EUROPEAN VALUE-BASED HEALTHCARE?
EIT Health have released a handbook outlining a framework for Value-Based Health Care (VBHC) in Europe. The document, which is based on more than 240 VBHC insights across 22 European countries, aims to fundamentally transform the way that healthcare is conducted in Europe, moving from an individualised fee-for-product service provision to a methodology that has the greatest impact on the most number of patients.
The WHO estimate that around 30% of resources spent on healthcare are currently wasted whereas VBHC adopts a more sustainable approach, gravitating more noticeably towards measurable value in healthcare. It follows a five step programme to activate – recording, comparing, rewarding, improving and partnering – and promotes a shared language to acknowledge the success of healthcare solutions along standardised data.
SIEMENS COVID-19 ANTIBODY TEST
A total antibody test produced by lab diagnostics leader Siemens Healthineers has now received the CE mark, making it available for sale in the EEA. The test, which is being prepared for global shipping, detects the presence of both IgM and IgG antibodies in a subject in just 10 minutes with 100% sensitivity and 99.8% specificity, identifying if the patient has developed an immune response to the disease. It has already been installed at the largest installed testing base in the US, ramping up testing capacities.
Siemens Healthineers have also announced FDA Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for its PCR molecular test that can detect the virus that causes COVID-19 with 100% positive and negative agreement in comparison studies. The test, which produces real-time results in under 3 hours, is already being sold in the EEA and the company plans to ship more than 2.5 million PCR tests worldwide a month to meet demand.
CALL TO PROFESSIONALISE RESEARCH STANDARDS
BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, have written a policy paper calling for independent software development standards to be adopted for research that has a critical impact on society. The standards, which would cover research on health, justice and environmentalism, would moderate computational code to stop the politicisation or undermining of scientific data modelling and restore public trust in research. BCS also highlighted the importance of making the code open-source.
In a statement, BCS highlighted that the professionalisation of software development research standards would: enable different research groups to share and build on other research, regardless of discipline or country; enable appropriate modifications of computational models; facilitate reproduction of research findings; and reassure the public that policy decisions are based on high quality research.
ABU-DHABI LAB ACCELERATES COVID-19 TESTING
Health tech solutions company InterSystems has partnered with AI and cloud computing company Group 42 (G42) to implement the first laboratory business management solution. InterSystems TrakCare Lab Enterprise (TCLE) is being utilised at Abu Dhabi’s purpose-built COVID-19 testing laboratory that was set up in just two weeks.
TCLE enables the G42-managed lab to conduct thousands of daily tests efficiently, accelerating the identification and diagnosis of the disease and streamlining strategic responses. The UAE is currently one of the most tested countries per capita for COVID-19 and the TCLE supports their response capacity as test results are automatically reported to Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA). The lab will also utilise BGI’s RT-PCR diagnostic kit to detect COVID-19, the first test to be approved by China, Europe, the US and the WHO, with potential to scale-up testing to support neighbouring regions.
MASIMO AND ROYAL PHILIPS PARTNERSHIP CONTINUES
Leading patient monitoring companies Masimo and Royal Philips have continued their partnership by bringing innovative Masimo measurement technologies into select Philips patient monitors in order to assist clinician assessment of patient cerebral oximetry and ventilation status. Masimo NomoLine® Capnopgraphy and O3® Regional Oximetry have now been integrated into IntelliVue® MX500 and MX550 monitors, adding to other noninvasive Masimo measurements that have been incorporated into Philips multi-parameter monitors since the companies partnered in 2016.
The NomoLine® Capnopgraphy can be used to monitor carbon dioxide concentration in both intubated and non-intubate patients and the O3® Regional Oximetry is intended to help monitor cerebral oxygen levels in patients when pulse oximetry measurements are insufficient. The partnership with Philips is enabling widespread use of these innovative measurement technologies, taking pressure of strained frontline health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
XR TRAINING FOR NHS
NHS workers across the UK are using XR – a mixture of virtual and augmented reality technologies – to access specialised training on working around COVID-19. The technology, created by Bristol-based training firm Virti, was developed in response to restrictions on face-to-face interactions limiting traditional medical training for staff.
The Health Education England-approved immersive training platform can be accessed by NHS staff through a VR headset, desktop or smart device and uses AI to objectively assess the users performance. The system recreates hospital environments and real patient cases to train staff on things such as how to navigate unfamiliar intensive care wards, how to properly use PPE, and how to interact with patients appropriately.
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