Smart Healthcare
As featured in Qualcomm's 2021 Corporate Responsibility Report
At Qualcomm, we invented the foundational technologies that makes connected healthcare, in all its forms, possible. To power the exponential growth of telehealth and telemedicine, Qualcomm Connected Healthcare collaborates with industry-leading healthcare companies to innovate and develop scalable end-to-end technologies for a variety of healthcare services in order to enhance virtual interaction across the medical infrastructure. This collaborative approach helps to break down barriers by making it more cost effective for hospitals and care providers to implement a connected health solution. Our technology solutions feature advanced connectivity, low-power compute capabilities, the flexibility to implement a variety of AI use cases, as well as the ability to utilize input technology in camera/video applications and voice/audio technologies.
Our products are integrated in healthcare solutions such as remote patient monitoring and medication monitoring, chronic disease management, prevention and wellness, aging in place, connected imaging, patient re-admission management, at-home medical and tele ICU.
Also, security-rich 5G connectivity can empower doctors and healthcare providers to do more for their patients remotely than has ever been possible. The use of 5G connectivity to diagnose and treat people who need care remotely can have tremendous impacts on access to health care and help narrow the urban-rural divide.
Within the healthcare space, our technology is also used to provide a reliable solution for the safe and timely delivery of vaccines in low- and middle- income countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on important cold chain management requirements for vaccines, previously mostly known only to the scientific community. Most vaccines must be continuously stored at cold temperatures to maintain their potency. Some COVID-19 vaccines have specific cold chain requirements, starting with the temperature of the storage unit at the vaccine manufacturing plant and extending all the way through transport and delivery, storage, handling at the provider facility and vaccination.
Developed through close collaboration between Nexleaf Analytics and VVDN Technologies with additional expertise provided by Qualcomm engineers, ColdTrace X is an innovative wireless solution designed to equip countries to monitor their cold chain systems effectively and protect the potency of life-saving vaccines. It provides a robust and affordable solution for governments to have real-time visibility into how their cold chain is performing. A widely cited WHO/UNICEF statement found 55% of cold chain equipment in low- and middle-income countries is poorly performing or non-functional. This innovation is particularly valuable now to safely distribute COVID-19 vaccines and for routine infant immunizations for diseases like measles, polio and pneumonia.
ColdTrace X uses temperature sensor nodes, Bluetooth and cellular technology to continuously monitor temperatures inside vaccine refrigerators and cold rooms, send SMS alerts when temperatures move out of the required range and collect high-quality data that can be used to remotely diagnose refrigeration problems, arrange for maintenance and verify repairs. The system’s base station offers battery life that lasts up to seven days, ensuring continuous operation in the event of a connectivity or power disruption and the ability to store data for several months. Training is provided for cold chain handlers to ensure that they understand and can use the data and analytics generated by the system. Currently, data from several devices is being used in conversations around COVID-19 vaccine storage and logistics.
Learn more in Qualcomm's 2021 Corporate Responsibility Report
