Qualcomm is selling a gadget that aggregates data from different biosensors and medical devices in the home and plants it in a cloud database from where physicians and nurses can access real-time biometric data about their patients. Verizon Wireless is developing a “virtual care” platform, built on the back of its new LTE network, which will allow doctors to use video over smartphones and tablets to make virtual house calls. The wireless industry is moving more aggressively into telemedicine, seeing the potential of a healthcare system unfettered by wires, not to mention the huge business opportunity.

First I've heard of these.

A brief visit to the emergency room last month reminded me of what an organization that's pre-digital is like. Six people doing bureaucratic tasks and screening that are artifacts of a paper universe, all in the service of one doctor (and the need to get paid and not get sued). A 90-minute experience so we could see a doctor for ninety seconds.

Wasteful and even dangerous.

Imagine what this is like in a fully digital environment instead. Of course, they'd know everything about your medical history and payment ability from a quick ID scan at the entrance. And you'd know the doctor's availability before you even walked in, and you would have been shuttled to the urgent care center down the street if there was an uneven load this early in the morning. No questions to guess at the answer (last tetanus shot? Allergies to medications?) because the answers would be known. The drive to the pharmacy might be eliminated, or perhaps the waiting time would be shortened. If this accident or illness is trending, effecting more of the population, we'd know that right away and be able to prevent more of it... Triage would be more efficient as well. The entire process might take ten minutes, with a far better outcome.

School is pre-digital. Elections. Most of what you do in your job. Even shopping. The vestiges of a reliance on geography, lack of information, poor interpersonal connections and group connection (all hallmarks of the pre-digital age) are everywhere.

Perhaps the most critical thing you can say of a typical institution: "That place is pre-digital."

All a way of saying that this is just the beginning, the very beginning, of the transformation of our lives.

Had an interesting talk with a doctor this week about virtual discharge, but it wasn't a satisfying conversation. Had the feeling we never quite got on the same page.

Meet Elizabeth, your virtual nurse. She can tell you what medication to take, and when to take it. She can raise her eyebrows to emphasize words, and she can show empathy. And, to make you feel at ease, she can even ask you questions like "Are you a Red Sox fan?"

One of a growing band of "relational agents" that act as stand-ins for front-line staff, Elizabeth is designed to help with the discharge process at hospitals. She was developed by computer scientists at Northeastern University (hence the Red Sox question), and trialed at Boston Medical Center. Following commercialization by a startup in San Francisco, she could soon be appearing in hospitals around the country.

At first glance, this is not so different from Siri, the iPhone assistant that is proving so popular, but I'm not sure this is a technology I would welcome. When I think about discharge, I think I'd rather have attention and engagement rather than efficiency and speed.

I spoke at a conference at Stanford last month and one of the gifts was this new little device called Striiv. It’s one of the many devices all betting that people want to put some little device on their body and measure stuff, like how many steps you took that day. 

I've been following Jay Parkinson's blog for a while now and really enjoyed watching his presentation toTEDxMidAtlantic a few weeks ago. This post tells more about Jay's use of Striiv, than the device itself, but you can find out more at the Striiv website. I've wanted a good pedometer ever since walking became more of a challenge for me. This looks like an attractive device, and I like the way it adds a social purpose to its measurement, too.

A free iPhone app could save the lives of burn victims on the battlefield and in the clinic.

It was developed by Chris Seaton, a computer engineer who served in the medical corps of the British Army for four years. Seaton spent time in Afghanistan as an army medic, and witnessed the need for simple treatment tools.

Finding a new app is exciting enough, but I really like Seaton's intention

As he continues working toward his PhD at the University of Manchester, Seaton hopes to type up another few medical apps in the coming months. He wants to focus on simple programs that correct common, easily avoidable errors. "Often physicians don’t know its fairly easy to write an app," he says, "We’re encouraging some of those quick wins."

I think we stand only to benefit from the development and use of apps like this.