The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking steps toward redefining at-home healthcare with the establishment of the “Home as a Health Care Hub.” This initiative, backed by a $1.2 million investment in a partnership with Dallas-based architectural firm HKS Inc., aims to build a virtual reality (VR) model of a home. This model is intended to help developers, policymakers, and healthcare providers better understand the structural elements of homes that can affect the deployment and utilization of medical devices within them. The VR models are set to focus particularly on the needs of rural and low-income populations, a move that aligns with the agency’s goal of advancing health equity in medical care. This initiative springs from the FDA’s long-standing concern over the safe use of at-home medical devices, a topic that has been on its radar since 2010 when it first published a white paper on the matter.
The push towards innovating at-home medical devices stems from an understanding of the current limitations and the need for a more integrated healthcare approach within the home environment. According to the FDA, while many at-home care options are emerging, few have effectively considered how these devices interact with the home setting itself. Most devices are designed to operate independently rather than as components of a cohesive system. This isolated approach can result in a fragmented healthcare experience that fails to support the patient’s needs. By developing a virtual home environment, the FDA aims to provide a sandbox where device developers can better conceptualize how different designs might work in diverse home settings, including those that are less typical but increasingly relevant, like rural or economically disadvantaged areas.
The FDA’s initiative is also a response to the evolving nature of healthcare devices and software, especially those used to provide hospital-level care at home. This area of healthcare has seen rapid expansion, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced a shift towards at-home care to alleviate pressure on overwhelmed healthcare facilities. Devices and software developed for home use have varied in their effectiveness and safety, highlighting a gap in understanding and regulation that the FDA seeks to fill with the new hub. The hub will not only serve as a development tool but also as an educational resource for stakeholders across the healthcare industry, including those who may not have traditionally been involved in the device design process, such as patients and non-specialist caregivers.
The broader goal of the “Home as a Health Care Hub” initiative is to create a shift from healthcare that centers around institutions to one that centers around individuals and their home environments. This change is necessary for addressing health disparities and ensuring that healthcare delivery is equitable and effective, regardless of a patient’s geographical or economic status. The FDA’s commitment to this vision is evident in its selection of diabetes as a test case for the hub, given the disease’s disproportionate impact on minority and underserved populations. This approach aims to enhance the functionality of home healthcare devices and pave the way for more personalized healthcare solutions that can improve outcomes for patients living with chronic conditions or in remote areas.