Origins
Hidalgo, a Cambridge based product design company, formed in 1997, has developed the Equivital in co-operation with the United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine. Hidalgo specialises in medical device design and radio communications, with customers and suppliers in Europe, the US and the Far East. The emphasis is in designing products for medium and high volume production runs.
Equivital Product Shot

Equivital physiological welfare monitoring system

EquivitalTM - Home Health

Telemedicine

Telemedicine is the ability to monitor a patient's health remotely. Examples of people who may benefit from this are:

  • Patients convalescing after major surgery
  • Long-term patients suffering from chronic illnesses such as coronary heart disease, Asthma, Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis etc
  • Elderly and infirm people living in assisted care properties

Telemedicine, plays a key role in enabling new methods and patterns of care delivery, leading not only to increased efficiency but to increased choice and independence for the patient/user.

The people who may provide that remote care are:

  • Within the UK and similar countries, the National Health Service (primary care trusts, community care departments etc)
  • Private healthcare providers
  • Housing Associations for the elderly
  • Social services

Private providers may provide a physiological monitoring service to a state health scheme with equipment provided at little or no cost.

There are some compelling numbers around the Telemedicine market. The following benefits can be proposed for providing Telemedicine-based care packages to older people:

  • Telemedicine can help to reduce the number of care visits by up to 35
  • Telemedicine can help to delay entry into residential care or hospitalisation by up to 18 months. The cost of providing a care package based on the use of Telemedicine at home is typically around 2 to 5 times less expensive than the cost of residential care
  • On average every person with Telemedicine will spend three days less in hospital than they would without Telemedicine.
  • In the UK, falls are a major cause of disability and the leading cause of mortality resulting from injury in people aged over 75. 30-50% of people aged over 65 fall each year.

Drug Companies' Clinics and Clinical Trials

The Equivital could be used by subjects in major drug trials or other clinical studies or research programs.

Pharmaceutical companies spend large sums on conducting major clinical trials for new drugs. The Equivital delivers better and more accurate information about patient reactions to drugs, thus providing significant potential savings.

The method of use would be similar to the Telemedicine.