Crowdsourcing Our Way to Better Health

August 25, 2014 By IdeaConnection

pulse-trace-163708_640Frankly, there are far too many complex problems going around that can’t be tackled by institutions and organizations on their own.  When it comes to improving our health, fighting diseases and prolonging lifespans, those challenges take on an extra measure of urgency as most of us want to stick around on the planet for as long as possible.

There are hundreds of situations where drug companies, hospitals and healthcare institutes have reached out to expert crowds to help them in their quests.  Here is a small collection of some of the open innovation health-related projects that have been featured on IdeaConenction’s website.

A Call for Healthy Aging Concepts

A global open innovation challenge by the Mayo Clinic for new ways to maintain well-being as we age.  Among the winning concepts were pop-up Wellness lounges and reshaping a doctor’s visit to include medical students and volunteers.  They would be on call to help patients with such issues as depression and nutrition.

MyHeartMap Challenge

This was a successful crowdsourcing project to find the location of defibrillators in Philadelphia and to improve the likelihood of people using them during medical emergencies.

General Electric (GE) Hospital Quest

This was a search to improve the hospital experience for patients and families.  A total of 14 winners were selected for their algorithms that will help patients find the best post-acute care available and make them feel at home and in control of their hospital stay.

Tackling a Killer E. coli Outbreak

An open innovation initiative involving the international medical community to track the source of a 2011 E. coli outbreak in Europe.  It was a race against time to prevent further deaths and illnesses.  Scientists from four continents pooled their resources and brainpower to decode the organism’s DNA.

In so doing,  they quickly discovered that the presence of foreign genes in the bacterium’s makeup were making it so virulent.  Although the worst of the outbreak had passed by this time, their open innovation approach serves as a model for future outbreaks when answers are needed quickly.

Space-Age Technology to Help Insomniacs to Sleep

Quilts of Denmark, a Danish bedding company looked to non-traditional sources of ideas to develop functional down quilts that would help people with insomnia to get a good night’s sleep. It found an innovation partner in NASA.  The space agency had been looking at temperature regulation in spacesuits, and temperature regulation is a factor that can determine whether or not we sleep soundly.  Quilts of Denmark worked with another company to develop NASA’s technology for temperature-regulating pillows and quilts.


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