The idea

Our aim is to radically change the way that training and guidance is delivered to healthcare professionals through the use of wearable technology, in particular the combination of Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality.

Who are we and why did we create imertec ?

Our team has a cumulative total of over twenty-five years experience in the provision of products and services to the healthcare industry, sixteen of which being in the area of infection control. In recent years we have become increasingly aware of a problem: despite the huge sums of money being spent on infection control, an estimated £2 billion by the NHS alone, the threat from infectious diseases is not diminishing and we do not feel that throwing more money at simply dealing with the consequences is not the answer. 

Put simply we believe that prevention through better training using new and emerging immersive technology is the answer.

In creating imertec our aim is to make that change happen and in doing so build an exciting and successful business that we and any future investor can be proud of.

The problem being addressed

A UK Government report published in December 2014 revealed that there is a growing threat of antimicrobial resistant infectious (ARI) diseases (Superbugs) and that this would lead to at least 10 million additional deaths per year by 2050.  This could be greater than the number of people dying from cancer. 

More recently a report published in March 2015 by the UK National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies Report (NRR) warned that a single Superflu pandemic could kill 80,000 people in the UK. 

These reports represent the danger of ARI and Health Care Associated Infections (HCAI).  When we look back in history the 1918 pandemic involved the H1N1 virus killed at least 50 million people and whilst the science to tackle these threats has moved on greatly, so have the viruses’ ability to change and adapt. The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the ongoing issues relating to MERS and Avian Flu only highlight this as a current and ongoing global issue.

Tackling that risk

Whilst there are now programmes underway to develop new antibiotics, which might reduce the threat, there is in fact a lot that can be done already at far less cost.

The World Heath Organisation (WHO) has stated that HCAIs are the most frequent adverse event in healthcare delivery worldwide and that for every 100 hospitalised patients at any given time, 7 in developed countries and 10 in developing countries will acquire an HCAI.

That equates to hundreds of millions of patients being affected worldwide each year – according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control that figure is currently at least 37,000 each year in Europe. 

The financial implications are significant, figures from WHO estimate annual financial losses attributed to HCAIs of approximately €7 billion in Europe (direct costs only) and a staggering 16 million extra days in hospital.  In the USA, according to the Centre for Disease