Startup Health Tech - April 2014

I have dabbled with a little bit of work in the tech/health scene and always knew that Melbourne generally had a large and healthy medical ‘industry’, but I had no idea that the Startup space was so large! Tonight’s event was held at the brand new Royal Children’s Hospital, which was very shiny, new and welcoming. The crowd was a good mix of clinicians, technical folk and business folk and there were quite a few speakers, so I’ll get on with telling you about them all in my usual very brief manner.

Introductions - Dr Mike O’Brien, Head of Paediatric Urological Surgery - Royal Children’s Hospital
Mike’s introduction was generally around how the various groups mentioned above can all collaborate together and some examples from around the world on how this has worked and what issues it could fix.

Patient centred care is much like UX, but often there is no breathing space to think or plan properly in health care. But we are keen on working together, we are keen on good ideas.

**Mohinder Jaimangal (Director, Curve Tomorrow) & Joanne Boag ( IP/Commercialisation - Murdoch Childrens Research Institute) **
The project took place at the The Victorian Clinical Genetics Services (VCGS) trials centre.

Healthcare is generally a low tech environment, punctuated with high technology instruments but low ICT.

Mohinder started as a robotics engineer, but it didn’t happen quite as he expected, moved into other areas and finally came back into robotics from a health perspective, using existing platforms. Being embedded in research institute has helped really work on effective products.

Sonny movement is the result, a product to help children with Cerebral Palsy by helping physios measure their movement.

One main lesson from the project was about allowing the extra time required for regulations, ethics etc… It’s a new space, so many road blocks.

Lean health care - Dr Pieter Peach

A talk about applying lean methodologies to Healthcare. Failing fast can be difficult in health care, but it can be possible to test assumptions and learn from them.

The problem is the issue, not the solution. Focus on solving it, not fudging what you have into it.
Automation can certainly help in Healthcare
Combat the resistance to change, unless it has good reason.
Simple questions, patient feedback etc can be easily applied in Healthcare.
Waste is of no value to customers/patients.

**Capturing footprints - Phil Goebel **

A talk about the Quantified self (QS) and it’s application in Healthcare, a great talk in fact…
A common image presented is the vitruvian man, Da Vinci tried to quantify humanity with maths, now it’s gadgets instead.
Health tracking isn’t necessarily new, but now it’s easier to do and easier to track multiple data points and identify relationships.
Methodology is what did you learn, noting other variables. More about providing tools, not we are right, off you go.
Problems include standardised data and competition and comparison between various platforms. Privacy, Ownership and what do you want to share. Will consumers accept cost benefit.
An unrelated case study - Disney magic band. How can QS be used to make outcomes better, how to delight patients.
Reacting to predictions and prevention, instead of patients coming when there’s a problem and reacting to that.
Currently building sensors into wheel frames to detect gait that may affect a fall.

**Andrew Yap - Clinician Entrepreneur **
Entrepreneurship starts with a problem. For Andrew is was the pager, he hates it. Not enough information to make decisions and time is wasted, but you need to define the real problem. Forty minutes wasted a day, smart phones also don’t solve the problem due to connectivity, governance, change.

Had an idea, thought I’d be rich, someone would steal it, it’s easy… But then what. Take it slower, meet, learn, decide. Meet the customer, who isn’t always who you think. Partner with others, DIY… Give the idea away.