Antwerp, 10 September 2024

Inno4Health improves both patient care and athletic training

The rise in surgeries among the aging population and the need for precise athletic training both ask for continuous, data-driven monitoring. The ITEA project Inno4Health developed wearable sensors and AI technology to monitor patients' readiness for surgery, to optimise how athletes prepare for competitions and to help professionals remotely manage patients’ health after hospital discharge and identify risks for adverse events. For these achievements the project was awarded the 2024 ITEA Award of Excellence for Innovation.

Continuous monitoring for both patients and athletes

The ITEA project Inno4Health, led by Philips and involving 25 partners from Canada, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, the Netherlands, and Türkiye, developed innovative wearable sensors (insoles, shirts, plasters) for continuous monitoring in healthcare and sports. Inno4Health focused on making wearable devices user-friendly and connected them to a data platform, improving data collection and monitoring for both patients and athletes. Inno4Health tested its technology in six pilot programmes, including athlete preparation, cardiac arrest screening, and recovery monitoring after surgery. The project developed wearable devices for ECG analysis and motion tracking, along with mobile apps for sleep and device management. Key innovations include WISEWARE’s device for monitoring gait and foot temperature via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and Karel Electronics’ muscle strength sensor that saves energy by sending data in batches. Philips has developed an Outpatient Monitoring Study Kit that combines healthcare and sports monitoring into a flexible service platform, successfully tested in clinical studies. These tools provide valuable insights for improving patient care and athletic training.

The Maxima Medical Center uses the results of the ITEA project Inno4Health for an implementation study that is currently being performed. This is the final step before we can really implement the findings in clinical practice.

"Through development and validation of a unique wearable ECG sensor and a thorough design process we were able to implement a novel cardiac rehabilitation care pathway for recreational athletes."

Prof. dr. H.M.C. Kemps, cardiologist at the Maxima Medical Center, Veldhoven and Professor of Remote Patient Management in Chronic Cardiac Care at the Eindhoven University of Technology

New open standardised interfaces

Inno4Health is transforming how patients and athletes are monitored by shifting from closed systems to open, standardised interfaces. This change enables easy device integration and data sharing, reducing costs and improving quality. It also creates opportunities for smaller companies in the growing remote monitoring market.

This project has received funding from:

For interview requests, questions and additional information about Inno4Health and ITEA, please contact:

Inno4Health Contact person
Reinder Haakma
Philips
reinder.haakma@philips.com

ITEA Contact person
Mathijs van Dijk
ITEA Office
mathijs.van.dijk@itea4.org

Inno4Health project partners
https://itea4.org/project/Inno4Health.html

About ITEA
ITEA is the Eureka Cluster for software innovation, enabling a large international community to collaborate in funded projects that turn innovative ideas into new businesses, jobs, economic growth and benefits for society.
https://itea4.org