Health and new technologies, to be treated with data

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Since 2010, technological advances in the medical field have been increasing and refining. Indeed, it was during this period that health professionals began to take an interest and use computer science, big data or artificial intelligence. Thus medical solutions have been apprehended through robotics, augmented reality, 5G, bioprinting and many others…

This topical topic of national and global interest was at the centre of the annual B2B meeting of Bordeaux’s entrepreneurial and digital ecosystem: La Grande Junction. This year, this FrenchTech Bordeaux event was dedicated to the health sector. Through a meeting with the exhibitors of the various invited start-ups, a conference and a round table; The Great Junction of November 6, 2019 held at the Palais des Congrès in Bordeaux was the appointment not to be missed for all professionals and curious about health and e-health.

Presented by Alain DUCARDONNET, cardiologist and health journalist, the conference proposed to discover the new technological tools that appear in the medical world, through the presentation of various start-ups from Bordeaux, Paris and all of France. Among them: DESKI, a company combining medical expertise and mastery of artificial intelligence algorithms; Bfordoc, a web platform that facilitates access to care; Satelia, remote monitoring and medical follow-up solution; and many more…

Telemedicine, the medical service of tomorrow

The World Health Organization (WHO) defined telemedicine in 1997 as “the part of medicine that uses the telecommunication transmission of medical information (images, reports, recordings, etc.) to remotely obtain a diagnosis, specialized advice, continuous monitoring of a patient, therapeutic decision” (1).

Thus, in order to improve the quality, quantity and speed of patient care, digital technologies have been strongly studied in the health field. One of them is artificial intelligence (AI). It is a term that can frighten in an area as sensitive as that of the medical.

However, AI has proven itself. Examples include Sony AIbo’s 1999 smart robot dog robot, Apple’s famous Siri in 2010, Amazon’s Alexa personal assistant in 2014 and, more recently, Google’s AlphaGo computer program in 2017.

So it was time for the medical world to take over the capabilities that AI offers its users.

Artificial intelligence is not the only technological advance to be studied, tested and marketed in the health field. Indeed, bioprinting, big data, augmented and virtual reality, 5G or connected objects are also making their entrance.

Artificial Intelligence and Health, the work of tomorrow

In the future, research will lead to more data recovery and faster and more effective diagnostics. Or to create delicate elements such as the design of a beating heart.

However, new technologies have already succeeded in recreating a heart in 3D with blood vessels and tissues.

There are also robots that accompany the rehabilitation of some patients during physical therapy sessions.

A thought-controlled exoskeleton has also already been tested. Zipline is another example of technological advances that contribute to access to care. It is an American company that distributes medical products such as vaccines and blood bags by air via drones. The majority of these products are delivered in Africa to help the poorest.

In order to continue in this direction, the research does not run out and reveals new solutions.

New technological advances in health

At the e-health conference of La Grande Junction on November 6, 2019, many start-ups offered medical innovations.

Bfordoc is an internet platform that speeds up access to care. Today, 5 million French people say they have a problem with access to care. Bfordoc proposes the solution of studying the patient’s medical record remotely in order to guide and prioritize the requests.

The company undertakes to respond within about 72 hours to shorten delays that are often very long in rural areas or in areas with small amounts of medical services.

Conserto is an innovative company that offers consulting and IT expertise.

The Conserto team is responsible for the design of the famous humanoid robot Pepper. He now participates in the activities of some EHPADs.

Pepper is able to do facial analyses in order to adapt his reactions to the emotions of his patients. It also has social mimics such as blinking. These features help relieve the staffing of specialized establishments such as EHPADs. They also create social bonds even via a robot. Finally, families visit their loved ones more often in EHPAD out of curiosity about robots.

Today, e-health is on our doorstep

Exelus is the creative company of Nomadeec, a telemedicine platform for healthcare professionals. Emergency workers, nurses, firefighters and paramedics are affected.

Nomadeec allows to carry out check-ups or clinical examinations directly in the field. It offers many connected medical devices, with real-time sharing.

For example, a firefighter is called to rescue a man on the ground in the street. He needs a quick analysis or even possible advice from another medical professional: this is possible with Nomadeec. With the connected tools, the firefighter receives information instantly in his visual field through his helmet. It can also quickly launch a mixed reality video conference.

The most relevant and interesting thing about mixed reality rather than virtual reality in such cases is that mixed reality takes into account understanding of the real world in addition to projecting augmented reality into the visual field.

Satelia, improve patient follow-up over time

Satelia is a remote monitoring solution that simplifies the follow-up of patients with chronic diseases.

Through a web application, patients can find short informative videos and complete a questionnaire to allow the medical profession to monitor their pre- and post-hospital condition.

The results of the questionnaires allow to personalize the care and diagnoses in order to relieve the pain of patients to the maximum. Indeed, Satelia’s algorithm is now capable of having a predictive analysis of pain.

New health technologies have already shown that they are capable of relieving the lives of many patients and physicians. In addition to participating in access to care, it helps to optimize the quality of care. Real technological prowess has already been achieved. However, we must not forget that being in contact with patients is paramount. For this reason, technological advances must move in this direction to maintain the social link between the patient and the caregiver. This is also why the combination between the machine and the Man remains the winning combo!

Sources:

  1. November 2008 report plan from the Ministry of Health and Sports telemedicine:
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