Chloe Griffin Portfolio

Tag: tech

  • Gamification in Digital Health: 3 Startups Improving Patient Care

    Published for Bloom Partners in January 2021.

    We all know that gaming isn’t just for kids anymore – but how could gamification help empower patients’ recovery?

    Games account for 43% of all smartphone use, and the number of active mobile gamers worldwide is over 2.2 billion. (TechJury) The prospect of levelling up, unlocking rewards and competing with others are just some of the techniques mobile game apps have used to keep players coming back…

    When applied to patient care, these techniques could be a literal game changer.

    Let’s take a look at 3 tech start-ups using gamification to improve patient’s everyday lives –

    GAMIFYING PREVENTION

    Sidekick Health (with offices in Germany, Iceland & Sweden) gamifies and rewards positive lifestyle changes, with the goal of preventing or easing lifestyle-related illnesses. The social health “game” platform leverages AI to develop personalised action plans, and empowers users to manage their medication, sleep, nutrition and exercise. Relevant content and tips are served up to keep users coming back. Sidekick Health raised €17 million in Series A funding in 2020.

    GAMIFYING RECOVERY

    Switzerland-based MindMaze‘s Mindmotion develops medical grade VR games to help neurological patients relearn lost skills, while stimulating neural recovery. Motion analytics, AI, VR, and cloud technologies combine to create games which promote the same movements a patient would typically practice with a physiotherapist. Patients are empowered to customise the system to their own needs, and practice in the comfort of home. In October 2021, MindMaze secured €125 million to expand its digital neurotherapeutics platforms.

    GAMIFYING MONITORING

    French startup Tilak Healthcare‘s mobile medical games help healthcare professionals monitor and support patients with chronic eye diseases, from the comfort of their homes. Addictive games keep players motivated by rewarding them points for taking vision tests, which then unlock addictive new worlds and puzzles. Gameplay generates data which can identify worsening or new symptoms – and the app even alerts patients when it believes a doctor’s visit is necessary. The start-up has raised a total of €12m in funding since its launch in 2016, and successfully launched a joint promotion with Novartis France in 2019.

    Bonus: In an a win for accessible design, the app’s fonts and instruction speed have been adjusted to suit patients with low vision, and the map and main layout have been designed for ease of use.

    This trend is a prime example of digital improving everyday lives. Not only does gamification make the patient an active participant in their own recovery, it rewards positive behaviours which stave off other problems down the road.

    We commend the start-ups driving this trend forward!

    How else can digital make patient’s recovery that little bit easier?

    Share your thoughts in the comments!

  • 3 Startups Harnessing Data to Improve Patient Care

    Short blog post for Bloom Partners – published January 2021.

    Data is the new gold – and healthcare is no exception.

    30% of the world’s data is generated by the healthcare industry. This data may reveal crucial insights and patterns for diagnosis and treatment, but lack of collection or analysis mean it is often underleveraged.

    At Bloom, we have long been believers in the power of data in transforming business models. We have seen time and time again the transformative effect collecting and applying the right data can have on strategy. We are pleased to see a host of new players are harnessing healthcare data to unlock new value – and even save lives.

    Today, we take a look at 3 exciting German startups in this space:

    AN ALGORITHIM FOR SCREENING SYMPTOMNS
    Ada Health is an end-user self-assessment tool which helps patients identify the cause of their symptoms – before heading to a specialist. Users clickthrough the normal screening questions a doctor would ask to rule out conditions. The algorithm identifies likely causes, saving time for both patients and HCPs.

    REFINING DATA FOR PRECISION DIAGNOSTICS
    Aignostics uses AI to scan massive quantities of data and output precision diagnostics for pharmaceutical research, clinical trials and CDx development. The technology maps results on user-friendly heatmaps and image overlays.

    DATA-DRIVEN DIAGNOSIS
    Sherlog.ai is the future of radiography – this innovative AI solution analyses medical images and compares them with extensive data from the database. This provides more accurate, timely diagnoses, especially for minor or rare abnormalities which may have flown under the radar.

    The massive amount of data generated by healthcare is an often-underexploited opportunity. While no one person can analyse all the data that exists about every patient, AI can gain a broad overview and uncover otherwise undiscovered patterns or problems.

    Rather than replacing healthcare workers, cataloguing this data can free up HCP’s time for what they do best – providing care.

    What’s the most unexpected insight you have gained from data?

    Share your thoughts in the comments!