Non-Technical MediPi background
MediPi is a remote monitoring telehealth service that enables a patient or third party to measure their health indicators using inexpensive USB or Bluetooth-enabled medical equipment. The MediPi device is used to download information which is then securely transmitted to a central ‘concentrator’. There are a range of settings where this could offer benefit, for example a patient remotely supplying their blood glucose levels as part of diabetes management; or a hypertensive patient submitting blood pressure readings, amongst many others.
MediPi has been developed by using commercially available healthcare devices (oximetry, weight, blood pressure etc.) in a mobile telehealth setting. The solution is currently being run as a pilot and various development opportunities are being explored, including:
• A pilot among cardiac patients to get user and clinical feedback of the solution and assess future options
• A collaboration with Ripple to demonstrate open-source opportunities utilising exposed APIs to encourage greater interoperability across healthcare
• Exploring opportunities in android technology
One of the fundamental areas the team are trying to understand is the how MediPi should be classified in a medical devices context. Our starting position is that this is a prototype solution which uses off the shelf equipment and is not in and of itself a medical device.
Technical MediPi background
MediPi is an open source Java solution, developed by HSCIC that is platform agnostic. Currently it is being demonstrated using a Linux based Raspberry Pi touchscreen device to run the MediPi software and interface with medical devices. The concentrator outputs can then be assessed, collated, distributed and trends monitored. MediPi has been developed in partnership with cliinicians.
The concentrator can be configured to alert clinicians if a patient’s measurements exceed a threshold and digests of data can be periodically delivered to clinicians. The technology expedites patient measurement by enabling scheduled updates at an agreed timeframe, unencumbered by logistical constraints such as a persons’ geographic location, or the need for an administrator to ‘take or receive’ readings.
MediPi patient software is currently published under the Apache 2 Licence and the intention is for the concentrator software to be similarly published when it has reached an appropriate level of maturity. MediPi Homepage and GitHub repository: www.medipi.org
Press Articles
Computer Weekly: http://www.computerweekly.com/news/4500278286/HSCIC-develops-Raspberry-Pi-telehealth-kit
Digital Health: http://www.digitalhealth.net/digital_patient/47531/medipi-open-source-telehealth-kit-piloted-in-nhs
Raspberry Pi Foundation: https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-telehealth-kit-piloted-nhs