Irish Health professionals scoop HIHI Clinical Innovation Awards for their work on the development of new health tech products
Prof. Seamus Morris and team scooped the first overall winner status of the Health Innovation Hub Ireland Clinical Innovation Award. The team were among four finalists developing products to address unmet needs in healthcare designed by clinicians working on the front lines in Irish hospitals.
Irish Health Innovation Awards announced
The health tech innovations included:
MINT: A machine learning/AI tool to interpret Neurophysiological Testing (NPT) waveforms in patients with spinal injuries.
HAP-NAV: A revolutionary device to help people with vision impairment navigate their environment.
Scope Motion: A ground breaking new endoscopy smart trolley.
PremSmart® 2.0: A new data-driven digital solution for optimizing nutritional care for preterm infants
Enterprise Ireland and Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) launched the inaugural Clinical Innovation Awards this year. This pioneering award is designed to support all healthcare professionals working in a clinical capacity within the health service to explore the commercial feasibility of their innovative ideas with the potential to transform the way medical care is delivered in Ireland and abroad. €60,000 from the Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Feasibility Fund was awarded to the finalists to investigate the commercial feasibility of their innovative idea, each project receiving €15,000.
Dr Steven Griffin, Health Innovation Hub Ireland spoke about the value of these clinical awards:
“At the Health Innovation Hub Ireland, we recognize the critical role that clinical innovation plays in addressing unmet needs for patients and healthcare professionals. That’s why we’re excited to partner with Enterprise Ireland on the HIHI Clinical Innovation Award, which supports healthcare professionals in exploring the commercial potential of their innovative ideas. The winners of the award, the finalists, will receive funding to investigate the feasibility of bringing their ideas to market in Ireland and beyond, helping to transform the way medical care is delivered around the world.”
Claire Walsh Senior Development Advisor, ICT HPSU-Digital Health said: “Enterprise Ireland is proud to work with the Health Innovation Hub Ireland to support this year’s Clinical Innovation Award. In partnership with the HSE, Enterprise Ireland recognises the high quality of innovation happening within our health service and is committed to supporting the development of new and exciting healthcare products and services.
Using the Commercialisation Fund Feasibility Award, Enterprise Ireland provides financial support to validate the commercial opportunity and investigate the development pathway of our Clinical Innovation Award finalists. This funding is a positive first step towards improving the quality of care for patients, at home and abroad”.
The overall winner, Prof. Seamus Morris, works as a Consultant Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon, National Spinal Injuries Unit, Dublin, with his innovation, MINT
MINT: A Revolutionary New Technology for Neurophysiological Testing in the treatment of neural compression.
The MINT project, short for Machine Learning and AI in Neurophysiological Testing, is developing a new technology for neurophysiological testing. MINT uses advanced machine-learning algorithms to interpret wave patterns in neurophysiological testing, providing on-demand, and quantifiable assessment by non-skilled personnel.
Compression of neural structures can have devastating consequences, with long-term incontinence and paralysis occurring if surgical decompression is not achieved quickly. Diagnosis of worsening neural compression can be difficult, but neurophysiological testing (NPT) can directly measure neural electrical activity and is used in the diagnosis of the spinal cord and peripheral nerve function. However, access to NPT is limited, and it requires highly skilled personnel to interpret the recorded waveforms.
Prof Morris explained the impact that MINT can have.
“We are committed to developing cutting-edge technology to improve patient care such as the MINT project, which uses advanced machine learning algorithms to improve neurophysiological testing. MINT allows for on-demand, quantifiable assessments by non-skilled personnel, making it easier to diagnose worsening neural compression. This can be crucial, as timely diagnosis and surgical decompression are essential for preventing long-term incontinence and paralysis. We believe MINT has the potential to revolutionize neurophysiological testing and improve patient outcomes.”– Prof. Seamus Morris, The Mater Hospital, Dublin.
3 additional clinical innovations were announced as finalists.
HAP-NAV: A Revolutionary Device for Vision Impaired Navigation
HAP-NAV is the first innovative haptic navigation device. This technology uses advanced artificial intelligence and ultrasound ranging, combined with haptic feedback, to help people with vision impairment navigate their environment.
With HAP-NAV, users can mentally construct a 3D spatial understanding of their surroundings before moving, allowing them to move confidently and independently in any environment. This technology has the potential to greatly improve the lives of people with vision impairment, giving them greater freedom and independence.
HAP-NAV is the result of years of research and development by Prof. Derek O’Keeffe and the team in University of Galway. Welcoming the award Prof O’ Keefe said: “We believe that HAP-NAV has the potential to revolutionize the way that people with vision impairment navigate their world”.
Scope Motion: A Revolutionary New Endoscopy Smart Trolley
Bryan Griffin and the team in St. James’s Hospital developed Scope Motion, their innovative endoscopy smart trolley. This technology is designed to improve patient flow, procedure wait times and waiting lists, staff experience, technology maintenance, and reduce waste in endoscopy units.
Provision of high quality patient care in an endoscopy unit is reliant on a network of staff coordinating procedure rooms, technology, materials, and other logistics. Scope Motion’s smart trolley is designed to streamline this process, providing a simple and intuitive solution for managing endoscopy procedures.
The Scope Motion endoscopy smart trolley has been developed out of a local innovation competition at St James’s Hospital and the team are excited to bring this technology to the public.
Bryan Griffin was delighted to receive recognition on receipt of the award. “Our smart trolley will change the way that endoscopy procedures are managed, improve patient care and staff experience”.
PremSmart® 2.0: A Revolutionary New Solution for Preterm Infant Nutritional Care
PremSmart® 2.0 is a new data-driven digital solution for optimizing nutritional care for preterm infants. This innovation is designed by expert clinicians to continue to deliver improved clinical and economic outcomes, addressing a global unmet need for our most vulnerable patients.
Preterm infants are at high risk for developing nutrition-related complications, which can have serious consequences for their health and development. PremSmart® 2.0 is designed to provide optimal nutritional support for these infants, using data-driven algorithms to monitor their nutritional status and adjust their feeding plan accordingly.
PremSmart® 2.0 is the result of years of research and development by the multidisciplinary team.
The team welcomed the HIHI Clinical Innovation Award.
“This digital solution can, and will, greatly improve the care and outcomes for preterm infants, and we are committed to continuing to innovate and improve our technology”
The development team included Dr Ann-Marie Brennan, Cork University Maternity Hospital; Sarah Fenton, Cork University Maternity Hospital; Dr Brendan Murphy, University Hospital Waterford;
Further Information
More on the HIHI Clinical Innovation Award here:
https://hih.ie/engage/clinical-innovation-award/
See more breaking stories here.
