Mobile Health Promises To Uproot, Uplift Medical Devices

Article preview from Start-Up - November, 2011

The health care industry is being swept up in a technological twister, again. Ten years ago, it was the Internet. Today, it’s mobile technology. How are medical device companies, start-ups and investors harnessing this power to create better devices, improved clinical outcomes and richer financial returns?

Mobile Health Promises To Uproot, Uplift Medical Devices

Article preview from Start-Up - November, 2011

The flow of innovation in medical devices traditionally has been a one-way street. An engineer or a surgeon would identify a problem and create a potential solution, a twisted piece of metal that might prop open a vessel or help repair a broken bone. The role of the patient in this innovative process was minimal, like an extra on a movie set. The patient showed up, had the device implanted, healed (hopefully), and went home, allowing the tinkerers in the device industry to develop the next iteration of the device.

But the roles in health care are changing. No doubt, device companies and creators still have a starring spot in the production, but patients are demanding a meaty role for themselves, one that gives them dialogue and a voice in the management of their own health care. Gone are the days when the only medical triage tool available for home use was the thermometer. Now, thanks to a revolution in mobile health, people can measure their own blood pressure, brain waves, glucose levels, heart rates, pulse oxygenation, activity levels, and numerous other biometrics. According to MobiHealthNews, by mid 2012 there will be some 13,000 iPhone health applications for consumers to download from Apple Computer’s App Store.

The availability of these new health care tools has sparked The Quantified Self movement, a network of technologically savvy people who are hungry for new self-tracking technologies that enable them to remain fit and stave off disease. Once again, the health care system historically has stepped in only when people became unfit enough to warrant intervention. But now, the revolution in mobile health, digital health, or wireless medicine could enlist patients in the struggle to maintain their own health, potentially improving health outcomes, increasing access to care and reducing costs.

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No publication reviews leading edge companies and technology better than START-UP. Each issue of START-UP profiles the most important new product companies, identifies the hottest technology areas, reviews funds flowing into private companies and investment trends, and reports on university tech transfer licensing. Industries covered: pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical equipment & devices, and in vitro diagnostics.

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