If the Lifewatch V does what it claims to do, hubs and connected devices may be on their way to obsolescence. Using sensors on and apps in an Android-based smartphone, it measures ECG (one lead), body temperature, blood glucose, heart rate, oxygen saturation, body fat percentage and stress levels (heart rate variability), delivering the test results to a cloud-based server accessible for analysis and sending to the monitoring physician or clinician. For blood glucose, your strips are actually inserted into the phone. There’s also a med reminder, a pedometer application, diet plans and logs for exercise and weight. Whew! The company is based in Israel and is actively seeking partners for launch into markets. Gizmodo calls it the smartphone that could save your life. Oh yes, it alerts a call center–and you can make phone calls, text and email too. Not FDA approved as of yet, but it is definitely in the whiz-bang category. Hat tip to one of our readers (at his request, anonymous.)
The forefront of mHealth: Learning from Saxon times
Spend 15 minutes with a cup of coffee and the video below to hear Dr Leslie Saxon sum up the present situation for remote monitoring of patients with heart implants and the case for, and current limitations on, mHealth generally. “It’s a civil rights issue.” Wow! It’s better than many a two-day conference. Don’t miss the anecdotes that start at 8mins 45secs.
See this TEDMED page for biographical information on Dr Saxon.
RELATED NEWS ITEM May 16, 2012: Philips has announced the latest addition to the company’s remote diagnostic arrhythmia and remote patient monitoring portfolio, CardioCare Wireless Arrhythmia Services, to streamline the complex process of remotely monitoring cardiac patients and capture critical information sooner. Only in the US at present. HealthTech item.
Frasier and telehealth remote monitoring
A reminder that telehealth remote monitoring has a longer history than many people now jumping on the bandwaggon suppose: Frasier’s father Martin is having his blood pressure monitored at random over 48 hours and the data is being transferred to, and monitored at, his doctor’s office. From the 201st episode, Sharing Kirby, first broadcast over 10 years ago: November 20th, 2001.
(2 minuite clip: Click to play.)
King’s Fund Congress video interviews
Here are a number of interviews with some of the main speakers from the King’s Fund Congress earlier this month in addition to a selection of the session videos. Vimeo search results.
Mr Haris Patel: a telehealth user’s story (video) (UK)
Following up Mr Patel’s presentation at the Kings Fund conference: one of several videos of him on YouTube.
Why the Future of Healthcare Will Require Unlearning (Video)
Entertaining 15 minute talk by ‘Futurist’ Jack Uldrich who challenges the audience to ‘unlearn’ some assumptions they have been making about the world…and healthcare. Why the Future of Healthcare Will Require Unlearning. From UnitedHealthcare. What assumptions do we need to unlearn about telecare and telehealth?
Cardiac consultant demos telehealth (UK)
Dr Lance Forbat is an independent cardiologist who has used the Docobo Doc@Home system for several years. In this 10 minute YouTube video he shows how it is used and a patient talks about it from his perspective.
Low cost telepresence robot on its way
Is the future of home-based telecare robotic? It’s a question we keep asking as more and more ingenious approaches to robots appear. Here is a ‘telepresence’ robot that is low-cost owing to using a notebook computer for its ‘brain’. Oculus telepresence robot incorporates user’s existing netbook. GizMag.
Des robots multiservices pour les seniors (France)
Video: French TV report on an exhibition featuring a number of robots with a focus on older people at home, with a cameo appearance from Kompaï. Des robots multiservices pour les seniors. After the adverts.
ITEA2 MIDAS project – final review
The European Information Technology for European Advancement’s (ITEA) Multimodal Interfaces for Disabled and Ageing Society (MIDAS) project has completed and the 15 partner companies have produced a 4 minute video of their final get-together that gives a flavour of the sub-projects covered.
{vimeo}30841396{/vimeo}
Low power ECG, heart rate and motion detection on mobile phone
Electronics company IMEC and the Dutch government supported Holst Centre have demonstrated a new low power health monitoring chip with the latest Bluetooth capability which, it is claimed, can last a month on a 200 mAh battery. The chip is capable of taking ECG, heart rate and motion detection and transmitting the data to a mobile phone. Applications include epileptic seizure detection and heart arrythmia monitoring. Heads up thanks to TANN: England editor Chrys Meewella.
Very first wheel turns of robuWALKER (Video)
Uploaded a few minutes ago – you see it first here, folks – our friends at Robosoft have come up with a robotised walker (still in its very early stages). Being stable and not bumping into things look like great advantages.
Telehealth monitoring babies after heart surgery
Two-minute video of telehealth monitoring of infants after surgery for complex congenital heart defects – an explanation by Dr. Bradley Keller, Kosair Charities Endowed Chair and Director of Pediatric Heart Research at the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute, University of Louisville, Kentucky, US.
Costs and opportunities of automated ‘we call you’ systems
Jamie Cole of UK-based Telecare Technology is quizzed in the video below on the economics, opportunities and risks of the automated ‘we call you’ phone system that his company provides. The approach is the logical extension of the type of services common in the US – often called ‘telecare’ – where volunteers on a rota phone people to check that they are alright. FineThanx runs a similar automated system in the US.
There are clearly opportunities in such systems to deliver, say, medication prompts at lower cost than sending a person to check, although an automated telecare medication dispenser may give more assurance that the person has actually complied.
Kompaï robot – a few steps forward
New video from Robosoft shows additional fall detection and location functionality being added to the Kompaï care robot via the Multimodal Interfaces for Disabled and Aging Society (MIDAS) project.
Introducing Worcestershire TeleCare video: A guide for Customers (UK)
Editor Steve confesses to mixed feelings about this video. As a communication to customers or potential customers of the independent Worcestershire TeleCare Service, it is excellent: the structure, the pace, and most importantly, the ‘meet the team’ interviews are spot-on. On the other hand it reminds one how much of the UK’s telecare provision promotes the ‘stay-at-home-with-a-pendant’ mentality. It also looks like an advert for a particular manufacturer. Worcestershire TeleCare Service website. 7 mins 41 seconds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXOcJ3uQuTM
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