6 cutting-edge technologies to help employers with big data
December 12, 2013 2:24 PM
1. HR and talent development
Organizations can link data collected in their workplace to implement a predictive analysis process in order to make better talent decisions. However, big data for the sake of big data just creates more work. So choose your vendor carefully. One software platform, for example, combines trend information on talent and business performance to determine the major drivers of engagement and retention, the factors that drive high-performers, gaps in the talent pool, and linkage to customer satisfaction and company success. The solution by KnowledgeAdvisors provides talent analytics designed to leverage big data so employers can discover hidden insights and predictive trends.
2. Info-gathering inhalers
One smart-tech inhaler gathers data whenever a patient uses it, helping understand what triggers an asthma attack and how to avoid one. Propeller Healths inhaler shows when and where the patient uses it and combines this data with weather information (such as wind and UV index) as well as traffic information. With this data, they can map a city for an asthmatic patient so they can avoid bad air locations and prevent potential asthma attacks.
3. Smart packaging
A company called Proteus puts a chip in pill pharmaceuticals that can be read by a band aid. This digital health feedback system is designed to provide actionable information that can improve patient care and self-health management. It will address issues in the supply chain, counterfeiting, chain of custody, compliance and foster better communication and data collection among physicians, insurers and vendors.
4. Doctor appointments made easy
Zocdoc is an online medical care scheduling service that allows consumers to search for physicians and health care professionals and book an appointment on their own through the online platform. The company schedules 2.5 million appointments a month with this technology.
5. Beta testing Google GLASS in hospitals
Glassomics, a Glassware collaborative, works with San Diego hospitals as an innovation lab that allows developers to bring their clinical innovations in glass (such as GoogleGlass), watches (for nurse and patient notifications) and smart patches (like band aids that deliver health data through the cloud) and put them into practice with doctors, nurses and patients while theyre still in development.
6. Not your grandmothers thermometer
Qualcomm is spurring a $10 million global competition to stimulate innovation and integration of precision diagnostic technologies to create reliable health diagnoses available directly to people in their homes. The mobile device will be capable of capturing key health metrics and diagnosing a set of 15 diseases. Although the contest is ongoing, tricorders have already entered the market. The original device of this kind, the blood glucose meter, will grow more robust with better functionality and connectivity to health care teams. For example, The Scanadu Scout (on shelves in early 2014) reads the blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, respiratory rate, ECG and emotional stress of the user by simply placing the device to their forehead for 10 seconds. The consumers stats immediately display on their smartphone and can easily be submitted to care professionals.
