Has the health tech industry and those who fund it lost the plot? Apparently, the next must have technology is the connected toothbrush. A “data driven oral health startup” company in the United States has just received a multi-million dollar investment to further develop a smartphone connected toothbrush. With this toothbrush, an accelerometer measures how […]
Category: David Kerr
David Kerr: Silicon is the new black
Recently the big four titans of technology (Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, and Google) have, almost simultaneously, thrown their hats into the wearable sensor ring. Apparently, consumers now want to wear devices to record personal physiological data, which can then be synchronized with their smartphones. Through cloud computing, this can then be shared with their doctors and […]
David Kerr: Death in America
In the United States, even the grim reaper is not immune from political interference. Around two weeks ago, an episode of mass murder happened a few miles from where I live. On 23 May, 22 year old Elliot Rodger took his own life after killing six students, and wounding 13 others in the area known as […]
David Kerr: Data and diabetes – a not-so-quiet revolution
Diabetes teams do not usually perform operations or procedures, and cure is rare indeed, but what they do have in abundance are data. The collection, reporting, and review of data are embedded within the clinical experience of everyone living with the condition and their healthcare providers, and in the UK, diabetes data are converted into […]
David Kerr: Will smart pills help improve patients’ compliance?
In a recent YouTube video the NHS Confederation highlighted that by 2050 one quarter (18 million) of adults in the UK will be living with a long-term medical condition. In my own speciality of diabetes, people living with this condition are prescribed multiple classes of medications including drugs and injections to control glucose levels, two […]
David Kerr on Google Glass and big brother medicine
Recently in the UK, the General Medical Council (GMC) faced a barrage of criticism following the publication of new guidance on the use of social media by doctors. The main point of contention was the recommendation by the GMC that doctors should avoid anonymity on line. This was perceived by critics as an infringement of […]
David Kerr: Signals from the crowd—making a diagnosis
For very many years making a medical diagnosis was based loosely on the application of the principle of Occam’s Razor otherwise known as diagnostic parsimony—look for the fewest possible causes to explain a patient’s symptoms. However, with the increase in longevity of the background population, Occam’s Razor was eventually superseded by the Hickam’s Dictum which […]
David Kerr: The social media medical highway
Should doctors avoid fame or notoriety? More than 10 years ago I achieved a modest mixture of both after being asked to leave a public house one Sunday evening for no other reason than being a member of “a group of men.” In the immediate aftermath of the event whilst shopping in the local supermarket, […]
David Kerr: Driving in the (near) future
The Department of Health has just written to GP’s to encourage them to stop being so mean when it comes to providing blood glucose testing strips to people living with type 1 diabetes. Part of the reasoning for sending the letter relates to guidance from the UK Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency for patients which […]
David Kerr: Crowd sourcing clinical research
Taxpayers in the UK fund the NHS but are rarely asked directly about how the money should be spent. A few years ago local patients with diabetes were asked what our diabetes centre should do if for some reason they were bequeathed a pot of money. Options included screening for diabetes, treating obesity, early detection […]