market developments. Those keen to participate in this market consultation are asked to contact Louis Blake on 0116 294 4055 or l.blake@espo.org, by 30 August 2014.

Although having a touch of “big brother” (more…)