A personalised smartphone-based platform for those with food allergies and an assistive aid to help those with walking difficulties associated with Parkinson's disease are among the winners of the AXA PPP Health Tech & You Awards 2016.
Now in its second year, the awards is a joint initiative led by AXA PPP healthcare with think tank 2020health and the Design Museum. The award dinner was held on Monday at BAFTA.
As part of the initiative's commitment to taking health tech to consumers, all 20 finalist products and services are now showcased on a digital exhibition smartphone app.
The Winners Are:
Breakout Award - focusing on health tech that's successfully embedded itself and made a difference to people's everyday lives over the past year
Winner - Ostom-i by 11 Health
A sensor that alerts patients who use a colostomy bag how full their ostomy pouches are so that they can decide when they should empty them. The device clips on to any ostomy pouch sending Bluetooth alerts to a mobile phone or tablet app telling the user their pouch is filling up.
One to Watch Award - tech innovations not yet in the spotlight but have the potential to significantly impact on people's lives in the future
Winner - SlowMo
The first digital therapy platform for paranoia that provides self-management tools for people to help take control of their lives. It empowers users to visualise their thoughts and the fast-thinking habits associated with paranoia and to slow down, for a moment, to manage upsetting thoughts.
Champion Award - celebrating the individual or organisation who has most championed the uptake and adoption of health tech.
Winner - Patients Know Best by Dr Mohammad Al-Ubaydli
Patients Know Best is designed to empower patients to manage their care through them owning and understanding a copy of all their health information.
Problem/Solution Award - offering the opportunity for those who have an innovative concept or answer to a health need to further develop their concept.
Winner - PsyOmics
PsyOmics work with the Cambridge Centre for Neuropsychiatric Research (CCNR) improve treatment by providing contract research services to support clinical trials for psychiatric treatment, improve diagnosis by developing clinical diagnostics and improve prevention by providing quantified health solutions that are accessible to everyone; empowering people to understand and improve their own wellbeing and mental health.
Health and Care Award - aiming to highlight the consumer health tech solution that has had the most positive impact for health care providers
Winner - FoodMaestro
An intelligent search platform for food products offering healthcare providers a new way to engage with patients on diet and nutrition, based on personal requirements. It reduces administration time, enhances productivity and increases clinical time.
The technology has been developed with specialist input from the allergy and intolerance teams and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.
Innovator Award - visionaries that have developed some of the most ground-breaking health tech products or services in the past year
Winner - Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design Royal College of Art
The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design is an international leader in people-centred and inclusive design, undertaking design research and projects with industry that will contribute to improving people's lives.
The Centre develops innovative and empathic research methods that focus on design for a more inclusive society irrespective of age and ability, creating safer and better health services as well as research into changing patterns of world and urban life.
Independent Living Award - looking for health tech innovation or solution that support quality of life management
Winner - Path Finder by Walk With Path
An assistive aid to facilitate gait in vulnerable groups; primarily the elderly and people suffering with neurological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease. Path Finder helps prevent gait disturbances that cause falls; such as freezing of gait (FoG), described as feet remaining ‘glued to the floor', by providing visual cues designed to circumvent the issues related to existing cueing devices.
James Freeston, marketing director, AXA PPP healthcare, said: "The core of the initiative is to empower people to take control of their health while providing innovators with a platform to lead the conversation surrounding health technology. We hope the initiative will help to put technology into context for consumers and normalise the integration of innovations into everyday lives, whether at work, at home or at leisure."
Julia Manning, chief executive of 2020health, said "These awards are a great opportunity to highlight some really exciting digital health technologies of incredibly high standard that are available to consumers. "
