MARKET WATCH
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A blood glucose meter that is linked wirelessly to an insulin pump streamlines diabetes management. The concept device is designed to show the potential of the near-field communication wireless platform in a broad range of medical technology applications.
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In one sense, wireless is a vintage concept in the medical arena, writes Aarati Ajay, a Frost & Sullivan analyst specializing in patient monitoring. In a report titled Unwiring Healthcare in Europe: Unbound Growth, Ajay notes that wireless communication technology has been used for more than 30 years in the form of radio communication between ambulances and emergency-care sites. “The progression of wireless technologies into healthcare is a natural culmination,” writes Ajay, but its application in hospital-based patient monitoring must overcome some hurdles before it can achieve its full potential.
Beyond the hospital walls, however, wireless patient monitoring is surging ahead. “Growth opportunities are boundless in the home–care zone,” writes Ajay, who notes that further growth in this field “would be the ideal situation for Europe.” Rising healthcare costs are forcing providers to look for ways to reduce the amount of time that patients are tethered to hospital beds.
Two recent developments are advancing the use of wireless technology in medical technology in a number of ways. The application of near-field communication (NFC) technology to a concept device that treats diabetes is designed to show the platform’s suitability for a range of healthcare products inside and outside the hospital. The more well-known Bluetooth technology is getting a functional boost from a working group that is seeking to find ways to make Bluetooth-enabled medical devices work seamlessly with consumer electronics.
Keeping the Patient in the Loop
More than 177 million people currently suffer from diabetes, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). To simplify management of the condition, which WHO has labeled an epidemic, Cambridge Consultants (Cambridge, UK) and Philips (Eindhoven, Netherlands) are applying NFC technology to link a user-controlled glucose meter and an insulin pump.
NFC was jointly developed by Philips and Sony. It combines contactless identification and interconnection technologies that enable secure short-range communication between electronic devices. What makes NFC especially attractive for medical device applications, according to Cambridge Consultants, is its short 10-cm working range and a built-in security feature that requires the user to bring the paired NFC-enabled devices into close proximity to initiate an event.
In the concept device, the glucose meter is wirelessly linked to an insulin pump. The meter records the blood sugar reading and recommends a bolus dose of insulin. If the patient accepts the dose, he or she swipes the glucose meter against the insulin pump, which can be worn underneath clothing, and the drug is delivered. Cambridge Consultants, a consultancy that frequently collaborates with medical device OEMs from its UK and US offices, has dubbed this confirmation feature “patient-in-the-loop dosing.” It allays some of the resistance patients might have to adopting this technology, according to Paul Williamson, manager of business development, wireless business unit, at Cambridge Consultants.
“A primary concern for users is having confidence in communication of the data,” says Williamson. “Because the devices have to be physically brought together to confirm the communication, the patient is involved in making the decision. The patient is in control,” stresses Williamson. “It eliminates a key concern for the user, which is ‘Can I accidentally put myself in a dangerous situation?’” adds Richard Traherne, head of the consultancy’s wireless business unit. This feature, in particular, led the team to choose diabetes management as the maiden medical device application for NFC.
“This is an area where compliance and security are of paramount concern,” notes Traherne. A device used for diabetes management is also a fairly straightforward way of demonstrating the potential reach of this technology in the medical arena, he adds.
The market for NFC in medical products will be driven by the development of NFC-enabled mobile phones, which analysts forecast to reach 57 million units annually by 2009. “NFC has the potential to be a catalyst in developing the efficiency and portability of medical devices for a number of applications,” says Traherne. “We see strong potential for the technology in pain relief, asthma, and respiratory care; gastric electrical stimulation therapy; and treatments for congestive heart failure or incontinence, among other medical applications,” he notes.
NFC is suitable any time you need to know who is doing what to whom and when, adds Andrew Diston, head of Cambridge Consultants’ global healthcare business unit. “For example, it could be used to monitor drugs administered in hospital.”
A further advantage of the technology is the reportedly low cost of adding it to products. It also can be designed in such a way that half of the system operates passively, drawing its power from the master device. This means that the equipment may be wireless-enabled using an extremely low bill of materials and with little or no impact on size, according to the consultancy.
Let’s Talk
Getting consumer electronics products to seamlessly communicate with healthcare devices is the stated goal of a medical devices working group that was formed in May 2006. Part of the larger Bluetooth special interest group (SIG), the initiative channels the efforts of IBM, Intel, Nonin Medical, Philips Electronics, Welch Allyn, and 14 other companies into the expansion of Bluetooth technology into the medical, health, and fitness markets.
“Health-related devices in the home, such as weight scales, blood pressure monitors, and exercise equipment, that implement the new standard will be able to send information wirelessly to Bluetooth-enabled PCs or cell phones,” says Robert Hughes, working group chair and senior wireless standards architect at Intel’s digital health group. “This technology will allow health information to be monitored or shared with a doctor or fitness coach anywhere in the world.”
The most immediate beneficiaries of the Bluetooth medical device profile may be chronically ill patients suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. For example, a Bluetooth sensor can measure an individual’s vital health indicators via a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone or personal digital assistant. The group also envisions a medical kit connected to a PC or set-top box that would allow patients to have their health status checked at home during a phone or video visit with their caregiver.
The working group expects to have the new profile available for use in devices by the second quarter of 2007. The profile will be designed to run on all current versions of Bluetooth, including the forthcoming high-speed version.
