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Improving Lives with Digital Healthcare 28 The rapid change from summer to fall has ushered in the cold and flu season, and I am among its first victims. I have a constant headache. I can't sleep because my nose is leaking like a faucet, and I get dry mouth or hacking coughs when I fall asleep. There is a fog in my head, and I have trouble thinking clearly. To fight off the microbes that drag me down, I take handfuls of vitamins, supplements, and other medications throughout the day. I drink tea concoctions and homemade remedies, such as chicken soup, to keep hydrated and combat the chills. Despite these ailments, I have to keep my deadlines. My medical approach is based upon tradition, folklore, and readily available products in my home. Maybe you have experienced similar symptoms or have taken similar approaches. What if technology provided me with better tools to increase my ability to finish my work at home and boost my ability to recover so I can get back to work? This is precisely the goal of connected health and digital healthcare. This blog will look at how connected health will assist in patient monitoring. Connected Health to Help Sense Exactly What's Going On Patient monitoring is crucial to understanding how the body responds to therapies to mitigate or repair the effects of a disease or other physical ailments or to monitor patients to diagnose the disease or ailment creating symptoms. Devices such as wearable biosensors can monitor a wide variety of data points, including vital signs, step counts, and body posture— all in a low-cost, easy-to-use, disposable form. PAUL GOLATA, MOUSER ELECTRONICS DESIGNING WEARABLES IN STEP TO IMPROVING HUMAN WELLNESS Molex is prepared to tackle the most challenging design challenges by combining knowledge and expertise from the medical and consumer fields. As wearable devices become even more popular, technologies will be needed to miniaturize and modernize these devices (Figure 1). Through their flexible circuit expertise and experiences with hydrogels and other adhesives, Molex can aid in the device's development and complete its manufacturing. As wearables accelerate in their processing power, miniaturization of the circuitry will be needed to keep devices small and comfortable. Finger on the Pulse of Multi-Parameter Monitoring With extensive knowledge and capabilities in the multi- parameter monitoring segment, Molex is poised to help enable the next generation of monitors. Their flexible solutions team focuses on both disposable flexible sensors and user interfaces. As a result, Molex delivers complete and end-to-end solutions. Their experience utilizing hydrogels and other patient adhesives, and their clean-room manufacturing, allow full product development, production, and packaging. As multi- parameter devices continue developing new ways of monitoring patients and notifying care providers, Molex can and will likely continue to support the same technology. Connected Health: Patient Monitoring Figure 1: A smart- watch may provide medical information in a wearable format.