Sam is in the hospital recovering from surgery. On his wrist is a high-tech remote bracelet that can monitor blood pressure, pulse oximetry, breathing and temperature and send an immediate alarm to the nurse in case of problems. Suddenly, her nurse's smartphone app beeps, warning that Sam's temperature has just gone up to 101 degrees Fahrenheit, a sign that something may be wrong.
Meanwhile, Debra, a patient at home, receives a message on her cell phone that it's time to breathe into her respiratory training device (spirometer). The care coordinator at her doctor's office displays Debra's results data dashboard and is notified if the result falls outside the safe parameter, instructing her on the treatment.
And Linda, an elderly patient with mild dementia, has just woken up and her alarm device reminds her to take morning medicines. A sensor in his pill dispenser confirms this and the alarm says, "We'll make sure your daughter knows you've taken your medicine this morning. By the way, did you have breakfast?"
What is intelligent assistance? The emergence of cutting-edge patient-centered technologies and the innovative integration of these technologies are at the heart of smart care. "For me, smart care means going beyond simple rule-based solutions (like cross-checking for allergies or alerting patients when their medications are due), to the active integration of traditionally disconnected data sources to take care of a patient ", says Naresh Ramarajan, MD, founder and medical director of Navya, an organization that helps patients make decisions about cancer treatment using a step-by-step smart care system.
For example, smart decision systems should be able to take into account a patient's preferences for therapy with fewer side effects, as well as better results and potential costs. They should be able to integrate the best clinical trial results and the latest international guidelines. "An intelligent care system could also search a database to find similar patients for whom treatments have been successful" says Ramarajan. "Then it would summarize all of these to create a classified list of options with reasons behind each option."
This data can therefore help patients make intelligent and informed choices. "As mobile app developers, we often receive more requests from doctors and hospitals which include the need for ways to make their patient's care smarter and more innovative," says Dulio Denis, a mobile program manager from Blue Label Labs, the industry leader in the design of mobile apps, tablets, watches and TV.
App developers work with healthcare customers who recognize that the alignment of consumer technology in mobile phones and the advancement of new applications in what a hospital can do with cloud computing have reached a crossroads, where suppliers can be more patient-centered. "I wouldn't be surprised if we get to a place where medical care works perfectly like communication systems in the social media function," says Denis.
Internet of Medical Things?Just as the Internet of Things is now combining technology with life (turning on the thermostat, alerting you when the milk has run out), the Internet of Medical Things can do the same for healthcare. After all, women have diagnosed their pregnancies for three decades, so patients using our latest technology should definitely be able to swab the throat and send the sample for a strep test without having to visit a doctor's office, thus saving both patients and the doctor's time and money. Smart care can also offer safer and more efficient patient care by streamlining procedures that produce smarter evidence-based guidelines and provide better safety, education and service.
Roy Smythe, MD, cancer surgeon and founder of Valence Health, a company that provides healthcare professionals with complete turnkey solutions for value-based care, says that "The devices that we will install and in our bodies in the future will be much more sophisticated and provide us with insights that we never thought we would get."
According to Orbita, a leader in innovative cloud-based technology for connected home health care, the smart health industry will soon present ubiquitous wireless connectivity. The widespread use of smartphones and a growing range of connected and sensor-enabled devices that measure and track personal health data, test results and health reminders now allow for health scenarios that we never imagined possible a few years ago.
Intelli-health optimizes both social computing and data analysis, as well as content and experience management, improving results for patients globally.
Technologies include:* Remote hospital bracelets that monitor vital signs and immediately alert staff of changes
Interactive systems that respond faster to requests from hospitalized patients using smartphones and apps instead of the old-fashioned "call button"
* Smartbeds able to monitor position and comfort and alert staff of problems Hand hygiene systems that can improve infection control practices and alert doctors to sanitize before entering each room
* Digital provision of personalized information on patient education
* Apps that allow patients to fill out prescriptions from their hospital bed before discharge
* Portable ultrasound devices that allow patients to scan their body and send the results to a radiologist
* Self-test for medical conditions such as sore throat, sexually transmitted diseases and elevated cholesterol.
