I talked recently with Shahid N. Shah, who is speaking in the healthcare track at the O’Reilly Open Source convention later this month about “The Implications of Open Source Technologies in Safety-critical Medical Device Platforms.”
Among the topics Shahid and I discussed in the associated podcast:
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Why the data generated from medical devices is particularly reliable patient-related information, and its value for improving treatment
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The value of connecting these devices to electronic health records, and the kinds of research this enables
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The role of open source software in making it easier for device manufacturers to add connectivity — and to get it approved by the FDA
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How it’s time for regulators such as the Department of Health and Human Services to take a look at how devices can contribute to better health care
Another OSCON healthcare-related posting is my video interview about the Indivo X personal health record with Daniel Haas.
Update, July 11: Shah has
explained
many of the concepts we touched on in this interview.
Health IT at OSCON 2011 — The conjunction of open source and open data with health technology promises to improve creaking infrastructure and give greater control and engagement for patients. These topics will be explored in the healthcare track at OSCON (July 25-29 in Portland, Ore.)