Posts by: Tanya Mulcahy

HIHI Call 2019 Is Now Open- Press release

Innovation in the Irish Healthcare system: just what we NEED

Our nurses Noreen Lynch (Bantry General Hospital) and Niamh Allen (South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital) won best poster at the recent UCC School of Nursing and Midwifery Conference. The poster described a study conducted where error rates and efficiencies using digital capture of the National Early Warning Score were compared with results for paper based capture. The study was conducted in the AMAU unit f a busy public hospital, in conjunction with Syncrophi Systems ltd, who provided their KEWS300 digital NEWS capture system for the duration of the study. The results are compelling! We are grateful to the staff on the ground in the hospital who participated in the study. Another successful HIHI pilot demonstrating how technology and innovation can have a big impact on how we deliver efficient healthcare for better patient outcomes. Simple solutions can have a very big impact.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/business/county-cork-on-the-rise-communities-help-make-cork-a-fantastic-place-to-live-or-visit-962952.html

FREE PIC – NO REPRO FEE
Mitchelstown Age Friendly Sensors and Alarms for the Elderly Pilot Project Launched at Forrest Hall Community Centre in Mitchelstown as part of Positive Ageing Week.
At the launch were, from left: Jane O’Flynn, Health Iniatiive Hub Ireland and CIT; Cllr. Frank O’Flynn, deputising for the Mayor of the County of Cork; Cllr. Kay Dawson, Chair of Mitchelstown Age Friendly; Jim Daly TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for Mental Health and Older People and Fiona Hayes, Age Friendly Programme Mngr Cork Co Co.
Cork County Council, in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme, launched a challenge to improve the resilience of Cork County’s older population by exploring low cost and accessible solutions that could assist older citizens in maintaining a good quality of life in their own homes.
With the support of the Cork Age Friendly Programme, Mitchelstown was selected to pilot one such project. Mitchelstown is an Age Friendly Town and a committee chaired by Cllr. Kay Dawson worked with the partners to provide a ‘test-bed’ area.
Pic: Brian Lougheed

Why Ireland’s west coast is making waves in medtech

Helen Ryan, Conor Judge and Cormac Farrelly were the three finalists of the Cleveland Clinic Innovation Award. Each were awarded €15k for a commercialisation feasibility study to determine the market opportunities and need for innovative new products and services.
Dr Cormac Farrelly, Mater Hospital, was the overall winner, winning the prestigious trip to the Cleveland Clinic to work with experts there to gain advice, mentorship, and insight on moving the project forward.

All three finalists have engaged with HIHI over the last 6 months. We are extremely proud to be able to have engaged with these clinical innovators.

Health Innovation Hub Ireland is sponsoring the Most Cost Effective Healthcare Product- this award recognises companies and innovators who have a product that addresses a valid healthcare need and addresses patient requirements in a cost effective manner.
https://www.imsta.ie/imsta-awards/

Find out more about the 2018 Winners here:

Galway-based wound care company, FeelTect, were announced as winners of an EIT Health Headstart award worth €50,000 after recent pitching finals held in Tangent, Trinity College Dublin’s ideas workspace. The competition saw 22 finalist teams of medtech start-ups from across UK and Ireland pitching their technologies to a panel of investors, healthcare professionals, and medtech experts.

FeelTect’s technology, Tight Alright, is a pressure sensing, connected-health device for measuring and monitoring sub-bandage pressure during compression therapy, primarily for the millions of people worldwide with venous leg ulcers (VLUs). Compression is a proven therapy for VLUs, however if it’s applied too loose, it’s ineffective, and if it’s too tight, it’s dangerous. Yet studies have shown that it can be extremely difficult for experienced healthcare professionals to achieve a targeted pressure with existing products. As such, Tight Alright aims to improve the application and maintenance of evidence-based therapy, ensuring safety while reducing healing times.

Founder and CEO, Dr Andrew Cameron, highlighted the impact the award will have on the company’s progression towards market entry, “The funding provided by EIT Health will allow us to progress the miniaturisation of Tight Alright to a truly wearable product, making it the first device capable of continuously monitoring compression therapy outside the clinical setting. We’ll also be able to further our initial clinical validation, which was supported by Health Innovation Hub Ireland, demonstrating the ability of Tight Alright to improve the achievement of targeted, evidence-based pressure during compression application”. An image of the device in operation during the Health Innovation Hub project is shown below. FeelTect was the product of the renowned BioInnovate Ireland programme, where the underlying clinical need was identified, as well as an Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund project within the School of Medicine at NUI Galway, where the proof-of-concept R&D was conducted. The team are currently talking with potential strategic partners and preparing for seed round fundraising to support the progression of Tight Alright into clinical practice.

Pictured: HIHI  nurse Leona Halton  using Feeltect’s pressure sensing device to ensure compression bandages are applied correctly

Medtech Entrepreneur is a must read for anyone interested in Irish healthcare technology. Health Innovation Hub Ireland is delighted to feature in this excellent publication by the Irish Medtech Association. This is an anthology of the Irish success stories and highlights the supportive ecosystem that drives this innovation. Click here for the full publication.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/dublin-start-up-innerstrength-health-raises-500-000-as-it-looks-to-expand-1.3379515