Digital Doctors: The Future of Medicine | Derek O'Keefe | TEDxGalway

Summary

Dr. Derrick, a physician-engineer, discusses the convergence of medicine and engineering for healthcare innovation. He shares his experience with NASA's NEEMO mission, where he used physiological data to make mission decisions. Derrick also explores the future of medicine with wearable tech, AI, and telemedicine, emphasizing how these technologies can transform chronic disease management and deliver personalized healthcare.

Takeaways

• 👨‍⚕️ Derrick is a physician-engineer with a background in biomedical engineering and endocrinology, focusing on the intersection of medicine and engineering for innovative solutions.
• 🚀 In 2007, Derrick worked with NASA to develop a bio vest for monitoring astronaut sleep in space, using ECG and heart rate variability to deduce sleep stages and quality.
• 🦾 He has been involved in creating exoskeletons with electrical stimulation to help stroke patients with paralysis walk more efficiently.
• 🩺 Derrick has been developing technologies for people with type 1 diabetes to deliver insulin automatically, aiming to improve treatment and quality of life.
• 📊 The talk emphasizes the importance of using data and technology to make informed decisions in healthcare, rather than relying solely on subjective feelings.
• 🧠 Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more integrated into healthcare, with the potential to predict health outcomes and personalize treatment plans.
• 🏥 The future of medicine involves telemedicine and remote monitoring, which can reduce the need for physical hospital visits and improve patient care.
• 🤖 AI can analyze wearable technology data to provide personalized health insights and potentially influence insurance premiums based on health behaviors.
• 👕 Smart fabrics are an upcoming technology that will allow clothing to monitor physiological signals, leading to a more integrated approach to health monitoring.
• 🌐 The talk concludes with a vision where the patient is at the center of healthcare, empowered by technology to manage their health more effectively.

Q & A

What does the term 'physician engineer' mean?

A physician engineer is someone who has training in both engineering and medicine, allowing them to approach problems analytically and logically while also understanding the complexities and nuances of clinical practice.

How does the speaker describe the difference between engineering and medicine?

Engineering is described as black and white, analytical, and problem-solving, while medicine is seen as a spectrum of color where nothing is ever black and white, indicating its complexity and variability.

What was the challenge NASA faced in 2007 regarding astronaut sleep?

NASA needed to monitor how astronauts sleep in space due to the rapid succession of sunrises and sunsets causing severe jet lag, which affected their sleep quality.

How did the speaker's team address the sleep monitoring issue for astronauts?

They developed a bio vest that astronauts could wear to monitor their ECG and heart rate variability, allowing them to deduce sleep stages and assess sleep quality.

What is the significance of the NEEMO mission mentioned in the script?

The NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) mission is significant as it simulates space exploration conditions on Earth, allowing for the development of protocols and technology that can be used in actual space missions.

Why was the speaker invited to participate in the NEEMO mission?

The speaker was invited due to his experience with telemedicine and the mission's focus on making decisions based on physiological data.

How does the speaker envision the future of wearable technology in sports?

The speaker sees wearable technology being used not just during training but also during games and potentially being worn all the time to monitor and improve athlete performance.

What is the potential impact of AI on health insurance policies?

AI could analyze data from wearable technology to predict health risks and adjust insurance premiums accordingly, rewarding those with healthier lifestyles and penalizing those with unhealthy behaviors.

What is the concept of 'predictive purchasing' as mentioned in the script?

Predictive purchasing is an AI-driven service where online shopping platforms predict and deliver products that customers are likely to want before they even realize it, based on their past purchasing patterns and behaviors.

How does the speaker propose to improve the delivery of healthcare for chronic diseases?

The speaker suggests using remote monitoring and AI to manage chronic diseases, allowing for virtual clinics and reducing the need for physical hospital visits, thus improving efficiency and patient care.

What is the potential benefit of telemedicine in managing chronic diseases?

Telemedicine can reduce the need for patients to travel to clinics, provide more frequent check-ins, and allow healthcare providers to monitor patient data remotely, leading to more effective management of chronic conditions.