Researchers at Philips believe that they do, which is why, in October 2014, they announced a new wearable device prototype, designed to support patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in a tie-up with the Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc) in the Netherlands.
Like many chronic illnesses, COPD is progressive, long-lasting and can be controlled and managed, but not cured. Characterised by persistent blockage of airflow from the lungs, leading to shortness of breath, it is thought by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to affect some 64 million people worldwide.
But despite the intrusions of frequent medication and hospital stays, many COPD patients continue to live independent lives at home and stay as active as possible. For these patients, information about their individual condition and its progression is incredibly valuable, says Jeroen Tas, chief executive of Philips Healthcare Informatics Solutions and Services at Philips.
“An informed patient is a more confident patient - in control of their illness, responsive to their own symptoms and able to have a better experience of their condition,” he says.
Philips’ new device for COPD patients is worn as a smart adhesive patch, he explains, and collects data day and night on activity levels, respiratory function and heart rhythm and rate. That data is then sent via the cloud, using the patient’s own mobile device, to the Philips HealthSuite Digital Platform, where it is shared with two apps: eCareCompanion (for the patient themselves) and eCareCoordinator (for the medical staff that support them).
That gives both COPD patients and their doctors unprecedented access to real-time, round-the-clock health data. Doctors can monitor patients remotely, delivering a better level of individualised care, assessing episodes of breathlessness, and intervening rapidly if they’re concerned by a patient’s deteriorating condition.
Connected medical devices are not, in themselves, anything new. By the end of 2013, doctors were already monitoring around 3 million patients worldwide through the use of connected medical devices, mostly cardiac implants, according to Swedish research firm, Berg Insight. Likewise, there are plenty of wearables available that allow consumers to measure their health, activity rates and diet, such as FitBit and Jawbone.
But where the Philips’ prototype for COPD patients stands out is in bridging the gap between personal and clinical health information and enabling patients and doctors to collaborate more closely. That’s important in a chronic illness like COPD, says Mr Tas, where symptoms can range from difficulty in climbing a set of stairs or carrying heavy shopping to life-threatening episodes of oxygen deprivation.
And there are plenty of other chronic illnesses that require careful monitoring - such as diabetes, for example - that could benefit from a similarly collaborative approach. “I can see all sorts of new propositions that could emerge from the application of low-cost sensors and wearable technologies, and what they all have in common is that they will allow patients to take ownership of their health, overseen by doctors who understand that individual patient’s unique needs.”
This blog post accompanies a recent investigation by The Economist Intelligence Unit of how organisations are developing smart products, sponsored by Cognizant. Click here to read the full report.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited (EIU) or any other member of The Economist Group. The Economist Group (including the EIU) cannot accept any responsibility or liability for reliance by any person on this article or any of the information, opinions or conclusions set out in the article.
