Real-time detection of mobile phones

Recently, at this year's CES Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, IBM announced that it will cooperate with medical technology company Medtronic to develop an APP that specifically monitors diabetes-related values ​​and will alert patients before critical situations occur.

Point of Care Testing (POCT) refers to a type of detection technology that can be performed immediately on the spot. Because it does not require a fixed testing site and valuable equipment, it can be used at any time at home or at the bedside. Patients are generally welcome.

At present, the most well-known POCT medical devices on the market are blood glucose meters, sphygmomanometers, early pregnancy and ovulation test strips. However, there are not many types of POCT medical devices. They are far from satisfying people's demand for POCT technology. With the rapid development of mobile phone technology, more and more physical sensors have been installed on mobile phones, such as high-definition cameras, infrared sensors, pressure gauges, photosensors, and temperature sensors. Because the mobile phone can collect all kinds of photoelectric data through photoelectric devices and carry out intelligent processing, it is suitable for medical detection. This provides a further basis for the development of mobile phone and POCT combined technology.

The mobile phone has a high-definition camera, and the APP software can identify, photograph and intelligently process the detection results of various existing colloidal gold test strips, allowing the user to not only know the yin and yang of the results, but also to know the specific values ​​of the detection parameters. Effective formulation of follow-up interventions and precision medical support. For example, a "Graduate" mobile phone APP can use the camera to read and determine the results of early pregnancy test strips and ovulation test strips, and record body temperature, somatosensory and other information. After the data is analyzed by the client, the entire pregnancy in the pregnancy In the process, provide appropriate suggestions and opinions. In the future, the mobile phone can also read high-sensitivity fluorescent test strips and ultra-high-sensitivity Raman test strips in combination with an easy-to-use cell-phone fluorescence and Raman reading bar, which can be used for trace amounts of various disease-related factors. Testing provides people with more accurate medical information.

In addition to cell phone readers, people have also developed various medical instruments for use with mobile phones. Through these devices, mobile phones can be transformed into various specialized medical instruments. If the iPhone otoscope can be used to view the inner ear, it can be photographed and uploaded to the doctor at any time at home or in the field to assist in the diagnosis of ear diseases. The ultrasound imaging system for smartphones can be used to diagnose blood vessels, gallstones, kidney stones and abdominal masses. The problem; a hand-held device called Welch AllyniExaminer can easily recognize the eye to diagnose eye diseases. The smartphone microscope can be connected to a small device to observe the condition of the bacteria; or a simple fluorescence excitation device can be used to make the mobile phone a high magnification fluorescence microscope for chromosome and DNA observation and diagnosis. Now researchers have begun to study how to combine traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and biochemical tests with mobile phones, and use simple optical devices or mobile phone optical systems to directly read the results of ELISA and biochemical tests if the test is successful. The medical testing items that can be used for POCT will increase dramatically.

The phone has a charging jack, so the electrical signal can also become a sensor signal for the phone. Researchers have developed a mobile microfluidic chip that can convert many biological reactions into electrical signals, transmit electrical signals to mobile phones via a USB interface, and accomplish many medical test items through intelligent processing and data conversion.

With the rapid development of smart phones and bio-sensing technology, it is believed that the on-the-spot diagnosis and analysis of diseases through mobile phones will become more and more common and convenient, and more people can conduct rapid emergency diagnosis at home or outdoors in the future. Or long-term monitoring of chronic disease physiological indicators, the development and application of such technologies will greatly increase people’s awareness of disease and health awareness, optimize and effectively use existing medical resources, and substantially improve people’s medical treatment and quality of life.