Article

Propeller is Addressing COPD via Connected Devices

Mitchell Posada

Published on: July 9th, 2015

This post was previously on the Pathfinder Software site. Pathfinder Software changed its name to Orthogonal in 2016. Read more.

There’s a big opportunity for wireless devices, as part of systems and services to improve health outcomes and decrease costs among those who suffer from chronic conditions.

Take for example COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary (PULL-mun-ary) disease, is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. “Progressive” means the disease gets worse over time. COPD is a major cause of disability, and it’s the third leading cause of death in the United States. Currently, millions of people are diagnosed with COPD. Many more people may have the disease and not even know it.

What’s more problematic is that only 1 in 5 people with Asthma currently have the disease under control. There are roughly 5000 deaths, 2 million emergency room visits, 500,000 hospitalizations and 27 million missed days of school and work each year.

Helping Asthma sufferers manage their condition can save healthcare costs by preventing visits to the hospital and allowing sufferers to control their condition and enable a more stable quality of life.

So in todays increasingly medical app world you’re probably asking, well what if there was an app accessible from any smartphone that could receive personalized feedback and education on ways to improve your asthma control or COPD status?

Check out this awesome presentation and Q/A with David Van Sickle, as he covers Propeller Health’s journey to address COPD with hardware and software enabled by wireless technology.