Biometrac uses thumbprints to track diseases, keep medical records
11 December, 2013
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Mobile health company, Biometrac has developed a new mobile health software platform that leverages a fingerprint scanner to track vaccine doses, monitor disease progression and act as a medical record.
As reported by MedCity News, Biometrac’s technology is being deployed primarily in developing countries to track tuberculosis, but for the long term, the company suspects big pharmacy companies could use the platform for clinical trials. The work that Biometrac is doing in developing countries is actually a defining factor for the biometrics vendor.
“No one is using biometrics in low resource settings,” says Trisha Finnegan, Biometrac managing director. “We are developing something fairly low cost, scalable and attainable for developing countries. The eventual goal is individualized tracking for healthcare validation.”
At present, the company’s primary clients are non-government organizations and university researchers. In these settings, Biometrac technology is being used to support lab work, for example studying disease progression and migration for AIDS and other diseases.
Elsewhere, Biometrac is helping participants of clinical studies to manage their medications. In this area, Biometrac’s goal is to improve continuity and accuracy while reducing the headache that often accompanies keeping paper records.
A notable advantage that Biometrac’s technology has over similar solutions is that it does not rely on an Internet connection, which in developing countries, can be spotty at the best of times.
One of the Biometrac’s partners is VaxTrac, a partnership that along with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is helping health care workers to improve schedule adherence as well as automated data collection and reporting. Using Biometrac’s juvenile biometric algorithm, along with a system designed for low-resource areas, the partnership has forged a link between vaccine stock management and child health records.