Case Study

Developing a connected drug delivery device and bespoke in-hospital connectivity solution

For this project, S3 Connected Health designed and developed a class II drug delivery device and solution for use in hospital environments.

 

We created an end-to-end solution around the device

A bespoke, end-to-end connectivity solution was needed to securely transmit data from the in-hospital device to the pharma company. This was designed to optimize the supply chain for this medication, revolutionize their business operating model, and provide valuable data insights to improve patient drug usage.
doctors in an operating theatre and hospital equipment

Producing a clear roadmap was the first crucial step

We began by securing early stage buy-in from a range of stakeholders within the device manufacturer, the drug brand team, and the end hospital customer.

A comprehensive connected product and infrastructure roadmap was then outlined, which incorporated feedback from key stakeholders and informed the overall business case. This addressed what data was to be collected, who needed access, when, how often.
end-to-end-hospital-connectivity

Our multi-disciplinary team worked seamlessly with our client

We worked with our client and took the solution from concept right through development and qualification, and on towards FDA submission.

Our team included engineers working across system design and architecture, hardware, software, device connectivity and backend infrastructure, verification and validation, and manufacturing testing and automation.

 

Securely transmitting data from a range of hospital environments was key

A crucial component for this solution was providing reliable and secure device connectivity; delivering this in hospital environments is challenging for several reasons:

  • Congested hospital networks reduce bandwidth
  • Complex building structures hinder signal strength or block it all together
  • High numbers of devices mean larger capital equipment will always be prioritized on hospital networks

For this solution, we created a separate pathway to transmit data from the device to the client, rather than rely on hospitals' existing infrastructure.

We used multiple connectivity paths to ensure a robust solution, including LoRaWAN, WiFi, and BLE. A secure gateway facilitated external connectivity by providing a link between the device and the cloud-based platform, which is used to manage encrypted data, and a backend platform that integrates into existing business systems.

connectivity-framework-medtech-graphic

An in-depth view of the connectivity framework

Using a working protype, we carried out testing across a representative sample of over 50 different hospitals. This guaranteed the solution would work in a wide range of hospital environments, not just hi-tech hospitals.
radio-tech-hospital

Using radio tech to broadcast data: Long Range Wide-Area Networks (LoRaWAN) uses radio waves to broadcast data on device activity and flag when vital medicine is low. Read more about using LoRaWAN for in-hospital medical device connectivity.

The solution has optimized device performance and medication supply chain

Our team delivered a next generation drug-delivery device that included a product platform and connectivity ecosystem, which can now provide a basis for our customer’s future lines.

It features best-in-class, end-to-end, secure communication systems managing the device across its entire life cycle from development, manufacturer, to deployment, to service, to decommissioning.

Device performance can now be monitored to flag immediate issues and predict maintenance requirements. This increases the reliability of the device and ensures optimum performance at all times.

This solution will revolutionize our customer’s business operation model. Actively monitoring medication inventory remotely will now ensure it never runs low. This will also enable real-time billing and reduce resting capital tied up in stock.

preview wp embracing connectivity medtech

To read more about in-hospital connected devices, download our full whitepaper: 'Embracing a connected future: How to create scalable connectivity ecosystems for in-hospital medical equipment'

Download whitepaper

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