(Image courtesy Tanya Parker)
With the help of ‘smart diapers’ featuring QR codes, parents will be able to track dehydration, UTIs and kidney disorders in babies
We’ve written earlier about QR codes being used by the Oklahoma medical board on the licenses it issues medical professionals in the state. The use of QR codes to quickly access patient information has also been written about in a number of places. Now comes the use of QR codes for diagnostic purposes. Pixie Scientific is working on smart diapers which are designed to help parents track the health of their babies. The parents will be able to access the health report by scanning QR codes on the back of the diapers.
Each smart diaper comes with a QR code printed on the back, and surrounded by urine test strips.Each time the baby relives herself, the test strips will draw samples and trigger a color change in the QR code matrix. Parents can then scan the QR code and get updates on their baby’s health. The smart diaper is specifically targeted at diagnosing urinary tract infections, prolonged dehydration and chronic kidney conditions in babies. UTI is particularly hard to diagnose in babies unless they run a fever. If left untreated, it could lead to chronic kidney infections later in life.
Not only will parents be able to track their baby’s health on a regular basis, they will also be able to access in-depth information which can be shown to medical professionals for a proper diagnosis. These smart diapers are not currently available on the market as they are still awaiting FDA approval, but its safe to assume that once they are made available in stores, they will quickly become a must-have product for any new parent.
This use of QR codes for diagnostic purposes is particularly interesting because it is a good example of using QR codes to detect health problems in patients who are unable to communicate properly. It shows the potential for QR codes to be used to treat health problems in babies, older patients with limited or no communication abilities and even pets.
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