The End of the Stethoscope — In Search of Innovative Problems
The traditional icons of Medicine are disappearing. The doctor’s black bag and the tools of the trade it carried. The glass/mercury thermometer is long gone. And soon to follow, the stethoscope.
The original one, pictured here, was invented 200 years ago, in 1816. Talk about things that haven’t changed in a long time. Signpost #1 of the 10 Signposts of Innovation should be flashing neon.
In Search of Innovative Problems, the first signpost we identified in our journey on the search for innovative problems was things that haven’t changed. Certainly the stethoscope has been improved over two centuries but the basic functionality remains the same. It appears that all this is about to change.
The ability to dramatically transform the stethoscope has finally been recognized. A current Kickstarter project, branded Stethee, offers a smart, wireless stethoscope that can be easily used by a consumer or a medical professional. The device, which is reminiscent of a coffee tamper you might see at Starbuck’s or as an accessory to your home espresso machine, has a color-changing LED ring that allows you to ‘see’ the pulsing rhythm of the heart and alerts you to potential problems. High-quality audio can be wirelessly ported to your phone or Bluetooth headset. A built-in vibration mechanism provides a tactile representation of the force and power of the heart. An app for your phone allows you to capture, track, visualize and analyze the data you could only hear before.
Attack the problem some more and the entire device goes away. In an article published last week in the Wall Street Journal, Eric Topol. MD, a well-known medical futurist, author, and professor of genomics at the Scripps Research Institute, and Dr. Stephen Quake, professor of bioengineering and applied physics at Stanford University, shared the details of a molecular stethoscope. It’s a blood test that can assess DNA and RNA and identify ‘alien’ DNA and RNA that is distinct from a person’s normal genome. It can flag cancer DNA and other abnormalities that reside in the bloodstream undetected. Since RNA is organ specific, diseases related to a particular organ can be identified before the diseases even surface.
It has taken 200 years for some careful problem seekers to see the innovation opportunities surrounding the stethoscope and develop groundbreaking alternatives. In the coming years, their visions will render the stethoscope of the old black bag unrecognizable. A good thing, no doubt, since the doctor’s black bag has already become a collector’s item.
Read more about Stethee at http://www.stethee.com and the molecular stethoscope at the Wall Street Journal.
© Brian Leitten & Bradley Strock 2015
