In years gone by, many people viewed digital implant devices with a lot of Big-Brother-ish apprehension. However, with medical devices and monitoring products becoming smaller and more efficient every year, it was really only a matter of time until we got to this point. And strangely enough, I’m excited about it. Take, for example, one of the latest products from CarioMem- an implantable device for monitoring of blood pressure inside aortic aneurysms. Think about the improved peace of mind from anybody who has one of those working in their favor? Well, it gets even better.

According to a post from MedGadget, one of the best online resources for news and analysis on medical technologies, CardioMem is reporting that they have a device similar to the one mentioned above, but this one is implanted into your wrist and wirelessly monitors your blood pressure. According to the post from MedGadget, “the sensor is designed to allow for a precise and accurate measurement of systemic blood pressure using the CardioMems proprietary electronics module.” Additionally the post also reports that, “following the procedure, the sensor and electronics are designed to allow for additional blood pressure measurements to be taken by the patients at home and to transmit the data wirelessly to a secure database where it will become available for review on CardioMems’ patient management website.”
The new technology is going to be marketed chiefly towards the treatment of Hypertension. The initial three test patients were all sufferers of severe hypertension. The actual study itself was conducted in Chile by several cardio-thoracic surgeons. The Medgadget post also spoke to the CEO of CardioMem, Jay S. Yaday, who stated that “we believe that this is the first instance of a wireless sensor being used to monitor blood pressure for the management of severe hypertension.”

Granted, widespread adoption of this technology, by the general populace, is surely a long way off. Although one is forced to admit that this represents a really big step in the future of medical implants and wireless heart monitoring devices. These types of implants can seem like a drastic step in treatment to some people, but rest assured that they are definitely necessary.

Many people believe that the wireless healthcare industry is, principally, the domain of hyper-innovative and cost-prohibitive technologies that many of us will never actually see in any hospital that we would ever go. A common misconception is that wireless healthcare and medically-advanced ehealth solutions are reserved for the rich and well-connected who attend astronomically high-priced private clinics. It is definitely worth mentioning that wireless healthcare is finding a prominent place in traditional bricks-and-mortar hospitals and the results could very well be parked next to a hospital bed occupied by you or one of your loved-ones.

Wireless point-of-care solutions are nothing new, but thanks to almost a decade of innovation and advances, the high-price and technical expertise required to operate them are considered a thing of the past. A wireless point-of-care system allows a clinician or nurse access to RFID patient tracking, positive patient identification, medication management, eLearning and training, project consulting and support all from a discreet portable terminal. Some of the most effective uses for wireless healthcare lie within a patients room.

A report prepared by Mount Sinai Hospital titled “Patient bedside information test in four-wheel drive” offered a substantial amount of background information on the use and implementation of Wireless point of care systems. “The design of the mobile workstations was straightforward: a computer attached to a wheeled cart and a portable power source. Computers on the mobile workstations run the same software as “wired-in” hospital computers, making additional staff training unnecessary.” Additionally, the study proved that this step was a necessary one for Toronto’s Mount Sanai Hospital because “Mount Sinai is now phasing in an electronic physician order system.”

The key innovation in the wireless healthcare industry is that it allows access to vast databases of unique information in real-time as well as providing a comprehensive track-record that is significantly less vulnerable to human error than traditional medical filing. By allowing medical workers access to advanced wireless point of care systems the speed, efficiency and safety of traditional healthcare delivery is vastly improved.

One of the key players in the industry is Pennsylvania-based Infologix. Recently voted the number one “rising star” in the Deloitte and Touche Fast 50 program for the Delaware Valley, Infologix has made a name for themselves by providing a broad-range of integrated and cost-effective wireless point of care terminals. According to their information devoted to wireless point of care systems, “Of all the advances that healthcare is making in the delivery of care, nowhere is the impact felt more dramatically than in the patient room. Hospital clinicians have felt the impact of technology on workflow and patient safety.”

Infologix has expanded their range of digital healthcare offerings by the recent acquisition of the Healthcare Mobility Services and RFID divisions of AMT Systems Inc. Their president and CEO David Gulian offered the details behind the purchase, “this acquisition continues to advance our position as the ’single source’ provider for mobile intelligence solutions in both the healthcare and enterprise markets, and we expect it to be accretive to our 2007 earnings.”

The activities of Infologix are clear proof that there is a tremendous amount of economic value in merging wireless technologies into an integrated ehealth solution that is available to traditional hospitals and medical facilities at a non-prohibitive price point. Point-of-care technology is considered a major investment opportunity as our population ages and our healthcare systems require more work and organization to be done by less people. Automating the database and retrieval systems and allowing clinicians to utilize the technology while interacting with patients will ensure both a higher-level of proficiency and an equally high level of patient satisfaction.

As hospitals and clinics depend on data access to improve patient care and enhance revenue, we can count on the free market to offer the innovation and technology required to provide better care and save more lives.

If you live in a populated area, you’ve no doubt seen the ubiquitous Bluetooth headsets worn by hardcore techies and people who want to look like hardcore techies. While the common conception is that Bluetooth is reserved for the webmaster coming out of the comic book store, the majority of Bluetooth applications are industrial and healthcare-related. In fact, some of the new technology circulating in the Bluetooth arena is downright exciting. One of the main reasons for this is the dedicated work of organizations like the Bluetooth Working Group and Bluetooth SIG.

Bluetooth SIG, which stands for special interest group, is working on some incredible new medical technologies that would allow Bluetooth-sharing between health-related products and consumer electronics products. Currently, a team of tech-industry heavy hitters has relied behind Bluetooth SIG to start creating some really earth-shattering new technologies in the wireless healthcare realm. “This team, made up of 19 member companies including IBM, Intel, Motorola, Nonin Medical, Philips Electronics and Welch Allyn, will work together to create and ratify a Bluetooth Medical Device Profile that will expand the use of Bluetooth technology into the medical, health and fitness markets.”

An article in embedded computing about the Bluetooth SIG quoted the project’s chairman, Robert Hughes, “Health-related devices in the home, such as weight scales, blood pressure monitors and exercise equipment, which implement the new standard will be able to send information wirelessly to Bluetooth enabled PCs or cell phones so that users can monitor their health information or share this information with a doctor or fitness coach anywhere in the world.”

In fact, as the industry is expanding the use of Bluetooth, efforts are currently underway to improve Bluetooth itself and provide a further sense of speed and reliability.  An article at Telecom Magazine quoted Michael Foley, the executive director of Bluetooth SIG“The working group will touch on work in progress between Bluetooth and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) organizations to incorporate that higher-speed technology into the overall interoperability focus but “they are somewhat independent of each other,” Foley said.

There are some genuinely incredible technologies coming out of the sphere of Bluetooth, but some people are raising concerns as to whether concerns over Bluetooth frequencies could be potentially harmful much like the recent controversy over cellphone frequencies. All of these advances in Bluetooth healthcare would seem pretty ridiculous if it turned out that Bluetooth wasn’t actually a safe product, but in all honesty it looks to be a completely safe product and uses a lower frequency than most cell phones. Wikipedia provides some background on the potential health concerns related to Bluetooth.

“Bluetooth uses the microwave radio frequency spectrum in the 2.4 GHz to 2.4835 GHz range. Maximum power output from a Bluetooth radio is 1 mW, 2.5 mW, and 100 mW for Class 3, Class 2, and Class 1 devices respectively, which puts Class 1 at roughly the same level as cell phones, and the other two classes much lower.^[25] Accordingly, Class 2 and Class 3 Bluetooth devices are considered less of a potential hazard than cell phones, and Class 1 may be comparable to that of cell phones, which are of little concern.”

Definitely something to chew on.

Wearable computing is becoming a reality. A new crop of start-ups and tech industry stalwarts are increasing both the scope and scale of their wearable computing divisions and it is becoming increasingly obvious that these are not fad products. I think that the possible benefits are immense in regards to the integrating computers into our clothing or miniaturizing common electronic devices so that they can be worn as jewelry or accessories. An article from Business Week certainly opened my eyes to the benefits of wearable computing.

The article opened by introducing the concept of a combination handbag/computer, which is probably enough to excite tech-gadget-gals all over the place. But it gets better, “Assembled together with Velcro that conducts electricity, these pieces form a bag that looks, feels, and weighs like your typical leather purse.” And in terms of features- “This bag can wirelessly keep tabs on your belongings and remind you, just as you’re about to leave the house, to take your wallet. It can review the weather report and suggest that you grab an umbrella — or your sunshades. This purse can even upload your favorite songs onto your scarf.”

While experiments in wearable computing stretch back to the 80s, the field was almost declared null and void because while some of the technology was interesting and cutting-edge (at the time), nobody actually wanted to wear any of the products because they were too big and clunky. Does anybody else remember that cell phones came in briefcases back then? The concept of the computing purse circumvents this by taking a regular product that people use and incorporating computing power into them, not vice-versa. “Cyborg computing was very clunky, very bulky machines that people didn’t want to carry around,” says Nanda, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. “Our bags feel and look like bags.”

Another great resource for wearable computing is the Bristol Wearable Computing Project. They’ve designed a wearable computing jacket (which actually looks really sharp).

Here are some examples of new consumer products, currently in development, that represent the cutting edge of wearable computing. You can find an updated list of these products at Redwoodhouse.com/wearable.  

• According to Wikipedia, a CyborgLog (often abbreviated to ‘glog) is a first-person recording of an activity, in which the person doing the recording is a participant in the activity. A glogger community site has been added to the EyeTap Personal Imaging Lab website. Glogger is a web service and program that allows people to instantaneously share content from their camera phones or manually from their digital camera.

• iPod-compatible footwear that tracks runners’ training routines is just the beginning of a collaboration between these iconic brands Apple and Nike.
  

• Wibree, which is being developed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group and Nokia Corp., will use radio frequency technology for communicating with small devices, such as watches, wireless keyboards, gaming and sports sensors. Even pill boxes and heart rate monitors may benefit from the technology, according to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, which also is known as SIG.

• According to LinuxDevices.com, the Zypad WL 1000, a new wrist-worn PC has been demonstrated to the military forces. This device, which can run Linux or Windows CE, is a hands-free computer which handles wireless networking and GPS tracking. It also comes with a 240 x 320 pixels touchscreen and has a battery which can last about 8 hours. It only weighs 300 grams — but it will be attached at the end of your arm, so it might feel heavier than this. It should be available in July for about $2,500 and could be used by healthcare or law enforcement personnel.

A recent study by The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society pointed to wireless devices as the “top emerging technology in a half of all hospitals surveyed” in the coming two years. The report stated that “while health providers are already geared up to dealing with an increasing number of elderly patients, and could probably cope with a rise in instances of obesity related diseases, they cannot do both without automating clinical processes and using technology to improve public health.”

While the common concept of wireless healthcare generally involves the use of RFID, there is an even more cutting-edge technology called “remote digital monitoring” that could bring more autonomy to people in their pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. One of the main predictions listed in a recent study by Research & Markets offered this observation:

Mobile and wireless based healthcare services will cause gradual fragmentation of the healthcare sector, as an increasing number of clinical processes and patient monitoring services are provided by private companies. The report identifies home monitoring of the elderly and GPS enabled phones that double as heart monitors as technologies that have been ‘productised’ and are marketed to patients.

The report details a predicted increase in the use of remote medical monitoring and points to the fact that even in government-funded “socialized medicine” massive savings would ensue from the general adoption of these products especially in the world of geriatrics. A recent study in Britain revealed the overall cost of patients staying in their own homes, an elderly nursing home and a hospital bed. “The cost of caring for an elderly person in their own home is £120 per week, compared to £337 per week to care for them in a nursing home, or £805 if they are confined to a hospital bed.”

The potential significance of the results from that study are obvious. “The NHS (National Health Service) saves £468 per week if it can move a patient from a nursing home into a residential home.” One of the key findings that one could draw from this study is the fact that with such a massive influx of elderly people straining a nations healthcare reserves, digital remote monitoring could be implemented on a nationwide-level to improve healthcare, lower visits to GP’s, and save the public money all at the same time.

There has been an awful lot of talk about how RFID and other emerging barcoding technologies could have a significant impact on the delivery of healthcare and provide a previously unseen level of accountability to catch medical mistakes before and after they occur.

One of the most high-profile partnerships in this emerging industry is the Community for Connected Health joint venture between Cisco and the HIMSS which stands for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. This group is openly accepting new members who are interesting in joining a community-based approach to improving the implementation and delivery of wireless healthcare solutions. Considering the ease of implementation and relative low cost of setup, the world of wireless healthcare is wide open.

RFID is already demonstrating its potential in the world of retail and the wider world of shipping and supply-chain logistics. A study by Research and Markets points to this new technology as something that could “form the basis of a new and innovative, healthcare related, services.” The summary of the report also mentions:

 

The potential of automated shopping systems, where customers scan products as they take them from the shelf, will increase markedly as RFID technology is deployed – consumers may even be able to access RFID data using a device attached to a smart phone or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and use it to monitor compliance with diets or compare the salt content of various food products.

While many people will complain that health patients are being treated increasingly like consumers, there is no reason why there shouldn’t be a benefit to this consumer-based healthcare industry. Why should consumers of healthcare not be given the same level of technology and autonomy that regular consumers are given? The world of shipping and logistics has been vastly improved since the introduction of RFID, needless to say, healthcare consumers should start pushing their HMO’s and senators for a bigger push into the implementation of RFID technology in medical facilities.