Royal Philips and Netherlands-based Radboud University Medical Center introduced this week a connected digital health prototype designed to enable people with diabetes – and their healthcare providers – make more confident care decisions.
In this first phase, they are focused on patients with Type 1 diabetes.
The system, which consists of a mobile patient app and online community, is the first to collect and connect data from electronic medical records, multiple personal health devices – including wireless glucose meters and activity monitors – and patient self-reported data, Philips executives say.
Via a smartphone or tablet, the app gives patients continuous information related to their condition, such as blood glucose levels, insulin use and nutrition. It also provides coaching guidance at home and on the go.
[See also: Infographic: predicting diabetes with EHRs.]
The secure online community provides a place where enrolled patients and healthcare professionals can interact via private messaging or shared posts within a healthcare organization's clinical guidelines. The idea is for patients to get feedback from their care team using the combined data and also to provide a way to easily share experiences with fellow patients, clinicians and caregivers.
The collaborative prototype development among Philips, Radboudumc and Salesforce will be available in pilot release by the end of year, with plans to introduce similar connected care solutions addressing other chronic conditions.
Diabetes is a prevalent, chronic condition that is costly in terms of human suffering and global healthcare spending with nearly 400 million people worldwide living with the disease. It is often associated with a variety of other chronic diseases.
[See also: mHealth takes on diabetes.]
On average, people with diabetes make up to 180 decision about their health every day, collecting and evaluating valuable information on personal and medical factors from blood sugar levels to exercise to food choices, research reveals. The care team of people living with diabetes can add up to more than 10 different types of care providers.
"I am excited that we are providing people with diabetes the tools to connect all of their relevant health data and devices," Jeroen Tas, CEO, healthcare informatics solutions and services at Philips, said in a news release. "Our system allows sharing of data and experiences in one community, where they can collaborate with fellow patients and their care teams in a secure environment."
"We want to encourage and support people to take full command of their disease by providing them with the right decision tools," added Cees Tack, professor in internal medicine at Radboudumc. "This fits in our mission towards patient-centered participatory healthcare at Radboudumc."
Philips executives describe the system as built on the Philips HealthSuite digital platform and its new CareCatalyst. The platform securely connects devices and collects, integrates and analyzes patient data from connected consumer and medical devices, electronic medical records and personal health data. Via this open digital platform, self-measurement sources and overall functionality can easily be extended as new digital health consumer measurement technologies become available.
CareCatalyst is a digital toolkit aimed at making it easy for health systems, institutions and care providers to utilize the power of the HealthSuite digital platform in localized platforms.
