“Speaklouder”, a project developed by medical student Rita Sequeira, was the big winner of the CNEM Pitch 2020, an event integrated into the seventh edition of the National Congress of Medical Students (CNEM) and supported by CINTESIS – Center for Health Technology and Services Research.

The winner of the session that took place this Sunday, October 18th, receives 1000 euros in consultancy services from CINTESIS and a course in Traumatology in Sports – Good Practices and Latest Evidence, from THe Academia Clínica do Dragão.

According to the presentation made by the student at the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon, “Speaklouder” will be an application for mobile devices and computers for patients admitted to hospitals and who have communication difficulties.

The app is intended to facilitate communication between patients and health professionals in three fundamental dimensions (pain, comfort, and the environment), and works through touch and eye movements.

In second place was the “Digihealth”, a project by António Bandeira, from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto. This software should assess the time spent on each application, provide information, limit exposure to digital media, and issue risk alerts during the condition. The goal is to control the “digital disease”, as the FMUP student calls it.

This project will be entitled to 500 euros in consultancy services by CINTESIS and 500 euros for the purposes of registration in a medical congress to be held in 2021, with the support of Pfizer.

Finally, in third place, was the project “Cricothyro”, by Joana Azevedo, Joana Alves, and André Lobo, from the NOVA Medical School. The intention is to facilitate the performance of cricothyroidostomy, making the technique faster, simpler, and safer.

Thus, the CNEM Pitch 2020 distinguished the best original projects submitted to the competition in the area of health entrepreneurship. CINTESIS was represented on the jury through Maria João Aguiar. At his side were also Diogo Branquinho, from Pfizer, and Luís Pacheco, from Boehringer Ingelheim, as well as members of the organization.

The criteria for evaluating the participants included the originality of the idea or project, the relevance of the idea or project to the Health area, the level of development and detail of the idea or project, the quality and attractiveness of the presentation, and the compliance with the stipulated presentation time.

The National Congress of Medical Students is an organization of the National Association of Medical Students (ANEM).