Tag: technology

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University have developed a belt that can monitor heart failure patients for signs of disease progression. The wearable device measures heart rate, thoracic impedance, electrocardiogram, and motion, all of which can provide information on a heart failure patient’s status and potentially enable early detection of disease exacerbation. So far, the researchers have tested the device in a variety of everyday contexts, including routine activities, such as sitting, lying, standing, and walking, and found that it performs quite well. The researchers hope that the technology could help to reduce hospital readmission for heart failure patients by highlighting issues before they get worse.

Over six million people in the US live with heart failure. The condition can be debilitating and life altering, and is progressive. Many heart failure patients must undergo repeat hospital admission as their condition deteriorates. Finding a way to monitor such patients while they are

An AI voice assistant healthcare model, ‘Siri for care’, is being trialled by Cera, in a bid to reduce visits to A&E departments.

The AI technology will regularly track patients’ symptoms through a series of questions, to help spot any signs of health deterioration. This is done with automated phone calls to patients using an empathetic, human-like assistant.

The medically-validated questions will be analysed using machine learning tools to monitor health conditions and identify any significant changes. If there are any concerns noted it will send an alert to carers prompting them to arrange a doctor’s appointment where necessary.

Dr Ben Maruthappu, CEO and co-founder of Cera, said: “An automated phone call could save a call to emergency services – critical when staff burnout and waiting lists are at an all-time high – by monitoring health deteriorations through smart machine learning.

“As it’s powered by artificial intelligence, this programme offers

In the final Unplugged of 2022, Digital Health CEO and editor-in-chief Jon Hoeksma hosts a bumper special episode to review the past 12 months in the sector.

Hoeksma is joined by the three chairs of the Networks Advisory Panels – CCIO Chair James Reed, CIO Chair Lisa Emery and CNIO Chair Sarah Hanbridge – as well as Marcus Baw, portfolio GP and clinical informatics and GP IT consultant, and Joe McDonald, retired NHS psychiatrist and peripatetic medical director at Sleepstation, SARD JV, Ethical Healthcare Consulting and Parsek Health.

They each discuss their personal Digital Health highlights of 2022, the most overhyped things this year in the sector, the lowlights and things they would leave behind and 2023 ambitions, plus plenty more.

Thank you to everyone who has listened to Digital Health Unplugged this year, we hope you have enjoyed the episodes and we look forward to more podcasts in 2023!

Frank Hester, CEO of TPP, has accused NHS bosses of wasting hundreds of millions on over-priced IT systems, claiming that his company offers ‘another way’.

In an open letter he takes a pot shot at ‘epic price tags’, an apparent thinly veiled reference to the US electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic.

He goes on to claim that “for years, costs for hospital EPRs have been artificially inflated”.

In the open letter on Twitter the TPP boss catalogues the financial pressures the NHS faces and says over-priced IT is diverting hundreds of millions from patient care.

“What if there were another way?”, the letter asks, and then goes on to extol an alternative from TPP: “An IT system that won a HIMSS 2022 best solution award but costs a fraction of the international competition. A system designed for patient care, not billing”.

The letter continues: “A system that empowers, rather

Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust has completed a six-month pilot with Accurx, and found the technology introduced more efficient processes, better communication and improved patient experience.

The pilot was run across eight community services, following on from a successful partnership with Doncaster Primary Care Services which supported communication between patients and healthcare staff via SMS and video.

Dr Satya Raghuvanshi, head of clinical at Accurx, said: “It’s often perceived that to achieve widespread change across an organisation, complex systems or processes need to be put in place. But actually, we see time and time again that simple tech, like SMS or email messaging, can lead to vast improvements.”

A number of Accurx products were used in the new pilot to improve communications. Patient Messaging was used to send documents, letters, links, surveys, and to receive text and photo responses.

Video Consultations were used for 1:1 and

GigXR has advanced its hyper-immersive learning tools with the release of Anima Res’ Insight Series, delivering hyper-realistic 3D anatomy learning.

The holographic healthcare training company has announced the Insight Series in partnership with the 3D medical animation company Anima Res. The series gives structurally accurate holograms of heart, lung and kidneys in a way that just cannot be replicated with cadavers or analogue tools.

The new models will allow learners at medical and nursing schools, healthcare providers and government and defense agencies, to see the impact of disease on the affected organs.

The content is true-to-life, cost-and-resource-effective and scalable and is delivered on the Gig Immersive Learning Platform.

Pablo Olmos, co-CEO at Anima Res, said: “Showing learners accurate 3D organ function and disease progression removes the friction between students mastering anatomy and applying their learnings to a real-life patient.

“Partnering with GigXR gives us the springboard to expand our geographic

Palo Alto Networks is to introduce new features and capabilities for medical Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices to protect them against cyber attacks.

The company has launched Medical IoT Security, a comprehensive Zero Trust security solution specifically for digital healthcare.

Zero Trust is the highest level of cyber security and requires all internal and external users to be authenticated, authorised and continuously validated before gaining access to applications and data.

The new Palo Alto Networks Medical IoT Security makes use of machine learning and supports organisations to deploy and manage new connected technologies quickly and safely.

It can be integrated with existing healthcare information management systems, like AIMS and Epic Systems, to help automate workflows.

The solution allows users to create device rules with automated security responses, for example monitoring for behaviour anomalies and triggering appropriate responses.

Recommended least-privileged access policies for medical devices can also be enforced with one click using

This Digital Health News industry roundup includes a new online course for young people to build skills for a future career in care, a milestone for digital-first healthcare-at-home company Cera and the integration of Ibex Medical Analytics’ AI platform with Source BioScience’s pathology network.

Babyl partners with Novo Nordisk to expand diabetes care in Rwanda

A partnership between Babyl – a subsidiary of Babylon – and Novo Nordisk will help contribute to the expansion of diabetes awareness and care in Rwanda through community engagement and skills building using digital technology.

Babyl’s existing infrastructure and digital tech will be used to offer digital consultations to patients across Rwanda. Patients who then receive a confirmed diagnosis will be guided to the correct level of care by a doctor or nurse. This could include medication or a referral for further tests.

Vinay Ransiwal, vice president and general manager at Novo Nordisk Middle Africa,

The Dorset Care Record has been viewed more than 1.5 million times by health and care professionals, supporting them to deliver faster, safer and more effective care.

The Dorset Care Record was introduced in April 2018 to boost communication between professionals working in the region.

They are able to access a single and secure view of a person’s health and care information including details about allergies, medication, discharges, test results and plans for ongoing care.

Peter Gill, senior reporting officer for the Dorset Care Record (DCR) and director of informatics at University Hospitals Dorset, said: “Uptake of the DCR has grown substantially over the past year and I hear first-hand, from clinical colleagues, the huge positive difference it is making.

“By having immediate access to vital information, it gives a more rounded picture of a patient’s heath, enabling informed decisions to be made at the right time and in the

Uber is spreading some Christmas cheer amongst NHS staff over the festive period, by offering them free rides and meals.

As a way to thank NHS staff who have worked tirelessly through a pandemic and are now facing working over the Christmas break, Uber will be offering two free £10 rides. There’s also a £10 meal voucher on offer for staff within the NHS.

The offer is available for anyone who has an NHS or HSC email address. Staff need to ensure that they have an Uber account linked to their work email. A promo code will then be sent which can be added to their Uber account.

Andrew Brem, general manager for the UK and Ireland at Uber, said: “Our brilliant NHS has seen us through a pandemic and now thousands of staff will be working through Christmas.

“We want to make sure that travel is one less thing