Health-Tech Innovation 2024 – MM+M Awards

Gold

Teva and FCB Health New York   
Be Moved by TD Handwriting Simulator

Tardive dyskinesia, or TD, is a life-altering movement disorder that affects up to almost 800,000 mental-health patients, or one in three Americans taking antipsychotic drugs. For this vulnerable population, TD makes daily activities a struggle. Even simply writing their name can be a challenge.

Yet there is a disconnect between what patients experience and what doctors see. About 85% of those living with TD remain undiagnosed and untreated. Many go so far as to stop taking mental health medications to alleviate the symptoms.

This breakthrough effort, which cost just $125,000, started with a question of empathy: “How do we move doctors to recognize a condition that they might write off as ‘just a side effect’ and finally take the action needed to make a difference?” Handwriting, a significant source of distress for TD patients, became the focus. “I couldn’t even write my own name anymore,” some patients say. “People thought I had a stroke.” A signature-focused  experience also enabled a quick way to get psychiatrists’ attention at conventions, with limited time in booths. 

To create a simple yet moving experience, the team designed a stylus in collaboration with movement disorder specialists, and analyzed handwriting patterns from TD patients. A tablet with specially designed software further alters the appearance of users’ signatures based on actual patient writing patterns.

There were no rules to learn, complicated gear to wear or switches to flip. One only had to pick up the stylus, try to write and suddenly feel the distress of those with TD. Doctors’  signatures were displayed on a large screen in the convention booth to amplify buzz, inspiring other attendees to try the handwriting simulator. With more than 400 trials, the innovation is changing how doctors assess their patients’ movement disorders.

Silver

Pfizer and FCB Health New York  
Alopecia Mirror

Alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, results in anxiety, shame and even isolation among patients. With few treatments they often feel hopeless. And  dermatologists have frequently minimized their pain, approaching the illness as a minor cosmetic problem. This mirror, powered by augmented reality, immerses dermatologists in what alopecia patients see and feel. Using the latest hair visualization technology with expert medical guidance, it includes up to 128 permutations of different hair types and styles for a startling and moving experience.

Click here to view 2024 MM+M Award Winners.