Technology Magazine June 2022 | Page 323

HEALTH SERVICE EXECUTIVE understanding that this can be done best of all from home .
" I am wearing a small device on my arm ( from Waire ) that can show you my realtime vital signs ," he says . " This includes pulse rate , core temperature , oxygen saturation level and breathing rate , so the device is going to enable hospitals at home . In the future , it ’ s likely that many people will prefer to be treated in their home than being in a hospital . This will solve a really big problem in the healthcare system .”
In Ireland , the problem is particularly acute where acute hospital occupancy routinely runs higher than 95 %. If planes ran at this level of utilisation , they would routinely fall out of the sky .
Curley argues that providing health monitoring systems closer to houses for personal use would " improve health " while " lowering costs ". He then explained how technology could further be used to improve the global healthcare system .
" I think that it ’ s within reach ," he says . “ Using the internet of things , artificial

“ WE ' VE NOW LEAPT FROM HAVING A LAGGING RESPIRATORY MEASUREMENT SYSTEM TO A WORLD-LEADING CAPABILITY ”

MARTIN CURLEY DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND OPEN INNOVATION , HSE
intelligence , big data and cloud computing , we can make a real change – one that hasn ' t been seen before ."
Further to this , Curley also believes that current advancements in healthcare technology could increase general life expectancy by two-three years , every five years , for the next decade or so .
" We don ' t necessarily need to put more money into healthcare , actually ," he says . " Digital therapeutics are a much more pivotal investment in terms of lifestyle and behavioural changes around nutrition and exercise . They ' re much more impactful . We recently created a living lab ( Health Elevator ) where you can get a health assessment , a personal electronic health record , and a wellness device all at the same time , and
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