Health Tech Digital Magazine | December 2018

HEALTH TECH

MAGAZINE

December 2018

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTH Government funds five healthcare technology centres of excellence Self-assessing back pain by app just as effective as traditional methods, study shows

HealthTech Advisory Board meet for the first time Instant messaging now crucial for the NHS to coordinate during patient emergencies

Microsoft praise CM’s ARMED falls prevention technology

What does Brexit mean for the NHS? Philips Illumeo with adaptive intelligence has been selected by University of Utah Health radiologists The three Ps in health technology Siemens Healthineers and Healthy.io Align Expertise to Improve Kidney Disease Compliance with Home Testing

Newest Release of OneTouch RevealÂŽ Mobile App Provides Even More Insight to Support Diabetes Management

NTU Singapore and TTSH invent smart medical device for early intervention of congestive heart failure

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HEALTH TECH DIGITAL Health Tech Digital brings healthcare professionals, thought leaders and healthcare technology companies together by providing a comprehensive online and print magazine, e-newsletter and Health Tech TV covering every aspect of the healthcare technology sector in the UK. We make it easy for healthcare professionals to find solutions, read case studies and connect with companies who are pioneering the digital transformation of healthcare in the UK. Health Tech Digital covers the entire digital transformation journey, from learning about a solution, hearing about new funding and health-tech news, reading case studies, learning about integration, interoperability, security, infrastructure, hardware, equipment, commissioning and procurement. Join over 20,000 healthcare professionals by signing up to our newsletter today.

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here are many ways for you to get involved with Health Tech Digital. Health Tech TV, our new YouTube channel is where we will be sharing healthcare technology information on key topics relevant to the digital transformation of the UK healthcare sector. If you are a healthcare professional and would like us to film your talk about the digital transformation of your trust or if you are a professional who has knowledge on a particular aspect of digital health, we would like to hear from you.

We currently have space for a few guest writers for some of our topics and are always interested to hear any news you may have or a solution overview and case study.

Contact us today if you would like to get involved.

HealthTech Advisory Board meet for the first time

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new panel of clinicians, academics and IT experts have joined forces to create a HealthTech Advisory Board. The aim of the panel is to advise the Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock, on his vision and approach for technology in healthcare. The first meeting of the HealthTech Advisory Board took place on the 19th November 2018, in a bid to transform technology in the NHS.

About the board, Dr Goldacre said; “I am delighted that Matt Hancock has created this board to inject challenge and diverse expertise around better use of data, evidence and technology in healthcare.”

During their meetings, the board will meet to discuss methods that the NHS can use to harness technology and innovation. These will be ways that both reduce the workload of NHS workers but also to improve patient care and outcomes. The board will then liaise directly with Matt Hancock to share advice and initiatives.

The panel of 13 will meet once a quarter to assist the government with their plans to overhaul technology in the NHS and healthcare setting.

The roles of the board include helping with policy creating, being a sounding board for new ideas and challenging decision making. Dr Ben Goldacre has been chosen to chair the HealthTech Advisory Board. Currently, Dr Ben Goldacre runs DataLab at the University of Oxford.

Dr Goldacre will be joined by 12 other panellists including a Professor of Innovation and Technology Management at Imperial College London, David Gann, and the CEO of the NHS Digital Academy, Rachel Dunscombe.

Discussing the creation of the HealthTech Advisory Board, Matt Hancock said; “The new future-focused HealthTech Advisory Board will bring together tech experts, clinicians and academics to identify where change needs to happen and be an ideas hub for how we can improve patient outcomes and to make the lives of NHS staff easier.”

HEALTH SECRETARY MATT HANCOCK SAID: “THE NEW FUTURE-FOCUSED HEALTHTECH ADVISORY BOARD WILL BRING TOGETHER TECH EXPERTS, CLINICIANS AND ACADEMICS TO IDENTIFY WHERE CHANGE NEEDS TO HAPPEN AND BE AN IDEAS HUB FOR HOW WE CAN IMPROVE PATIENT OUTCOMES AND TO MAKE THE LIVES OF NHS STAFF EASIER.”

THE NEW FUTURE-FOCUSED HEALTHTECH ADVISORY BOARD

What does Brexit mean for the NHS?

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n regards to Brexit, the NHS will be impacted hugely, regardless of whether there is a deal in place or if Britain withdraws in a no-deal Brexit, but what does Brexit really mean for the NHS?

Will EHIC Still Apply?

Almost 30 million people in the UK have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which allows the individual to access state-provided medical treatment across EU countries as well as in Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein. If there is a no-deal Brexit, EHIC will effectively be redundant.

However, there may be an arrangement to put an agreement in place enabling EU citizens in the UK to receive NHS healthcare, and therefore UK citizens in the EU will have access to healthcare. A deal means people will retain this right; a no-deal Brexit will likely mean the end to EHIC. Will The NHS Be Understaffed?

One in twenty NHS workers come from the EU, and in 2017 the NHS lost 2385 nurses and midwives from the EU. If there is an agreement for Brexit, then EU NHS workers will be able to acquire a ‘settled status’ so they can remain in the UK. A no-deal Brexit may remove this option. The government has said it will develop a skilled migrant system with tier two visas that will allow experienced doctors and nurses to come from overseas. However, the cut-off for this is a salary of £30,000 per year meaning that many low-paid nurses and supporting clinical staff will be ineligible.

Will There Be Enough Medicine?

At the moment, the UK exports more medicine to the EU than it receives (37 million packs per month). With an agreement, the key route for imports and exports of medicine (Dover) will be unaffected. However, a nodeal Brexit could result in huge delays. As a result, the government is already asking companies to stockpile six weeks’ worth of drugs to reduce the problems of a no-deal situation. The main issue will come from medicines with a short shelf life, those that need refrigerating as well as radioactive materials. Other issues include small firms struggling with the lack of storage or not having the cash flow to stockpile.

Will The NHS Really Receive £350 Million After Brexit?

The £350 million a week for the NHS was one of the biggest campaigns for the Vote Leave group. In the latest budget, the Prime Minister has promised that the NHS budget will increase by £20 billion over the next five years. Theresa May says this will partly come from a Brexit dividend. However, many believe the rise was long overdue and would have come without Brexit. After all, the UK will continue to contribute to the EU until the end of the transition and will then have to pay a £39 billion divorce bill, which is more than the £20 billion that the NHS will receive.

Does EU Migration Impact NHS Demand?

Targets for seeing and treating patients are being missed, with waiting times being missed for cancer, operations and A&E care struggling to be met across the whole of the UK. 58% of the population believe that migration is placing pressure on public services such as the NHS. However, research has found that migrants contribute to the NHS more than they take. Migrants are less likely to use the NHS as they tend to be young and healthy. Furthermore, there is a significant number of EU migrants working in the health service, overall making migrants a net contributor, giving more than they take.

Will Medical Research Suffer?

The UK leads the way in medical research and benefits from EU initiatives such as the Innovative Medicines Initiative and Horizon 2020. After Brexit, the UK will be considered a third-party collaborator, so will be unlikely to lead programmes or be able to design programmes.

Furthermore, around 75% of UK researchers work abroad; if Brexit restricts free movement, then it is vital for the government to come up with an agreement to ensure that medical research does not lose out and to make sure that the UK remains a key player in future research.

The three Ps in health technology

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ealth technology utilises personalisation and prediction to prevent serious illnesses.

The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, is known for his love of technology. Furthermore, his focus on technology in healthcare is driving significant changes in the NHS. Matt Hancock believes that if healthcare has the right tools, then the NHS can improve lives through improving health.

The Health Secretary believes there are three Ps that make up successful health technology.

What Are The Three Ps Of Digital Healthcare?

Personalisation With the rise of intelligent algorithms, digital services offer incredible customisation. For example, Amazon and Netflix will make recommendations based on past behaviour. This personalisation helps people to make the best choice from tailored and targeted services. Furthermore, this allows people to feel and be treated as an individual. In relation to personalisation in healthcare, research shows that 80% of those aged 16-24 want an app to access health services. This would enable people to enjoy better outcomes through what is best for their needs, not the needs of the whole population. Matt Hancock believes the NHS must focus on prevention through personalised technology that helps people take better care of themselves.

Predictive Prevention In a research centre in Cambridge, scientists have a target of sequencing 5 million genomes. Once complete, this will enable experts to predict who is vulnerable to certain diseases and illnesses and how to prevent them or treat them to ensure the best recovery chances. Other examples of predictive prevention include the digital pill which enables medics to see when a pill passes through a patient’s system. This becomes crucial for those who rely on taking their medication such as for the treatment of schizophrenia. In the future, experts predict that more and more patients will diagnose themselves using medical sensors on their smartphones.

Alongside this, doctors will also benefit from digital devices that will ensure they treat patients with precision.

Already, the NHS is developing their health check services to spot the early signs of serious diseases such as a stroke or dementia and offering targeting advice to reduce the risk factors and focus on prevention rather than the cure.

Personal Responsibility In the UK, over 50% of individuals have ‘googled’ their symptoms or have searched online for health information. This shows how people are interested and want to take personal responsibility for their own health and symptoms. While the NHS remains free and available for citizens to use, Matt Hancock asks that people consider using the NHS carefully. To ensure it is available for future generations, people need to have a responsibility to look after themselves, comply with medical advice and have consideration for others. With the right technology available, it enables people to take full responsibility of managing their own health which focuses on prevention of illnesses and, in turn, it can build a more sustainable healthcare system for everyone.

Government funds five healthcare technology centres of excellence

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he government has just announced plans to open five centres of excellence for healthcare technology across the UK. The centres will be in London, Glasgow, Coventry, Oxford and Leeds and plan to advance artificial intelligence for medical use. It is hoped that exploring and promoting healthcare AI in these centres will contribute to quicker diagnosis times and improving overall patient care.

The business secretary, Greg Clark, announced the plans for the five new centres.

He explains that the centres will be a collaboration between academics, businesses and doctors to develop digital technology that can improve the healthcare industry.

The centres of excellence will be used to create the devices and tools that can improve early diagnosis of cancer and other diseases.

While the centres are located as part of the Industrial Strategy, they will partner with other businesses and centres around the country. Greg Clark explains; “Our modern Industrial Strategy puts pioneering technologies at the heart of our plans to build a Britain fit for the future. The innovation at these new centres will help diagnose disease earlier to give people more options when it comes to their treatment, and make reporting more efficient, freeing up time for our much-admired NHS staff time to spend on direct patient care.”

How The Centres Can Help Frontline Medical Staff With medical staff reporting an increase in admittance for complex cases, it is hoped that the significant investment in healthcare technology centres will help to provide a better understanding of complex diseases and how they develop as well as the ways to prevent and cure them.

With the focus on speed of diagnosis, the healthcare technology centres have the chance to reduce the pressure on medical staff and provide them with more time to deliver better care to their patients. Some of the investment within the centres will focus on critical aspects such as image analysis and large-scale genomics.

As well as government funding, the five centres will also have the involvement of leading medical companies such as Siemens, Philips, GE Healthcare, Leica, Roche Diagnostics and Canon.

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, continues to focus on artificial intelligence as he believes it plays ‘a crucial role in the future of the NHS’. He explains; “As part of our long-term plan, we will transform the NHS into an ecosystem of enterprise and innovation that allows technology to flourish and evolve.”

Instant messaging now crucial for the NHS to coordinate during patient emergencies

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fter a range of emergencies such as the Grenfell Tower fire, Manchester Arena terrorist attack and Croydon Tram Crash where NHS workers used WhatsApp and other instant communication channels to deal with the situation, the NHS is introducing new guidelines on using instant messaging safely.

As instant messaging is now a critical part of the NHS toolkit, instant messaging is approved, with guidance, as it can help to organise the response of the hospital during a major incident. The new guidance hopes to help NHS workers to use judgement with instant messaging services so that data sharing and data privacy rules are followed.

However, still ensuring it is safe to coordinate the care of patients during a crisis.

Some of the steps in the new guidance include; - Ensuring instant messaging tools meet the standard of encryption required for the NHS - Disabling messages from appearing on the lock screen to protect patient confidentiality - Not allowing anyone else to use their device - Deleting messages after the notes have been transcribed on the medical record.

In response to the guidance the Chief Clinical Information Officer for Health and Care, Dr Simon Eccles said; “Helping people during a crisis like the Grenfell fire demands a quick response and instant messaging services can be a vital part of the NHS toolkit. Health service staff are always responsible about how they use patients’ personal details, and these new guidelines will help our doctors and nurses to make safe and effective use of technology under the most intense pressure.”

While Dr Johannsson who reviewed the guidance says; “These sensible guidelines will make the care of our patients safer through better communication by NHS staff.”

Developed by NHS England, NHS Digital, Public Health England and the Department of Health and Social Care the guidance does not endorse a particular instant message tool but it does help to improve communication between medics that keeps patients, and their data, safer.

CHIEF CLINICAL INFORMATION OFFICER FOR HEALTH AND CARE, DR SIMON ECCLES SAID; “HELPING PEOPLE DURING A CRISIS LIKE THE GRENFELL FIRE DEMANDS A QUICK RESPONSE AND INSTANT MESSAGING SERVICES CAN BE A VITAL PART OF THE NHS TOOLKIT.”

TECHNOLOGY IN THE SPOTLIGHT Each month we cover healthcare technology that is revolutionising the UK healthcare sector. This month we focus on adaptive intelligence for complex, advanced cases with Philips Illumeo, improving kidney disease compliance with home testing, a study on self-assessing back pain by using an app, falls prevention technology, diabetes management and a smart medical device for early intervention of congestive heart failure.

PHILIPS

SIEMENS HEALTHINEERS

Philips Illumeo

Urinalysis System

UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

CM(2000)

Study

ARMED

LIFESCAN INC.

NTU SINGAPORE

OneTouch Reveal®

Medical device

Philips Illumeo with adaptive intelligence has been selected by University of Utah Health radiologists

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irst results in clinical use show early benefits of Philips Illumeo with adaptive intelligence for complex, advanced cases.

At the 2018 Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting (RSNA), Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, announced that radiologists at the University of Utah Health are leveraging Philips Illumeo with adaptive intelligence to interact with imaging data to enhance physician expertise and efficiency. Initial results include productivity benefits in turnaround time, same day readings, and context driven tool selection.

Artificial intelligence (AI)-based solutions have the potential to increase the efficiency of care delivery and improve patient care. Through solutions that combine AI and other technologies with knowledge of the clinical and operational context in which they are used, Philips provides a people-centered approach called adaptive intelligence. This augments the capabilities of clinicians to seamlessly connect people, data and technology to empower radiologists. University of Utah Health provides care for residents of Utah and five surrounding states, with a referral area that encompasses more than 10 percent of the continental U.S. Due to this large volume of coverage and an increase in imaging data, the radiology department faces increasing amounts of imaging studies and data that need to be processed – about five hundred thousand per year. The health system selected to implement Illumeo, an imaging and informatics technology with adaptive intelligence, to intelligently interact with imaging data. Illumeo combines contextual cues and Anatomy Awareness capabilities with advanced data and image processing to augment the radiologist’s routine activities. The technology supports interactions with imaging data comparisons and provides an integrated view of clinically relevant, case-related information from various sources, designed to optimize workflow and enhance care consistency.

“Illumeo leverages adaptive intelligence and analytics to anticipate what a radiologist needs to do next, allowing him/her to interact with imaging data in a much more intelligent way,” said Richard Wiggins, MD, Professor of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah Health. “The solution moves beyond just hanging

protocols, by providing a faster way for radiologists to find all similar series of studies and compare them side-by-side to see if lesions are getting larger over time.

This new technology allows us to further improve time savings and efficiencies so we can provide the best care to our patients.” Positive improvements through continued collaboration In addition to providing worklist benefits to more intelligently route studies to the appropriate groups of radiologists through IntelliSpace PACS Radiology Workspace Solution (RWS), there are multiple administrative goals the health system hopes to facilitate and achieve with the adoption of Illumeo in conjunction with RWS, some of which are already being delivered, including: Improved turnaround times – Radiologists can now prioritize the most urgent studies based on a more automated process for study promotion.

More efficient same day care – By prioritizing cases, radiologists can successfully delivers reports in time for follow up appointments taking place later in the day.

Streamlined screen real estate – Integrated applications in Illumeo present information in one window with similar user interfaces to minimize distractions for the radiologist.

Relevant imaging toolsets – Illumeo is context sensitive and anatomy-aware in intuitively serving up relevant tools for the analysis.

Exam open speed improvements – Illumeo presents images exactly the way radiologists need to read them, reducing set-up time and interactions for a faster and more efficient reading.

“Adaptive intelligence will help clinicians sort through increasing amounts of data, and automate manual tasks to summarize and present data into existing workflows.

Our goal with Illumeo, and all of our adaptive intelligencepowered solutions, is to create a seamless radiology experience, delivering the right data at the right time,” said Carla Kriwet, CEO of Connected Care and Health Informatics at Philips. “We are excited to see these early results from Dr. Wiggins and his team, demonstrating that adaptive intelligence-based solutions developed with an understanding of clinical needs, and in close collaboration with those using them, will be most successful as the healthcare industry continues to adopt these tools.”

Siemens Healthineers and Healthy.io align expertise to improve kidney disease compliance with home testing

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he companies will integrate Siemens Healthineers urinalysis reagents into the Healthy.io’s smartphone-based urinalysis system.

Siemens Healthineers urinalysis reagents will integrate into Healthy.io’s smartphone-based urinalysis system to provide a home testing option, enabling the broadest possible access to albumin-to-creatinine ratio testing.

With a home testing option for urinalysis, consumers can have the broadest possible access to albumin-tocreatinine ratio testing.

“Siemens Healthineers has been a leader in urinalysis testing for more than 75 years, enabling healthcare professionals around the world to test for chronic kidney disease and other conditions from the point of care to the central lab,” said Christoph Pedain, Executive Vice President, Point of Care Diagnostics, Siemens Healthineers. “This alliance expands our capabilities to improve patient experience by conducting testing in their home. Increased access to albumin-to-creatinine ratio testing—whether at home or at the physician’s office— is critical to reducing the economic burden of chronic disease and to improving patient outcomes.”

Greater access to urinalysis testing can help patients comply with physician instructions for frequent urinalysis tests to help improve patient outcomes overall.

Siemens Healthineers and Healthy.io have announced today a global OEM alliance to help patients improve their compliance with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) monitoring. It is estimated that between 8-10 percent of the adult population globally have some form of kidney damage. Undetected CKD can lead to kidney failure, and also increase a patient’s risk of premature death from associated cardiovascular diseases. For these reasons, regular monitoring is important for improved patient outcomes. Periodic urine testing to monitor kidney function is traditionally performed in a clinician’s office and can be time consuming for patients. This alliance will offer patients a convenient alternative.

“Healthy.io is a pioneer in using computer vision and machine learning to transform the smartphone camera into a clinical grade medical device for improved patient access and convenience. Healthy.io and Siemens Healthineers share a vision for a future of healthcare, which sees consumers take greater control of their healthcare in a way that complements the existing clinician workflow,” said Yonatan Adiri, Founder & CEO, Healthy.io.

Siemens Healthineers enables healthcare providers worldwide to increase value by empowering them on their journey towards expanding precision medicine, transforming care delivery, improving patient experience and digitalizing healthcare. A leader in medical technology, Siemens Healthineers is constantly innovating its portfolio of products and services in its core areas of diagnostic and therapeutic imaging and in laboratory diagnostics and molecular medicine. Siemens Healthineers is also actively developing its digital health services and enterprise services.

In fiscal 2017, which ended on September 30, 2017, Siemens Healthineers generated revenue of €13.7 billion and adjusted profit of €2.5 billion and has about 48,000 employees worldwide.

Self-assessing back pain by app just as effective as traditional methods, study shows

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atients can assess their own back pain using an app on their phone or tablet as effectively as current paper methods, a new study from the University of Warwick has shown.

Study lends weight to argument for using mobile apps for routine measurements and clinical trials. Digital versions of existing assessments would be cheaper, greener and improve patient experience. Validating the effectiveness of health apps could be first step to a learning health service. Study by University of Warwick supports call by the Royal College of Physicians for greater use of already available technology in healthcare Patients can assess their own back pain using an app on their phone or tablet as effectively as current paper methods, a new study from the University of Warwick has shown.

The study, published in the open access journal Journal of Medical Internet Research, demonstrates that digital versions of established measurements for assessing back pain are just as reliable and responsive, opening the possibility for their use by patients for routine measurements and clinical trials.

The researchers see this study as a necessary first step in the greater use of digital media in clinical settings, in light of recent calls for greater use of such technology by healthcare providers. For health issues that can’t be readily measured, such as pain and depression, clinicians will often use self-assessment to monitor change. In most cases, this will take the form of a paper-based assessment. These go through very thorough validation exercises to ensure that they measure what they intend to robustly and accurately.

The researchers created mobile app versions of the most commonly-used measures in back pain trials: the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), visual analogue scale (VAS) of pain intensity, and numerical rating scale (NRS). These were developed with support from the University of Warwick Higher Education Innovation Fund with the aim of being used in clinical trials and for routine clinical measurements. Back pain is the number one cause of disability globally, affecting up to 84% of people at some point in their lives. It is estimated that it costs the UK economy billions of pounds each year.

Lead author Dr Robert Froud from the University of Warwick Clinical Trials Unit said: “We have taken existing outcome measures and shown that they can be migrated to digital media and used in that format just as effectively as their paper-based versions. Our intention is to develop technology that allows people to securely complete these kinds of assessments on their own phones and tablets in a way that is safe, secure and accurate.

“If you can accurately monitor in clinical practice what’s happening to patients’ health, then analytically there is a lot that could be done with the data that will benefit patients. For example, we may be able to detect that particular treatment approaches are working better for certain types of people. We hear a lot about machine learning, but a learning healthcare system is perhaps next.

“The implications are quite big because we can aim to scale up. It opens up potential for the development of new instruments and dynamic instruments that adapt to the answers that a user gives. The potential of using digital technology in healthcare settings is quite extraordinary but you can’t do any of that without first having assessments that work robustly and well.”

Reliability and responsiveness were used as factors to determine whether their apps were measuring in the way that they should be. Reliability refers to the result of the measure not changing when nothing has changed, while responsiveness refers to a change in the result when a measurable factor has changed. The researchers divided participants in the study into groups depending on whether they had recorded a change in their pain.

People who had received treatment for their condition and improved tested the responsiveness of the apps.

Those with chronic pain, and less likely to improve, tested the apps for reliability. Digital tests have a number of advantages over paper-based versions, including their low cost, lower carbon footprint, better information security and improving the participant’s experience.

Earlier this month, a new report from the Royal College of Physicians, Outpatients: The future – Adding value through sustainability, called for greater use of already available technology in healthcare.

Froud R, Fawkes C, Foss J, Underwood M, Carnes D. Responsiveness, Reliability, and Minimally Important and Minimal Detectable Changes of 3 Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Low Back Pain: Validation Study. J Med Internet Res 2018;20(10):e272. [doi:10.2196/jmir.9828]

Microsoft praise CM’s ARMED falls prevention technology

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icrosoft UK held a two-day conference ‘Microsoft Future Decoded’ to deliver a number of top-level keynotes, breakout sessions, networking, plus an expo that provided the delegates with high-level information and practical advice needed to help grow businesses in the changing world of Digital Transformation and AI. Microsoft’s CEO – Satya Nadella used CM’s case study with Loreburn Housing Association and their falls prevention technology solution, ARMED, in his keynote speech.

Today, digital technology and computing is being embedded into all aspects of our lives. Every part of the world is being digitised and transformed by digital technology. The opportunities which lie ahead are being referred to as ‘tech intensity’, where every person will have to build their own digital capabilities on top of the technology that’s already been adopted – this single formula will define how we capitalise on such incredible opportunities and how technology must to be adopted and utilised to deliver digital transformation outcomes.

During his session, Mr Nadella said he had seen many examples of technology being used by organisations and the many unexpected benefits that this can bring and highlighted that one of the key challenges that needs addressing is whether progress and technological advances can reach segments of our economy and societies where market economics simply don’t work.

He said: “Cutting edge technology needs to be available to nonprofits, charity organisations [as well as formal statutory health & social care services] who can also deploy it and reap the benefits. Because unless we do that, this technology is going to be a factor of production in one

part of our economy and won’t have its impact broadly felt. This is what we have seen with Loreburn Housing Association. I had the chance to learn what they were doing, but more importantly what the technology provider CM(2000) is doing to help with the epidemic of falls among the elderly.

If we think about it, falls can lead to fatalities, but even if it’s not a fatality, one of the challenges of an elderly person falling is the healthcare challenge that then ensues. The best way to deal with this is to have preventative care, delivered through sensors, wearable technology that works through machine algorithms. If they can deploy a wearable that can detect a fall before it happens and then go beyond the fall itself by detecting other conditions and then have, in this case Loreburn, provide better care for people who are in their housing facilities which is exactly what they are rolling out with CM(2000).”

Seeing technology being used even where traditionally it is not at the forefront of an organisation where markets incentives, by themselves, do not work means that we have reached that threshold of really broad ubiquitous use of technology. To me, this needs to be celebrated and is the core goal of what we want to do and comes back to Microsoft’s mission – To empower every person in every organisation in the UK to be able to achieve more through digital technology.”

ARMED (Advanced Risk Modelling for Early Detection) combines pioneering predictive analytics modelling with innovative wearable technology, and health and social care data, providing a powerful tool to identify risks earlier in the care cycle, including the risk of falling. The wearable device detects early indicators of frailty, such as low grip strength, muscle mass, hydration levels, low heart rate and heart rate variability. Predictive analytics modelling – developed in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University – then uses data to predict the risk of a potential fall and allow intervention. Examples of this are now demonstrating escalations of risk being identified up to 32 days in advance of previously identified falls.

Newest release of OneTouch Reveal® mobile app provides even more insight to support diabetes management

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ne of the top global diabetes apps now spots recurring high or low patterns and automatically notifies users so they can take action to avoid them in the future.

LifeScan Inc., a world leader in blood glucose monitoring, released today the latest version of its OneTouch Reveal® mobile app with three new features that provide even more insight to support diabetes management.

The app has been the number one downloaded diabetes app in the United States and Canada since 2017 and is one of the most downloaded diabetes apps in the world.

The OneTouch Reveal® mobile app is a diabetes management tool that can help people with diabetes track their blood sugar from their wireless device and easily share results with their healthcare team and loved ones. Adding to the app’s key feature of drawing a timeline of important blood sugar events and activities organized in a color-coded digital logbook, the justreleased version of the OneTouch Reveal® mobile app now includes these new user-friendly features: Automatic recurring high or low patterns notifications: The app now identifies recurring highs or lows and notifies users via opt-in alerts on their smartphone so they can take action to avoid them in the future. There are five different messages, including: High pattern detected (1 week); Low pattern detected (1 week); High recurring pattern detected (over last 14 days); Low recurring pattern detected (last 14 days); and a Sync reminder.

Goal setting and tracking: Allows users to set and track personalized goals for blood glucose tests, carbohydrates logging, and number of steps taken per day.

Meaningful monitoring: New A1C comparator shows users their 90-day-average compared to the inputted lab A1c so they can see how their blood sugar has been over that time.

“The OneTouch Reveal® mobile app has great features for a visual person like me,” said Mila Clarke Buckley, a OneTouch Verio Flex® meter and OneTouch Reveal® mobile app user who is living with type 2 diabetes and who pens the Hangry Woman blog. “I didn’t think the

app could get any better, but with this upgrade I can now set up and track my personalized goals and visualize my progress over time with the app’s new goal tracking functionality. The new push notification messages enable me to not skip a beat while on the go – I can just note, take action to get back into range, and get back to my daily life!”

The OneTouch Reveal® mobile app seamlessly syncs with the OneTouch Verio Flex® blood glucose monitoring (BGM) system with built-in Bluetooth®i Smart Technology. Together, these tools help patients to understand their blood glucose numbers, take action to get back in range, and get on with life.

With more than 1.3 million total downloads and 107 million plus blood glucose results logged, the OneTouch Reveal® mobile app is currently available as a free download for Apple® devices on the App Store® and Android™ devices on Google Play™ in 24 countries globally, including Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Czech Republic, Chile, Croatia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Slovenia, Spain, the United Arab Emirates,

NTU Singapore and TTSH invent smart medical device for early intervention of congestive heart failure

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research team from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) have invented a smart handheld medical device that could enable early intervention for patients with congestive heart failure.

home and use the device whenever they feel slightly breathless at home. It is potentially a game-changer in the management of ambulatory heart failure patients. It can also provide a rapid and accurate acute diagnosis of heart failure in situations of undifferentiated shortness of breath symptoms.”

The portable innovation, which resembles a stethoscope, is made up of an acoustic sensor connected to a smartphone. It enables early intervention by allowing patients to check for excess fluid in the lungs at home. Fluid accumulation in the lungs, which causes breathlessness, is a common symptom of congestive heart failure.

How it works

One in five people worldwide run the risk of developing congestive heart failure, and this prevalence increases with age. As there is no cure for the ailment, patients can only monitor their health closely with lifestyle changes or medication to prevent their heart function from deteriorating irreversibly.

Currently, patients can only check for fluid accumulation in the lungs by going for a clinical examination, which can be considerably subjective, or through imaging modalities and serum biomarker tests, which are costly and take a longer time.

The non-invasive device built by a team led by NTU Associate Professor Ser Wee and TTSH Associate Professor David Foo circumvents these problems with its portability, ease of use and quick results. Currently a prototype, the device is able to detect any excess fluid in the lungs in 10 seconds once placed on the patient’s chest or back. In a pilot study using lung sounds recorded from TTSH’s congestive heart failure patients, Assoc Prof Ser and his team found the device to have over 92 per cent accuracy in identifying patients with the condition – comparable to existing ‘gold standard’ diagnosis methods such as X-rays and CT scans. The findings were first presented at the 2012 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.

Associate Professor Foo, Head of Cardiology at TTSH, said, “Patients can monitor their condition at

In congestive heart failure, the diseased or overworked heart ventricle is unable to pump out enough of the blood it receives from the lungs. This causes pressure to build up first in the heart, then in the veins and capillaries in the lungs. The pressure then pushes fluid back through the capillary walls and into the air sacs of the lungs. As a result, when air passes through these fluid-filled air sacs, crackles can be heard from the lungs. Depending on the intensity, a crackle may sound like salt added to a hot pan, or Velcro being torn apart. Based on this principle, Prof Ser and his team found a unique set of features that can be used to identify characteristics of sounds unique to patients with fluid accumulation in the lungs.

They then developed a proprietary AI algorithm capable of identifying and processing these signals to determine if there is fluid accumulation in the lungs.

The smart medical device developed by NTU and TTSH first picks up breathing sounds through a sound sensor.

Through a mobile app, the sound signals are then sent to a server located in the cloud. The NTU-developed algorithm stored in the cloud then processes these sound signals, and the results are shown on the mobile app. This whole process takes about 10 seconds to complete.

Following two rounds of tests with samples collected from 86 patients, the team is now running a third round of tests on the device to further validate its sensitivity and specificity. A major pharmaceutical company, a healthcare MNC and a local healthcare company have approached the team to explore the possibility of collaborations. The research team has filed a patent for the invention, and is now refining the product. A MedTech start-up from NTU to commercialise the device is in the pipeline. The team will seek clinical and regulatory validation for the product before mass producing it.

EVENTS COMING UP THIS MONTH:

Regional Primary Care Digital Transformation Conference Genesis 2018

5th December 2018 Birmingham

Driving success in Life Science & Healthcare: Convergence of Technology, Investment and People 13th December 2018 London

Effective Clinical Director 7th December 2018 London

See more information on our website:

www.healthtechdigital.com

What to look forward to in the next issue In the January issue we will cover the news highlights for the month of December. We will be covering more ground-breaking healthcare technology in our spotlight section with a focus on mHealth, wearables and telehealth. The next issue will be coming out on Tuesday 1st January 2019.

HEALTH TECH

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