Rudye McGlothlin
Product Marketing Engineer, Texas
Instruments
There is a tipping point approaching in the area of patient monitoring
and personal data management that is sure to fundamentally change our
relationship to our health. This is being brought about by the sudden intersection
of cheap data storage; small and persistent computing; compelling, often
socially dynamic, software solutions; and accessible sensor technology. The
desire of the individual to monitor and act on personal physiological data has
never been greater or more achievable.
TI’s new ADS1298 analog front end (AFE) is laying the groundwork to
bring in one of the body’s most important diagnostic signals—the
electrocardiogram (ECG)—into this revolution. This device takes all of the
features and functions that are needed for an ECG system and integrates them
into a single chip. This integration provides customers with significant
savings over existing solutions in all areas: size, power, cost, and
reliability. The ADS1298 allows biopotential monitoring to become commonplace
in much the same way that the integration of telephony and computing functions
into a few ICs have made constant communication routine.
As a complete mixed-signal front end for biopotential measurement, the
ADS1298, and the rest of the product family, are key enablers to make ECG
measurement ubiquitous and accelerate the way we do healthcare.
Chris Mertens
Vice President, Healthcare, HP PSG
HP is focused on understanding healthcare needs and developing new
technologies to simplify patient care. We want to make sure that our products
enable solutions in any number of unique medical environments. For instance, we
are working with Parental Health, a new PC application specifically designed
for the HP TouchSmart 9100 that allows seniors to connect face-to-face with
doctors, book medical appointments, or dispatch a nurse in an emergency. We
recognize that as life spans continue to lengthen, more senior citizens are
opting to maintain their independence, and this application gives them the
peace of mind to remain at home longer. We’ve also introduced our EHReady
program to give physicians customized, end-to-end solutions of hardware,
software, and services. With proven EHR software from partners like Quest
Diagnostics, HP’s hardware and services allow hospitals to make a smooth
transition to using EHR systems. Different healthcare environments call for
different hardware, so we’ve designed our tablet PCs, notebooks, desktops,
workstations and thin clients, as well as digital signage and smart phones, to
be able to handle the rigors of patient care.
Alex Brisbourne
President and COO, KORE Telematics
Telehealth initiatives represent the next horizon in improving patient
care and reducing the cost of healthcare. KORE Telematics is helping
organizations understand the critical role that reliable and ubiquitous
wireless communications plays in taking “quality of life” benefits of
telehealth to the next level.
Basic telemonitoring technology has appeared recently, but many
solutions rely on a wired phone to operate. Nearly one in six homes
discontinued their landline, presenting a barrier to the growth in
telemonitoring. And, home monitoring patients are often restricted by device
inflexibility, even if their condition may not warrant it. Now, with wireless
data services, we are able to monitor health data right in the home with no
need for special connectivity to be installed. And, when patients leave the
home, monitoring continues seamlessly.
These innovations are made possible through advancements in
machine-to-machine (M2M) communications that enable cost-effective, remote
health monitoring. Using the highly reliable, inexpensive, and fast wireless
networks that power cellular phones, M2M is reinventing healthcare by capturing
and transmitting remote data.
By integrating the networks of major leading wireless carriers into a
single service platform, KORE is eliminating coverage or connectivity issues,
enabling patients to report medical diagnostics to a doctor in real-time.