Wireless Health Tech devices are starting to make significant inroads into standard medical practice. The ability of these systems to collect continuous data from patients provides more detailed and accurate information about their condition, relieves hospital staff of some routine tasks, and using sophisticated algorithms, can perform predictive analysis and generate alerts.
One example of this is the RAPID project, which stands for “Real-Time Adaptive & Predictive Indicator of Deterioration.” The program at Birmingham Children’s Hospital is designed to predict deteriorating health in seriously ill children. The program recently enrolled its 1,000th patient. The system relies on patient monitoring devices provided by Iansys, and the key component is the company’s Lifetouch wireless sensor system. This is a smart bandage that communicates ECG readings remotely, and can run for about 5 days without being replaced. The data is processed by the system, and is able to issue alerts to healthcare workers when a negative trend is identified. This means that any diagnosis and intervention can be started sooner, and the treatment can be more effective.
The project is part of a three-year study intended to provide data on the outcomes of patients treated under this system, as well as possible impact on the impact on healthcare costs for these patients. This is essential information that we will need to prove the value of wearable Health Tech devices in clinical settings like these.
