Vaishali Kamat, head of digital health at Cambridge Consultants, talks product design and development for the digital side of health
Vaishali Kamat, head of digital health at Cambridge Consultants
What projects have you been focused on recently?
My focus is on developing ecosystem solutions that can help improve health outcomes, streamline clinical care or provide evidence of efficacy. My work covers a range of healthcare sectors, from diagnostics and drug delivery to surgical interventions and active implants.
The solutions we develop are enabled by new and emerging technologies such as low-power electronics, intelligent sensors, wireless communications, and mobile platforms.
A good example of this is a platform we developed which delivers real-time data and control to physicians allowing them to monitor and modify neuromodulation therapy for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, and provide evidence of therapy efficacy.
The solution consists of a wearable sensor which monitors the patient’s condition, records tremors and transmits data wirelessly to a smart phone. The physician can review this data and appropriately modify the therapy settings of the patient’s implant also via a wireless connection.
The use of this platform potentially revolutionises the way disease like Parkinson’s have been treated so far. Data on patient wellbeing and the impact of therapy is captured in real time and can be acted upon - not once in six months during a clinic visit but as often as necessary.
Another example is a sensing platform that can provide intelligence on device usage, both during product development and after product launch. Using a combination of highly sensitive sensors and a suite of intelligent algorithms, the platform is capable of capturing details of device usage, beyond just device activation.
This enables data-driven analytics and allows the end user – the most important stakeholder – to inform the device development process. With the ability to measure motion in nine degrees of freedom, as well as the flexibility to host other sensors like temperature, humidity, pressure, etc., it is a powerful platform suitable for a variety of applications
What is your latest innovation?
The KiCoPen concept – a smart insulin pen together with a suite of services for diabetes management. It is a fantastic example of how the combination of innovative technology and great design has the potential to change people’s lives.
We have aimed the solution at simplifying the lives of diabetics as well as their care providers. Keeping the users at the heart of our medical device developments – from understanding unmet needs through to delivering enhanced experiences – we are able to create solutions that bring great value to a number of different stakeholders.
What does it mean for the medical sector?
The KiCoPen concept aims to reduce the burden of diabetes for the 371 million people affected worldwide – by making daily management of their disease easier and more precise.
The device captures the exact insulin dose delivered and wirelessly transmits the information to an associated smartphone app.
It uses energy harvesting instead of a battery – the action of removing the injector cap powers the device.
The associated app seamlessly gathers data on blood glucose levels, activity and food consumption, and integrates it with insulin dosage. Local and cloud-based analytics turn the data into real-time actionable insights – helping the patient stay in control.
KiCoPen allows the patient to be confident they are on track with their daily insulin regimen while eliminating the burden of tracking everything manually. This, in turn, improves the patient’s compliance and results in better glycaemic control – helping to reduce late-stage complications.
The technology in KiCoPen, as well as the associated service offerings, can be applied to other device types and diseases. The healthcare sector is going through a change at the moment and the focus on outcome improvement and evidence is increasing.
What are your future plans?
Cambridge Consultants continues to develop breakthrough technology for its clients in a number of healthcare sectors. We expect the focus on connected medical devices and mobile solutions to continue increasing as the pressure to deliver better outcomes increases.
I believe digital health solutions have the ability to empower individuals and their family care givers, get them engaged in their own care and enable them to take responsibility – that is the only way to reduce the load on medical professionals and clinical facilities and, more importantly, tackle the burden that chronic disease and an ageing population is placing on both developed and emerging economies alike.