[Technology Report]
Electronics Helps Foster Decentralized Healthcare
To stem the tide of escalating healthcare costs, patients are becoming more self-sufficient thanks to the latest medical electronics advances.
“Companies are spending a lot of time on improving the user interface to medical devices, making for a more comfortable and intuitive experience,” says Mark Nadeski, global marketing director for TI’s medical imaging group. “They’re even embedding video processors into the medical devices to show patients how to use a device like, say, an ultrasound probe.”
Most recently, TI introduced an ultrasound development kit that enables medical device manufacturers to deliver clearer images, more accurate diagnosis, and cost-effective healthcare directly to patients. The embedded process software toolkit (STK) leverages the performance of TI’s C64x+ DSP platforms and speeds up a design’s time-to-market.
TERMINALS, CARD READERS PROLIFERATE Medical terminals and card readers are becoming more common in many healthcare facilities. Recently, California’s Kaiser Permanente Center tried out a portable computer, Intel’s Motion C5, to help nurses document patient medical indications and other assignments (Fig. 4). The Center is also testing out Intel’s Health Guide, designed to be connected to blood-pressure monitors, glucose meters, weight scales, and other medical equipment to transmit data to physicians regularly (Fig. 5).
Gemalto, based in the Netherlands, has launched the Sealys e-health terminal, specially designed for the German market (Fig. 6). The product was approved by Germatik, the German national health IT body that sets the stringent security requirements of the country’s e-healthcare system. It has all of the necessary features needed to operate in an online mode in connection with Germany’s “Telematik” infrastructure, due to be implemented next year.
The issue of medical data security is a key factor in the slow adoption of wide-scale medical-records exchanges between healthcare providers, patients, insurance companies, and other legitimate parties. Sending medical records over the airwaves and via the Internet somewhat limits how far smartphone and PDA usage can spread in the medical healthcare field. Privacy laws about medical data and storage must be established to ensure such data is safe and can’t be accessed by unauthorized people.
Progress is being made, though. Health record storage or “banking” continues to gain traction in many regional projects worldwide. In the U.S., three pilot projects were launched in Washington. There’s also a statewide bank in the formative stages in Oregon, and citywide projects are underway in Louisville, Ky., Kansas City, Kan., and Ocala, Fla.
Healthcare consumers in the U.S. now have expanded telephone access to more affordable, high-quality medical care as a result of a strategic relationship between telehealth company TeleDoc Medical Services and Healthagen, a developer of healthcare information software that launched its iTriage application for the iPhone.
Google has partnered with IBM to develop an online personal health record system. And, Lifespan Inc. offers medical information technology that it claims is a breakthrough in the integration of operating-system software and hardware to manage electronic medical data.
PATIENT ASSIST DEVICES ON THE RISE Patient-assist devices are becoming more widespread as electronic and mechanical technologies find applications in the medical field. This is particularly true for the rapidly growing elderly population and for the handicapped.
American Honda Motor Inc. recently demonstrated a prototype to support the elderly and those who suffer from weakened leg muscles but can still walk on their own. The Stride Management Assist is a lightweight wearable device that obtains information about the user’s walking motion from hipangle sensors (Fig. 7).
Based on this information, a CPU applies cooperative control and calculates the amount and timing of the assistance to be provided. As a result, the user’s stride is lengthened compared to a normal stride and the walking pace is regulated, making it easier to walk. The device was inspired by Honda’s advanced humanoid robot, ASIMO.
Ideal Life recently introduced the first Bluetooth-enabled chair scale for home use. The FDA-approved Body Manager Plus is designed for individuals who are too frail or obese to use conventional scales. The company also offers a line of FDA-approved products for assisting patients with chronic conditions such as hypertension, congestive heart failure, asthma, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.
Care Track International’s Mobile Locator wrist transmitter tracks and locates patients with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, autism, and Down syndrome as well as elderly patients with disabilities who are likely to get lost. The SafetyNet from LoJack Corp. provides similar services. These products cost about $25 to $30 a month to use, and they can be provided free in cases of urgent need.
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