The latest buzz in health care is all about biotechnology, or more specifically, bio-connectivity. Bio-connectivity has the potential to revolutionize the way in which health care is delivered through the integration of patient, health care provider, and technology. Bio-connectivity technologies connect patients at home to medical monitoring and measuring devices, which are connected to health care providers. This network happens in real time through the Internet, phone lines or cellular services.
Bio-connectivity is perhaps a natural evolution of such trends as shorter hospital stays, home health care, and technologies like telemetry monitoring, portable testing devices, and telemedicine. These technologies have been evolving for decades, and have enhanced and improved health care in countless ways.
For example, the advent of cardiac telemetry monitoring allows paramedics in the field to transmit a patient’s EKG directly to the hospital emergency room, which facilitates a more timely diagnosis and treatment for critical patients. The invention of the portable glucometer enables people with diabetes to better control their blood sugar by quickly testing glucose levels anytime in any place. Telemedicine, the communication of medical information by phone or Internet, makes long-distance consultation with specialists a reality and brings once unattainable expertise to the bedside of patients in remote areas.
This newest incarnation, bio-connectivity, is described by global futurist Jim Carroll as “…the marriage of the computer chip and connectivity technology to medical devices, and ultimately, to people.”
Examples of bio-connectivity technology include the TCx-1 System developed by BL Healthcare, Inc. The TCx-1 System collects wireless health data from a variety of medical monitoring devices, such as a blood pressure monitor, and automatically transmits the information to a remote server, accessible to a physician or other clinician. In this case, patients can view their own blood pressure information on a screen, where they can also communicate with their physician about their condition and watch educational media, such as a film about managing hypertension. Patients can even videoconference with their health care provider.
Carroll is predicting that the demand for bio-connectivity technologies will soar as the baby-boomer population grows into the Medicare population, with the accompanying chronic illnesses and ongoing health needs of older adults. Other issues facing health care, including primary care physician shortages and soaring costs of hospitalization, also demand innovative solutions. It’s hoped that bio-connectivity will ultimately create a superhighway of monitoring and communication that will help to address these issues and improve quality of care.