The OuluHealth Labs have awarded the NE Device SW’s solution, Vitacam, with their very first label. NE Device SW has developed and successfully tested their innovation in the OYS TestLab and received the label that supports the company’s marketing and communication activities.
Vitacam uses computer vision and a regular digital camera to remotely measure patient’s respiratory rate and pulse. By providing nurses with additional clinical data, the innovation improves patient safety. The solution can be adapted to a smartphone and cloud-based solution for remote monitoring. Vitacam was tested and co-created in cooperation with OYS TestLab during inDemand and POPsote projects in 2019 and 2020. The main goal was to select the companies and the innovations that had the most potential to tackle the challenges identified by healthcare providers from Oulu University Hospital. The companies were then invited to work with healthcare professionals on developing their solutions. As a result of this cooperation, Vitacam – a contactless vital sign monitor – was co-created. After an evaluation process, NE Device SW received from the OuluHealth Labs the ‘co-created’ Label as a form of recognition. Additionally, NE Device SW’s solution is now a CE-marked medical device that complies with EU legislation.
‘Co-operation with the OuluHealth Labs helped us to thoroughly understand the clinical need and shape the user experience directly with the Oulu University Hospital personnel. The latter phase included testing in the intended environment and with the intended users, both of which are essential in health technology development and regulatory compliance,’ said Moyeen Ahmad, CEO of NE Device SW.
The OuluHealth Labs Labels are granted by the OuluHealth Labs to health and life science companies that successfully went through the evaluation process of their digital and technological solutions. The labels fall into three categories: approved, tested, and co-created. According to Timo Alalääkkölä, Manager at the Testing and Innovations unit at Oulu University Hospital, the OuluHealth Labs have so far supported the development of approximately 150 solutions. The innovations are tested in the labs with health and social care professionals from Oulu who provide feedback for further product development. Many of the completed cases resulted in prototype usability evaluations or assessment tests with production-ready products. Some of the sessions were based on feedback panels with health and social care professionals that aimed to assess early-phase solution ideas.
‘It is great to see the introduction of innovative health tech solutions that enable better care for the patients. Now we want to give recognition to companies who have created their solutions together with health and social care professionals. By listening to patients and professional end-users, companies can aim their development investment better. That helps also in creating products that meet the actual need better. Recently we have arranged test sessions to review various solutions for the needs of the Future Hospital OYS2030,’ explained Alalääkkölä.
The OuluHealth Labels can be used as a reference, for example, in companies’ marketing and communication.
‘The Co-created with OuluHealth Labs label strengthens our credibility as a supplier and in marketing. It communicates that the solution was truly made for clinical users and developed with their input,’ concluded Ahmad.
Congratulations to NE Device SW for the recognition and terrific cooperation with the OuluHealth Labs.
Read more about the OuluHealth Labs: https://ouluhealth.fi/services/testing-co-creation/
Image: OuluHealth
Miikka Kirveskoski (NE Device SW), Timo Alalääkkölä (OuluHealth Labs)
Text: Joanna Seppänen, Health & Life Science, BusinessOulu