Transforming Health: Veterinary and Human Healthcare are Converging

The convergence of frontiers in veterinary and human healthcare is reimagining the way care is delivered.

We’ve come a long way in the advancement of health care – both in human health and animal health. Yet as far as we’ve come, the progression has mostly been linear, said Eleanor M. Green, DVM, DACVIM, DABVP, senior advisor and consultant for the Animal Policy Group, and professor and dean emerita, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. “As we envision a future of health care, it’s not linear anymore,” she said. “It’s exponential. There are so many opportunities that are embedded in this exponential change we have in our world today that’s transforming everything we do. In fact, we live in one of the most transformational times in human history. So as human health care and veterinary health care do progress, collaboration is going to be enormously important.”

In a presentation at the recent Veterinary Innovation Summit, Green discussed the convergence of frontiers in veterinary and human health care, and how that convergence is transforming health care in areas such as health technologies; the internet of medical things; big data, 5G, and cloud computing; artificial intelligence/deep learning; point-of-care diagnostics; virtual care/telemedicine; genomics; robotics; 3D printing; nutrition; and more.

The pace of change

How fast is our world changing? Green said to think about what you are toting around all day – your smartphone. In 2007, the iPhone was introduced into the world by Apple. Now think about the apps that have come after that, such as Uber, Waze, Twitter, Instagram, and Facetime, to name a few.

It’s only been 14 years, “but look what it’s done for us,” said Green. “It’s a device that we can make a phone call on but it’s really not a phone anymore. It does everything from entertainment to news to connections with each other to social activities to travel. Everything we do now is on this phone.”

And guess what? The same things are happening in health care.

“This device is going to drive our health in ways that we can’t even imagine right now,” Green said. For instance, many smartphone models now come standard with health apps. These apps aggregate data compiled from tracking technologies to help keep users healthier, such as heart rate vitals, EKG, and blood oxygen saturation. “When these work together, we can have health data sharing, not only with our family and our physician, but we can track our trends on our own,” Green said.

The technology also exists on the animal health side. In her presentation, Green listed several technologies that exist within human and animal health, including:

Wearable health trackers

Collars for dogs such as PetPace and Whistle that can monitor vital signs have been on the market for a number of years.

In the equine space, SeeHorse has created a smart halter for horses that has microprocessors and sensors for 24-hour monitoring. It can send text messages or phone calls if a horse is in distress.

Allflex Livestock Technologies’ Fitness Tracker monitors eating habits, GI motility, and activity patterns to help producers with reproduction strategies and group and nutrition management.

Several companies have developed fitness tracking in horses, such as HoofStep and PonyUp technologies

Tracking apps

In the human market, there are apps to track children, seniors, and pets. Life360’s $37 million acquisition of Jiobit illustrates how valuable the market is.

In the animal health industry, there is tracking technology for nearly every segment, including conservation. For instance, ElephantEdge has developed tracking collars to protect elephants in natural habitats. It is open-sourced and community-powered, and can be used to safeguard against poaching attempts.

Personal ECG monitors

Personal ECG monitors are becoming more and more prevalent in the latest smartwatch releases. Consumers have access to medical-grade, FDA-cleared ECGs anytime.

On the animal side, the AliveCor Veterinary Heart Monitor snaps onto an iPhone 4, 4S, or iPod touch, and when used with the free AliveECG Vet app, enables veterinarians and technicians to obtain clinical quality, single-channel ECGs on animals.

Wireless, wearable ECG sensors for veterinary clinics

Bionet America’s VEMO is a veterinary wearable ECG sensor. VEMO transmits vital signs to an application on a tablet that will then automatically record those vital signs and then trigger any alarms to another tablet or smartphone. With VEMO, a tech can essentially walk away from the recovery area, knowing that a patient’s vital signs are being monitored.

Sky Paws wireless vital signs device has ECG, HR, RR, temp, and O2 saturation monitoring capabilities. It is linked to a website for remote access to real-time vitals, and, versatile across many species.

VetGuardian offers zero-touch vital signs monitoring, with a live video feed.

Sleep tracking

Most smartwatches such as the Apple Watch will monitor sleeping habits for users.

Meanwhile, FI’s smart collar can monitor your dog’s sleep patterns, such as the total number of hours of sleep and naps. There is also an app for pet owners to track location, steps, and even connect with other dog owners in an online community.

Pain tracking

Using facial recognition software and a neural network learning algorithm, pain can now be assessed in infants by using the Classification of Pain Expressions (COPE). Scrunched-up eyes, the angle of the mouth, and furrowed brows are some of the indicators.

This type of technology is being used to detect pain in companion animals. Tably is a facial recognition software program developed by Sylvester.AI that can track pain in cats. It is purpose-built to assist veterinarians with decisions by remotely monitoring cats recovering from surgery or dealing with chronic issues. It combines machine learning and vet-approved pain scales.

A constant state of refinement

Green said that with all these new products and services being introduced into the market, we must advocate for continued development and refinement. “We have to create a system of engagement and an ecosystem for integration of these devices to really make them better,” she said. “In other words, we have to work together. We need a lot of education and training because people just can’t pick these up and go use them without some training.”

Indeed, with the rate of change happening, perhaps the most important shift isn’t a new technology being introduced, but a shift in mindset. Now more than ever, it’s important that veterinary medicine stakeholders are adaptable. “We can’t be entrenched if we’re going to make our world better.”