One group tackled pain management, others focused on diabetes, cardiac rehabilitation, setting recovery goals for older patients, post-operative care for children, and yes, childhood asthma.
It wasn’t quite “Iron Chef,’’ but there was a friendly competition, and a lot of tension about getting the work done in time to meet Friday afternoon’s deadline. Most teams worked through their one weekend and spent several late nights - or early mornings for those still on UK time - hacking away at their projects.
By Friday, the 11th day of the session, the teams had to deliver at least a semi-functional prototype and material for a video.
There was money at stake, too - an unrestricted $10,000 to be divided among the top three projects. At least early in the process, though, the desire for cash and bragging rights seemed to be outweighed by the more altruistic goal of developing technology to empower patients.
“My work is all about engaging patients so they can become experts in their care,’’ said Dr. John Moore, an MIT PhD candidate and the brains behind the Media Lab’s Health and Wellness Innovation 2012.
Patients often ignore their doctors orders, because they do not truly understand them, and doctors often do not understand a patient’s needs or the reasons they are not taking their medications.
“The problem is really the system and the tools, not necessarily the doctors and patients,’’ Moore said.
On Day 2, the teams met and began brainstorming ideas for their product. The asthma group was working on a combined inhaler and spacer - a device, like an empty bottle that kids need to add to their inhaler to make it effective.
David Rose, a Media Lab faculty member and chief executive of Vitality Inc., which develops smart medical packaging, was pushing for the trumpeting elephant trunk. He told the group he liked the concept of “putting a game on top of this, so the thing you’re seeing is the health of the elephant.’’
