Pioneering ‘health hub’ gains vital time for stroke victims

A PIONEERING new online system which alerts doctors and family members when someone suffers a stroke will be unveiled today.

Within seconds of a patient falling ill the “eHealth hub” dispatches an ambulance, informs an accident and emergency ward of your vital signs and texts your next of kin.

Computer scientists from Edinburgh’s Napier University have developed the futuristic health tool to enable patients to be diagnosed and treated quicker than ever.

Experts say the virtual health tool has the potential to save thousands of lives every year. It works by collecting vital sign readings, such as someone’s heart or breathing rate, and automatically setting off an alert when that person falls ill.

The alert is activated - possibly via a special sock or vest - as soon as someone has a stroke and the online data is then instantly analysed by the e-Health hub, known as cloud4health, which sends messages and alerts to appropriate care providers. The software allows electronic patient records to be safely stored and shared via the “cloud” meaning patients are offered the most appropriate care for them.

Experts say the technology represents the future of health care and assisted living and are set to reveal their breakthrough hub at a conference in Edinburgh. Computer scientist Professor Bill Buchanan, of Napier’s Institute of Informatics and Digital Innovation team, believes storing medical records in the virtual “cloud” will drastically cut the time it takes to transport and share information between carers and clinicians.

He said: “Health care systems are not often integrated so you will have, for example, different databases and systems operating between regional hospitals for the same activity, or between GPs and mental health services.

“The aim of cloud4health is to create a completely integrated environment for capturing, storing and delivering clinical services in order to improve care and make it more pre-emptive.

“In the case of assisted living, our vision is that if you were at home and suffered a fall or stroke you’d be wearing a special vest or sock that would notice a change in your vital signs. The device would then upload that data within seconds to the cloud in order to alert A&E, your relatives and any other trusted carers.”

The team said patients who were at risk of falling ill could be fitted out with special lightweight vests or socks or another mobile device that is networked to the internet “cloud”.

Prof Buchanan believes the £3.2 million eHub could be operating within the next 20 years.

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s chief executive, David Clark, welcomed the move, saying: “Recognising that somebody is having a stroke and taking immediate action to get them into hospital can make all the difference between life and death.”