The struggle for mobile health dominance will be decided not just by the technological elegance of the four devices that we have set upon each other, but also by the impact they stand to make across the healthcare spectrum. Providers are utilizing pocket-sized cardiac monitors, smartphone- and tablet-enabled ultrasound, blood loss estimator and multifunctional remote monitoring, represented by the four tools competing in this round, in a bid to curb healthcare costs and improve outcomes.
Mobisante’s SP1 v AliveCor
These medical devices are well matched against each other in this showdown. The US Food and Drug Administration cleared both — a portable ultrasound that’s used with a smartphone is pitted against a smartphone that converts into a cardiac monitor. AliveCor’s electrocardiogram, which works with iPhone 4, responds to the need for better management of chronic conditions like heart disease, which kills 600,000 Americans each year by Centers for Disease Control’s reckoning. Additionally, it will be particularly useful for clinical trials that require monitoring.
Mobisante’s SP1 mobile ultrasound smartphone tool is a response to the growing demand for ultrasound at the point of care. A Journal of Emergencies Trauma and Shock article noted the potential of expanding portable, point-of-care ultrasound.
“Point-of-care ultrasound is rapid, accurate, repeatable, nonexpensive, noninvasive and without the risk of radiation. It can be used in both stable and unstable patients. It may also be performed parallel to physical examination, resuscitation and stabilization. Performing repeated ultrasound exams in critical patients is essential and improves its overall sensitivity. Initially negative sonographic exams may become positive during the course of the disease.”
Winner: Mobisante’s SP1
Why? It can address a wider variety of needs across obstetrics, primary care and by emergency room technicians. There is a certain amount of debate about the use of portable ultrasound by non physicians. An interesting, comment-driven debate in an iMobileApps article weighing the merits of stethoscopes with the advances in portable led many to conclude that they complement each other.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Gauss Surgical vs. AirStrip One
The first smartphone app to estimate blood loss during surgery goes against AirStripOne. Complications can result from overestimating or underestimating a patient’s blood loss on the operating table. Gauss Surgical’s app reflects an important milestone for apps to be used as part of an OR procedure.
AirStripOne is every bit as useful and more so. The vendor agnostic technology sets out to break down barriers between data sources. It customizes the way the data is presented according to the clinician’s specialty, by patterns in the way they use it, work flow and visual preferences. It provides data on fetal heart rate and maternal contraction patterns, vital signs, and nursing notes to a clinician’s mobile device. An electronic medical record setting allows physicians to access health record information in real time from smartphones and tablets.
Winner: AirStripOne
Why? It’s a tough call since each device treats a broad range of patients. But if there is one aim of healthcare reform it is to use technology to lower healthcare costs. And although Gauss Surgical’s app can also reduce hospitalization costs, AirStrip’s technology helps healthcare professionals better manage their patients’ conditions and alerts them to any significant changes. It also holds promise in clinical trials.
