The Clinician, Alimetry win first Medtronic APAC Innovation Challenge 

New Zealand-based digital health companies The Clinician and Alimetry are among the five winners of the inaugural Medtronic APAC Innovation Challenge.

MAIC was launched last year in October as an extension of the Medtronic Open Innovation Platform. It has received over 300 applications from 46 countries, of which 10 companies were shortlisted to compete in a virtual final challenge. 

The five winners, who were revealed on 16 March at a conference held in Singapore, will have the chance to collaborate with the Irish medical device firm to jointly market products and run commercial pilots for their proposed medical technology or digital health product solutions worth up to $200,000.

"MAIC provides a unique opportunity for ANZ innovators like Alimetry and The Clinician to tap into Medtronic’s reach in APAC," said Medtronic Australasia VP and Managing Director Liz Carnabuci.

A spin-off from the University of Auckland, Alimetry develops diagnostic solutions for gastrointestinal disorders, while The Clinician offers a cloud-based platform for the timely exchange of patient-generated data and delivery of multimedia educational materials. 

NZHIT rebrands to Digital Health Association

New Zealand Health IT (NZHIT) has rebranded as the Digital Health Association as part of its move into the fourth industrial revolution.

In a media release, Chief Executive Ryl Jensen noted that 2022 will see "continued and accelerated" rise of virtual and eHealth developments, including analytics, artificial intelligence, robotics, IoT, health apps and virtual reality.

"This is a worldwide shift that sees the physical, digital and biological worlds coming together. The change will happen faster than anything we have seen before".

Jensen said DHA's new name reflects its over 170 member base, which includes software and hardware vendors, healthcare providers, and consultancy firms, who are instrumental in the development and implementation of digital health in New Zealand. 

Moving forward, DHA intends to collaborate with the Ministry of Health and other agencies leading digital health transformation. "The Digital Health Association would like to see an Aotearoa New Zealand that has a world-leading health and disability system, enabled by digital health," Jensen said.

Dunedin Hospital trials online surgical care plans

The Dunedin Hospital in New Zealand has developed online care plans together with Otago University to enhance patient outcomes post surgery.

According to a news report, the Surgical Carepacs provides a personalised care plan in the form of documents, videos, questionnaires, and exercise programmes. It delivers information and enables patients to become more engaged in their medical care to minimise surgery complications, aid in faster recovery, and improve patient satisfaction.

The care plans are carried out through the Go Well Health platform by local IT provider SHI Global.

The news report noted that around 45% of discharged patients at Dunedin Hospital were found to have developed postoperative issues. A preoperative programme will be able to reduce surgical complications but there is no such programme at the hospital. Moreover, patients have little contact with allied health services prior to surgery. 

The Surgical Carepacs features a preoperative section where patients can get information about their disease, their procedure, anaesthesia, and surgery risks. There is also an optimisation section that helps patients prepare for surgery. 

Recovering patients at the hospital will get daily updates, as well as summaries and exercise videos, via the Go Well Health platform. On the staff side, the platform also allows a care team to directly contact patients, highlight important messages, and flag urgent tasks. 

The Surgical Carepacs has been rolled out to colorectal patients, who claimed that the programme has helped them cope with anxiety about their cancer diagnosis and surgery. 

Dunedin Hospital is currently working to co-design the programme with Māori and Pasifika and develop the Total Cancer Carepacs.