Five Things I Learned About HealthDesign

4) "We need a common platform." Of course we do!  Just like USB technology allows us to use a variety of devices with our computers and cellphones, we need health technology that's interoperable.  And it's great to know that Project HealthDesign had a team specifically assigned to developing a set of software components that can eventually be offered up to the open source development community (free for anyone to develop applications on).  If you're a developer-type interested this background technology, see the set of specifications developed by experts Sujansky & Associates HERE.

5) "A lot of this is visionary. Especially for diabetes tools, we have a ways to go." This shouldn't be discouraging, but rather an affirmation of the fact that diabetes management is pretty freakin' complex. There are so many factors interacting: your food intake, exercise, medications, duration of insulin action, other illness or stress, etc., etc.

Two of the design teams here developed prototype tools for diabetes management.  One was a garden-variety application to wirelessly upload data over a cellphone.  The other was a concept for a comprehensive computer-based program in which the patient will input a load of data on the aformentioned factors (food, activity levels, sleep, etc.) and the system will supposedly crunch this data into "specific recommendations for improving your typical routine."  They even aired a video showing a guy receiving a text message alerting him that his glucose might be getting low during a run.  It also showed how the system helped him "seamlessly" eat cake - without a BG spike in sight.  Clearly, not a realistic scenario just yet.  But this development team, with the big aspirations, originates from the Joslin Diabetes Center (now working through the TRUE Research Foundation in Washington, DC). I'm sure that they "get it" (understand the limitations), and that they'll be making incremental progress towards tools that actually help PWDs.

On the whole, an interesting and inspiring day.  Stay tuned: I've got a few more related observations to share with you all next week.