This idea will support pulmonary rehabilitation
pd meds team – creators of the Notos solution. From the left: Maciej Pikuliński, Anna Pastor, Bazyli Leczkowski and Piotr Falkowski
Doctoral students from the Warsaw University of Technology came up with the idea how to support patients struggling to regain their health and fitness after oxygen therapy. The solution uses simple tools and… gamification.
Almost 18 million people suffer from pneumonia, COVID-19 or have heart surgery. After that patients should start pulmonary rehabilitation. As soon as possible. Unfortunately, it takes over 3 months to start working with specialists. This causes a huge problem for patients to go back to their usual level of fitness. It also might cause complications which may burden the health care system even more.
Sounds bad. Is there an alternative? Yes. It is training on one’s own with a simple breath trainer or blowing through a straw into a glass of water.
– According to our research, based on in-depth interviews and surveys, the efficiency of these methods is very small since patients very quickly lose motivation because of monotony and little noticeable progress – explains Piotr Falkowski, head of the team that came up with another solution to the problem.
Notos is a mobile app and a simple stand, as well as a mechanical breath trainer (the simplest one available on the market) with three balls lifted through a tube when breathing in.
– In this way patients can train playing a simple platform game which forces correct breathing patterns and engages them in therapy thanks to gamification, and at the same time they can observe their real-time progress – explains Piotr Falkowski.
The solution was developed by the team pd meds, which has been working on tools for pulmonary rehabilitation since last year. The team comprises Piotr Falkowski (CEO), Maciej Pikuliński (CIO), Anna Pastor (CMO) and Bazyli Leczkowski (CTO). It is also supported by medical consultants and a business mentor.
This is how Notos works – it is a combination of a phone with the app, stand and a simple pulmonary trainer
Notos was created within Tech-Athon – a marathon of work on innovative technological projects which can be launched onto the market. The competition is aimed at doctoral students of the Warsaw University of Technology. The idea of the team pd meds took the first joint place in the competition and was awarded PLN 80 000 for further development of the solution.
– Soon we will concentrate on developing a stable prototype and research on optimal training routines, and efficiency of our system in cooperation with medical centres – tells us Piotr Falkowski. – We hope to launch the product in 2024.
The app will show, among other things, progress in rehabilitation
