Researchers from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis are working on developing technology that will enable heart failure patients to gain access to their heart data.
The technology, called Power to the Patient, will use data from implantable electronic devices that are typically given to heart failure patients. The devices gather data on cardiac function and device activity.
Power to the Patient will process the implantable device data, while also processing information that the patient enters into the Power to the Patient system. It will produce reports and recommendations and deliver it to the patient via a number of channels, including an online portal or smartwatch.
"For patients, the implantable device is currently a black box holding powerful data they never see and cannot act upon," said Richard J. Holden, PhD, an assistant professor of health informatics at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. "This is akin to installing a car's fuel gauge inside the mechanic's shop, not in the driver's dashboard. You would have to call the mechanic's shop to find out if your car was low on fuel or hope they would call you. It puts the critical actor out of the loop, powerless to act or adapt in a timely fashion."
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality awarded Dr. Holden $293,786 to conduct research and develop the Power to the Patient technology.