Robert Charette over at IEEE Spectrum, has posted an interesting article on the use of 3D avatars to easily manage and visualize clinical data. The post makes reference in particular to Nhumi Technologies (pronounced “new-me”), a technology start-up based in Zurich, Switzerland. Nhumi has developed a simple avatar interface which allows the user to visualize the affected area and a number of associated statistics related to drug safety. The Nhumi interface can be found at the company’s website which is currently in a beta release. The data is based on cases reported to the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System.
From the website:
The web site presents adverse events reported to the U.S. FDA since 2004. It identifies the most relevant safety information and depicts it on a virtual model of the human anatomy showing body parts that are most adversely affected by a drug. Additionally, it describes all data graphically with charts and concise tables. Visitors to the site can quickly explore the safety profile of a single drug and compare it to that of other drugs. They can even focus on a specific group of patients easily by selecting the medical condition, age, gender, or co-medication that best fit their requests.
While the avatar element to the Nhumi drug safety interface is still rudimentary in comparison to some of the anatomical navigation apps out there, there seems to be real value in presenting this drug safety data in a simple anatomical context.
IEEE Spectrum: Using Avatars to Understand Adverse Drug Reactions
