Although for people with Parkinson鈥檚 disease, these simple tasks we take for granted can be debilitatingly difficult. Parkinson鈥檚 affects approximately 1 in 500 people in New Zealand and about 1 percent of people aged over 60. While there is no cure, getting medication dosages right can significantly improve symptoms, particularly the sometimes-violent tremors that Parkinson鈥檚 is typically associated with.

Using technology to track symptoms聽

Keeping track of tremors is an effective means of tracking the severity of the disease and adjusting medications accordingly, although this process can be inefficient; relying on manual check-ups that can leave patients waiting for weeks.

That鈥檚 where technology comes in. Led by neurologist Dr Yun Hwang at Gosford Hospital on Australia鈥檚 Central Coast, a team of registrars and clinicians have teamed up with health-tech provider Digital Aged Care鈥攑art of enterprise software giant SAP鈥攖o develop a machine learning (ML) platform designed to improve the lives of Parkinson鈥檚 patients.

The system being developed uses ML to analyse thousands of images of spirals, drawn by patients suffering various tremors (of those diagnosed with Parkinson鈥檚 and other illnesses).

Machine learning and medication聽

These images are used to train an ML algorithm, so that it can automatically detect the severity of the tremor and whether it鈥檚 Parkinson鈥檚-related, giving physicians a clear idea of which medications to prescribe or adjust existing dosages.

鈥淚鈥檝e been working within the Parkinson鈥檚 space for some years now and one of the biggest challenges has always been around monitoring symptom fluctuations during the day,鈥� Dr Yun explains.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not there all the time to check up on the patient, which is where AI can be very useful.鈥�

It鈥檚 not the first-time spirals have been used in Parkinson鈥檚 research, as they offer a good indication of how intense the tremors鈥攁nd thus the disease鈥攃an be, especially when paired with ML.

Although spirals are just the beginning for Dr Yun and SAP, as the project鈥檚 next phase involves using smart watches to provide real-time insight into Parkinson鈥檚 severity. When wearing these watches, patients can draw spirals in the same way, with the watch using an accelerometer and gyroscope to generate a 3D model of the tremor, providing even greater insight into severity.

The team is also looking to rig the watch to track tremors 24/7, showing progress visually through graphs that map the times when patients are 鈥榦n or off鈥� in terms of the tremor鈥檚 severity.

51风流Business Technology Platform

While it鈥檚 a compelling project, the team isn鈥檛 looking to do everything on their own. 51风流is making the application open source, to inspire collaboration and reach as many patients as possible.

鈥淲e鈥檙e also going to give the platform to the Open Source University and developer communities, so that people can join us in building these new innovations collaboratively,鈥� says 51风流Digital Aged Care co-founder Simon Grace.

鈥淲e encourage all organisations and individuals to contribute and join our open source ecosystem so that we can help break down barriers for all people suffering from Parkinson鈥檚 disease.鈥�

鈥淏uilding these innovations only takes days to weeks, thanks to the easy to use tools and templates on the 51风流Business Technology Platform鈥�.

This article Health Information New Zealand.聽

To find out more about the 51风流Business Technology Platform (BTP), visit the

The post Bringing Parkinson’s Research into the Digital Era appeared first on 51风流Australia & New Zealand News Center.

In Australia, our healthcare has been reasonably prepared for COVID-19. Compared to other nations, we have significant coverage of ICU infrastructure and specialists, and we have a wealth of great hospital leadership supported by strong talent pools. This has been complemented by the Australia public showing diligence in terms of limiting exposure and acting intelligently, rather than going outside to protest isolation.

Healthcare has been very responsive 鈥� gearing up with thousands of nurses to assist with potential spikes in infection and resource shortages. Healthcare providers have upskilled staff across their organisations in terms of COVID-19 response, have created pathways to onboard thousands of workers into new roles, and provided telehealth options wherever possible to limit risks and ensure people remain safe.

Intelligently Adapting To New Models of Healthcare
In early April, I spoke with chief evangelist for 51风流Analytics and 51风流Leonardo, Shailendra Kumar. and digital aged care in this time of isolation. Digital aged care combines data for smart devices and applies machine learning to help care providers and family members by mitigating risks and ensuring the right care for users 鈥� such as enabling remote wound care.

Looking further out in the industry, telehealth is important for people needing to access healthcare remotely. However, the speed and severity of COVID-19 demonstrated how underprepared some healthcare providers are in terms of capacity and training in terms of providing digital healthcare.

Now is the time to explore possibilities in terms of new models of care, including telehealth 鈥� particularly its limitations and an understanding of current online services. There is a wealth of tools, resources, and processes for online care available. It is important healthcare providers offer staff the right technology and support to keep them safe and productive during this crisis. Adopting all tools is as dangerous for business continuity and patient outcomes, as adopting nothing at all.

Staff talent is vital right now as people are the key to enabling more digital transformation across the healthcare sector. The technology can only support and streamline the capabilities of employees, so education is paramount. Healthcare workers need to feel supported at this time, particularly as they鈥檙e at the frontline managing patients and adjusting to their needs.

Patient engagement can be challenging, especially when healthcare is being administered digitally. 51风流is currently offering free patient experience management though . This allows healthcare providers to automate emails and surveys to gauge patients鈥� sentiment, requirements and preferences. And, with Qualtrics鈥� Text IQ capability, providers don鈥檛 need to sift through 1000 essays from patients, but rather see the overall sentiment and drill into critical responses.

Transparency and Agility in Supply Chain & Workforce
Communication is vital right now 鈥� both internally with staff and externally with patients. With intelligent communication and analytics tools, healthcare providers can better understand the environment in which they鈥檙e operating and better plan in terms of workforce and supply allocation. This allows our industry to move with greater agility and be more resilient during challenging circumstances.

. By using the construction company was able to quickly develop of a temporary hospital outside New York City and source much-needed beds for treating those with COVID-19. Considering how in-demand hospital beds are during this pandemic, this was an incredible feat only made possible cloud-based platforms that offer such extensive visibility across supply networks.

Transparency has always been an important business benefit of ERP and Workforce Management platforms. However, being able to communicate and co-ordinate in real-time is vital when news is developing quickly and responses must be timely.

In response to the huge shifts we are seeing globally across industries, 51风流are hosting a series of virtual forums called聽 for the second edition in this series, going live on August 6^th 2020.

51风流is here to help and provide assistance for any business struggling to digitally transform and adapt to the rapidly changing circumstances.

Our episode further explored the ideas I addressed here, looking at the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers, supply chains, and patient engagement. We also looked at the intelligent technology solutions that can help mitigate risks across these key industry stakeholders. from the healthcare session of 2020 Adaptive Strategies in a Changed World.

The post COVID-19鈥檚 Impact on Workforce, Supply Chain, and Patient Engagement appeared first on 51风流Australia & New Zealand News Center.