Student researchers involved in advanced industrial design and engineering at the University of Kansas Center for Design Research are working on a prototype of what is being called the “WellCar”.
“Current medical vehicles are generally dedicated to simple tasks such as immunizations and health awareness programs. The WellCar model will enable nurse practitioners to provide a broad array of comprehensive, prevention-based patient care services,” according to University of Kansas Professor Gregory Thomas and Director of the Center for Design Research.
The goal is to create a sophisticated medical office on wheels. The WellCare project will put many devices under one vehicle’s roof, integrate the devices, and then develop a means of securely exchanging a patient’s medical data with hospitals or clinics.
According to Thomas, “Most companies developing a new medical technology are focused on their product only. They are not looking at the bigger picture or how a number of different tools each with a specific purpose in diagnostics and treatment can be bundled for availability in a vehicle.”
The WellCare research brings together many industry partners to provide medical sensing devices, communications, and consulting advice. The partners included Abbott Point of Care, HealthSTATS, National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Kansas City Plant, Sprint, Voalte, and others.
For example, Abbott Point of Care is providing the (i-STAT) handheld blood chemistry analyzer. HealthSTATS is providing an Evidence-Based Blood Pressure (EVBP) noninvasive approach to monitoring treating and managing hypertension using a wristwatch-like device. Sprint will provide the mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, Voalte will provide smartphone technology to enable communication directly through voice, alarms, and text, and NNSA will make custom vehicle modifications.
Although the WellCar project is still in the conceptual stage, Thomas hopes to have an initial functional prototype of the WellCar in 2014. Thomas adds that the goal for this year is to conduct research on the feasibility and design of the WellCar and use the data to develop funding proposals for NIH and the National Science Foundation in the fall of 2014. The study will also examine the financial viability of healthcare delivery via the WellCar, contrasting it with an assessment of the current effectiveness of rural healthcare delivery models.