Words by Isabel O'Brien
Here, GOLD takes a look at the latest health technology stories and product launches to uncover the advances that are being made by the wider industry to improve health outcomes for patients and revolutionise healthcare
Infant eczema screening tool backed by J&J
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. is teaming up with SciBase – a leading developer of augmented intelligence-based solutions for skin disorders – to develop an AI-powered eczema screening tool for infants. The tool will aim to detect skin barrier dysfunction to predict an infant’s risk of developing atopic dermatitis (AD) – the most common form of eczema. Its early detection capabilities will also aid the development of preventative treatments for AD.
Mayo Clinic takes on AI bias busting
The Mayo Clinic has launched a new product to tackle a historical challenge with the use of AI to detect and treat disease: accuracy and susceptibility to bias. Platform_Validate assesses health tools to check for bias in categories ranging from age to ethnicity. As it stands, tools have been known to inadvertently reinforce inequities in some cases, so this tool is set to deliver a huge opportunity to improve the credibility of AI solutions.
NICE warms to CBT digital therapeutics
In a milestone for digital therapeutics, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is conditionally recommending digital cognitive behaviour therapies (CBT) for use in the NHS to help children and young people with symptoms of mild to moderate anxiety. The public body is reviewing five tools offering digital CBT services via mobile phones, tablets or computers to see if these could be a suitable substitute to face-to-face sessions. However, it is still seeking more evidence before advising routine use.
New app for monitoring Parkinson’s Disease
An app for monitoring Parkinson’s disease has received marketing clearance from the FDA for use on the Apple Watch. The app, which is called Parky and developed by H2o Therapeutics, monitors symptoms such as tremors and involuntary movements in real-time, before sharing data with patients and medical professionals on an individual’s disease progression. Currently, 10 million patients worldwide live with Parkinson’s disease, and it is the fastest growing neurological disorder.
This tech news round up features in GOLD 25 – read the full issue here.