At the Dreamforce 2014 conference in San Francisco, Royal Philips announced a prototype product to help patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Developed in partnership with the Radboud University medical center in the Netherlands, the device is part of a system of mobile devices and cloud technology designed to collect and analyze more patient data. This should lead to better patient engagement in treatment plans, better care coordination among healthcare providers and caregivers, and improved patient outcomes as a result.
The wearable Health Tech device gathers data around the clock, including biometric data on heart rate, physical activity, and breathing rate. The cloud-based HealthSuite Digital Platform provides secure handling of the patient data. The data will give healthcare professionals more information about the condition of the patient’s heart and lung activity throughout the day and night, and not just in the brief moments that these functions are measured at a doctor’s office or in a hospital.
This new breed of digital recording devices offers lightweight, low-cost, and easy to use products that could have a big impact on the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of other chronic conditions beyond just COPD.
