Dive Brief:
- Philips has announced its plan to launch a new wireless wearable biosensor that continuously measures heart rate, respiratory rate, skin temperature, single-lead ECG, posture, and activity data for at-risk hospital patients in general wards.
- Data from the biosensor is transmitted to connected clinical decision support software so it can be configured to notify a clinician or caregiver when preset limits are exceeded.
- Carla Kriwet, CEO of patient care and monitoring solutions, said in a press release that the company is entering the mobile health enabled-solutions market to help patients recover faster and with fewer complications in the hospital and at home.
Dive Insight:
The company stated that the idea for the biosensor arose from speaking with providers looking for ways to help at-risk patients in low acuity hospital areas through recovery and transition to home care. Other drivers behind the technology include a rapidly growing aging population, and those with chronic diseases accounting for 86% of national healthcare costs, which totaled $2.9 trillion in 2013, according to the CDC.
"We see the potential for connected sensing solutions and the value created by the rich and actionable data they generate to have very positive impact on the chronically ill by helping to reduce associated costly adverse events, complications, unplanned transfers back to the ICU and longer lengths of hospitalization," Kriwet added.
A 2015 report by Grand View Research estimated that the global biosensor market will reach $21.7 billion by 2020.