Intel is planning to expand the availability of its Health Guide in Europe and is working with industry partners in France, Germany, Spain and The Netherlands to bring localised versions to market over the coming year.
The Intel Health Guide, a regulated device that carries the CE mark under the EU medical device directive, combines an in-home patient device, the Intel Health Guide PHS6000, with the Intel health care management suite, an online interface that allows clinicians to monitor patients in their homes and manage care remotely.
The Intel Health Guide was designed to help address the challenges of chronic conditions for patients, their family caregivers and the healthcare professionals responsible for their care.
The system offers interactive tools for personalised care management and includes vital signs collection, patient reminders, surveys, multimedia educational content, and feedback and communications tools such as video conferencing and email notifications. It can connect to specific models of wired and wireless medical devices, including blood pressure monitors, glucose meters, pulse oximeters, peak flow meters and weight scales.
Using a secure server, health care professionals can remotely review and act on this information. As a result, clinicians have ongoing access to data so that they can better manage each patient’s conditions. Patients benefit from customised care in the comfort of their home and can also monitor their health status and communicate with care teams.
The Intel Health Guide is already available in the UK, US, Ireland and Australia. In The Netherlands, the localised language Intel Health Guide is now available and Fujitsu is the market reseller to sell the Intel Health Guide.
In addition, Intel is working with the Martini Hospital and CurIT in Groningen to conduct a pilot project using the Intel Health Guide, funded through local and European subsidies. In this project, the Intel Health Guide is used for pregnant women with diabetes.
Intel is also continuing to work with other market channel partners to bring the Intel Health Guide to market globally, and additional localised European language versions of the Intel Health Guide will be announced later this year
In France, Intel has recently collaborated with Orange Healthcare and plans to cooperate on a telehealth pilot project with the Moulins-Yzeure Hospital in the Auvergne region of France to support care of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients post-discharge using the Intel Health Guide.
In Germany, the Asklepios Hospital Group has recently announced a new eHealth-Services strategy and partner model to provide eHealth mobile, online and home health services and solutions. Asklepios and Intel will cooperate on a joint telehealth pilot project to support care of Asklepios patients post- discharge using the Intel Health Guide.
In Spain, Telefonica is working with Intel on a pilot project and plans to announce first findings later this year.
In the UK, BT is the latest market partner selling the Intel Health Guide. GE Healthcare and Intel recently signed sales and marketing agreement for the Intel Health Guide in the UK. GE Healthcare already markets the Intel Health Guide in the US.
The localised versions of the Intel Health Guide are Continua-compliant, signalling Intel’s commitment to standardisation and interoperability. The Continua-compliant English language version will be released later this year.
Doug Busch, vice president and chief technical officer of digital health group at Intel, said: “The announcement today represents a major step forward in addressing new models of care. It demonstrates an industry commitment to developing the personal health market globally, with the goal of utilising technology to improve the lives of seniors and people living with chronic illness.”