CDRH launches ‘Idea Lab’

WASHINGTON - The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) is unveiling an Idea Lab as part of the Home as a Health Care Hub initiative to help innovators, providers and patients reimagine the home as an integral part of the health care system. The Idea Lab includes a virtual reality prototype, named Lilypad, which will give users an immersive experience inside various affordable homes representative of people living with diabetes, a chronic condition that impacts millions of Americans. “We chose people living with diabetes as a test case given the prevalence and burden of disease, the importance of medical devices and lifestyle in managing the condition and preventing comorbidities, and the mobilized patient organizations and provider groups that are well-positioned to contribute to solutioning,” wrote Michelle Tarver, M.D., Ph.D., director of CDRH. “The effort was informed by insights from patients and families living with diabetes, as well as patient organizations that support their needs to better understand the barriers faced by this population and the potential for a significant transformation in how they can manage their conditions.” Lilypad will be housed in the online Idea Lab and will provide a realistic look into the challenges and barriers people face navigating their medical conditions in their daily lives. The Idea Lab will also include insights from patients, caregivers, providers and experts, tours of different types of affordable housing environments, and landscape research into design opportunities ripe for innovation. These insights and resources are intended to help the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, innovators and other interested parties better understand how current medical devices fit into people’s homes and lives.