EIT Digital has launched a new Innovation Activity* "Unobtrusive Blood Pressure Tracking" to develop a measurement solution for faster, more comfortable and frequent blood pressure monitoring. It will allow hypertensive patients to track their blood pressure closely and understand how it is influenced by lifestyle and medication.
The Activity is supported by the Digital Wellbeing Action line of EIT Digital and Philips Research, Eindhoven University of Technology and the Imperial College of London.
Hypertension is sometimes called the 'silent killer'. Studies show that more than 25% of the adult population has high blood pressure. Many of them are not aware they have it because hypertension is not accompanied by obvious symptoms. Yet this condition increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, both leading causes of death.
"Comfortable, fast and frequent monitoring of blood pressure will allow hypertensive patients to manage and control their blood pressure more closely. It will facilitate more timely and effective treatment of hypertension," says Reinder Haakma, the Principal scientist at Philips Research. "The ultimate aim is to improve people’s health while also reducing healthcare costs due to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and coronary heart disease."
The Digital Wellbeing Action Line leverages digital technologies to help people stay healthy (prevention and early detection) or cope with an existing chronic condition. Both physical and mental wellbeing are considered. The solutions generally rely on enabling consumers to be well-informed about their wellbeing and to be able to use digital instrumentation to monitor and improve their quality of life, according to the motto "an ounce of prevention is worth at least a pound of cure".
The development and introduction of products (unobtrusive sensors and actuators and associated software services) targeted at occupational and private health and fitness are the approaches to tackling these challenges. The clear focus is on measures supporting prevention or secondary care for both physical and cognitive/mental impairments. Close cooperation between the diverse stakeholders and field trials are needed to ensure that solutions are feasible from a market perspective.
