Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1499865
High-Speed Data in Industrial, Automotive, Healthcare, and Data Centers 28 The motivation? Clearly, the lack of adherence to a medication regimen unfortunately leads to considerable but avoidable medical spending, and accurate monitoring is the key. With up to half of all Americans not taking their medications as prescribed, an efficient patient monitoring (and digital delivery) scenario is a necessary goal. In findings from Molex's recently released "Digital Health and the Future of Pharma" survey, 60% of respondents stated that the primary business benefit of digital drug delivery was the reduction of the overall cost of treatment through increased adherence. The Design Challenge There are, however, several obstacles that lie in the way of full adoption of a rich digital drug future, including concerns about lapses in data privacy, and challenges in usability and connectivity, plus regional and local regulatory hurdles. While Molex has been active in medical device design for several decades through the development of user interfaces, control panels, flexible printed circuit assemblies, and disposable EKG electrode applications, the company's acquisition of Phillips- Medisize in 2016 has accelerated its ability to address the challenges in drug delivery and patient monitoring through wearable solutions and other platforms that enable effective data capture. Small size, ease of use, accuracy, reliability, and battery power are all acknowledged as important design considerations for medical wearables as well as patient comfort. For this, the use of flexible, stretchable, expandable, and durable substrates is key to a design, based on a typical patient's usage patterns, behaviors, and environments. Medical wearables designers have been tasked with integrating components that have traditionally been mounted on rigid printed circuits boards (PCBs) onto flexible substrates without compromising performance, efficiency, and reliability. Add to this the need to design-in materials and components that are medically compatible while also being durable for longer-term performance—these hurdles are not inconsequential. Further, the sourcing of new materials and components also represents supply chain and compliance challenges, further exacerbated by the common requirement to design with component and manufacturing redundancies in mind. COVID-19 has effectively given rise to a new ecosystem where typical design cycles have been compressed and manufacturing redundancies have become even more important. Medical Wearables in the Real World The benefits of medical wearables are many. In surgical settings, patients may be monitored, and data collected, using peel-and-stick skin contact pads or sensors, removing the discomfort and potential hazards of wires. One poignant example of this would be the monitoring of an infant's heart rate, which lends itself well to a remote wireless system that affects a limited body surface area and avoids the discomfort of heavy wires and potential damage to sensitive newborn skin—all which may also affect readings. In some cases, the accurate and convenient wireless monitoring of certain vitals with commensurate control can be achieved. For home patients, a trend toward preventive monitoring gives a level of convenience, efficiency, and cost savings, plus early detection through connection to the care provider. Typical health data collected as part of a patient monitoring regimen may include heart rate, temperature, and blood glucose levels for diabetes patients, with data collected and transmitted wirelessly back to a base station. Interestingly, there are some cultural differences to consider with the remote patient medical data collection model, with some Asian countries historically more tuned in to the practicalities of measuring and monitoring health data personally. Also, some European countries have a history of embracing new technologies faster than countries like the U.S. and Canada. With changing national and international regulations, however, such trends may be shifting. Learn More Impact Backplane Connector System