The Vertigenius approach 'means physios can keep in touch with their patients’ progress virtually'

Already being used by more than 1,000 users in Ireland – mainly in the private sector but also in a couple of state-run hospitals with whom the company has a special relationship – Vertigenius devices are beginning to make their first inroads into the UK market as well.

For Patrick, the USA market, in particular, offers huge commercial potential. ‘As well as the size of the country and the scale of the opportunities, the US healthcare reimbursement insurance model would suit our product,’ he explains. 

What is Vertigenius?

It’s an easy-to-use platform that lets you design, prescribe and deploy custom exercises through a clinician portal that’s straightforward to use.

Vertigenius gives your patients access to a smartphone app that digitally delivers, measures and tracks vestibular rehabilitation.

The smartphone app is combined with a unique head sensor that connects with Bluetooth to the patient’s phone. It then tracks the patient’s head movement as they exercise, leading to steady and measurable improvements.

The device’s origins lie in Trinity College Dublin, the brainchild of Dara Meldrum – a physiotherapist by background who has more than two decades working in the vestibular field under her belt. The groundwork was done during her PhD study, when Dr Meldrum used an established gaming device to guide people through a programme of movements to aid their rehabilitation.

With help from engineering colleagues and some funding from Enterprise Ireland, Patrick says the original model was refined and improved, eventually ‘spinning off’ to become an independent commercial operation in 2022, with Dr Meldrum as chief scientific officer.

With Mark Barry having been appointed as chief executive at the beginning of 2023, things began to take flight when seed funding was gleaned from various backers. 

Held in high esteem in her native country, Dr Meldrum was named winner of the prestigious Woman in Life Sciences category at this summer’s Irish Life Sciences Awards in Dublin.

Prior to joining Vertigenius, Patrick enjoyed a five-year stint with a company that specialises in a medical device that re-aligns teeth. He sees parallels with that company’s steady rise from relatively humble origins two decades ago to becoming a household name – both in the UK and Ireland.

‘Initially, the product was only used by highly skilled orthodontists, but gradually more and more generalist dentists trained and gained the relevant expertise. Now, it’s very widely available to the public and is no longer niche,’ says Patrick.

‘I’m very excited about our future plans for Vertigenius,’ says Patrick. He has a vision in which Vertigenius will follow a similar pattern: initially proving popular with neurological and vestibular specialists before becoming an option that’s in the toolkit of appropriately skilled physiotherapists up and down the country.

‘There’s a big shortage of physios who treat patients with balance issues. More and more regular physios are seeing there is a need to get educated and skilled up to meet this demand. There is also an issue of patients not being identified as having balance-related issues in the first place.’

In addition, says Patrick, audiologists, some of whom are already beginning to offer patients rehab support on top of screening and diagnosing, will become another target audience for using Vertigenius products – alongside ear, nose and throat clinicians.

Patrick says that about 10 per cent of people around the world could benefit from treatment for vertigo, imbalance and dizziness issues. ‘But our data show there’s a very small percentage actually receiving treatment. One person in four has a dizziness issue, and one in 20 has serious vestibular or vertigo issue.’

Older people generally and those with conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), concussion and Parkinson’s are particularly affected, he points out. ‘At the moment, I think these conditions represent a big problem but there is only a small pool of healthcare professionals available to treat them.

‘For physiotherapists, the beauty of the Vertigenius approach is that they can keep in touch with their patients’ progress virtually. Patients save the time and expense of travelling to appointments at the clinic, while some pressures on resources at the physio’s base are also alleviated,’ Patrick notes.

‘We have found that the Vertigenius model cuts the number of times a patient needs to visit the clinic in half, meaning that a physio can effectively double the number of patients they see, creating the ability to unlock additional revenue opportunities around remote monitoring, whilst lowering the operational costs of the clinic.’

Given the remote nature of many towns and villages in the UK and Ireland, this is a clear win-win, although the same principles might apply in urban areas where roads are clogged, and public transport is variable. And, of course, patients with vertigo, imbalance and dizziness issues might be unable to drive, even if they have their own vehicle, or find travelling onerous.

Patrick adds: ‘In traditional rehab models, patients often found it difficult to do their exercises regularly and properly. But with Vertigenius, physios are able to ensure patient adherence remotely and if the patient isn’t getting better, they will know they have to adjust the programme and can monitor progress.’

For more information, visit: https://vertigenius.com/