Author: Attune Technologies

The advent of the smartphone is literally redefining the lives of people today. Over the past few years, one can notice the stark difference in how they lived only a couple pf decades ago. The things seen and read in science fiction movies and books are reality today. Technology has entered every aspect of our lives, so much so that it is difficult to imagine life without personal devices, especially smartphones which provide the easiest medium to go “online” anytime anywhere. In fact, the number of mobile phone users in the world is expected to pass the five billion mark by 2019.*

An interesting question to ask is whether smartphone are the future doctors? Well, they sure seem to have now made inroads in to the medical field. The smartphone is one of ubiquitous and forceful trends in communication. This new cell phone can also be used for communicating through email, Internet searches, video & photo messaging and by using specific applications.

The impact of the smartphone in medicine is quite significant already. Almost seventy percent professionals in the medical field own a smartphone. It seems to have a positive implication on patient’s health, and the doctor-patient relationship.

Unlike the older generation where home monitoring equipment was used to record data manually, out-patients now use software or peripheral hardware that plugs into a smartphone or tablet and helps record vital data like weight, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, pulse, heart rhythm, oxygen concentration in blood, etc. This stored data can be transmitted securely to the medical records or to the physicians. Moreover, it can also be converted into more comprehensive visual formats such as graphs that communicate trends over time and often include explanations of suitable ranges for a health metric, given patient-specific factors such as weight, age and sex. These software applications on the smartphone help to enhance patient engagement, as she is now aware of her medical statistics.

Technological advancement has put powerful medical devices into patients’ hands through the smartphone. Devices which are exclusively available at doctors’ clinic like visual acuity assessment, optic disc visualization (ophthalmoscope), body sound analysis (stethoscope), lung function (pyrometer),  inner ear visualization (otoscope), heart function (ECG), and even sonography (ultrasound) can all now be conducted using an app or peripheral hardware. These apps collect clinically relevant data, thus saving a lot of time when the patient visits the doctor.

An app is already being developed to detect Alzheimer’s, through an online quiz. Various apps are being created to detect eye infections. In fact, a new app will help detect Glaucoma through smart phone eye examination. There are also wristbands and apps that help check vital signs, diet, movements, and activities for medical purposes. A smart phone attachment can help in physical examination like the skin, oral cavity, throat, lungs, and heart. Today the smart phone is also being tested out to accurately diagnose HIV and syphilis in some parts of the world. With all the collected data, the phones can alert you and help prevent onset of diseases.

Every day new apps are emerging to detect health problems easily and in a less expensive manner – it is indeed possible that some day smart phones will be able to give you a primary health check. They, in fact, enhance the doctor patient relationship and patient engagement leading to a healthier lifestyle.

*References –

http://www.statista.com/statistics/330695/number-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/

Healthcare today is no longer what it used to be a decade ago. Things are changing at a rapid pace making it easier to avail better healthcare service at an affordable price. It has involved the patient in her own healthcare in a big way, as healthcare industry believes patient engagement will lead to better health management. To facilitate this, there are various wearable healthcare devices that are paving the way for better health management.

Innovations in artificial intelligence, Cloud computing and analytics will determine the future of Health IT. The whole system is focused on making treatment an error free process making it easier to access medical records and parameter values. It is also cheaper than manual health record management while taking the physician patient engagement to the next level.

Wearable devices have revolutionized healthcare. These devices are worn close to the body, on the body or even in the body. Miniaturisation, enhanced connectivity, improved usability, reduced cost, increased reliability and battery life have already made these wearables very popular. Today, the smartphone that almost everyone carries for communication has become the primary device for recording, assessing and communicating healthcare information. More than 300 companies are completely devoted to digital health. Some of the popular ones help measure core health data like body temperature, blood pressure, vision quality etc.

Some of the popular wearable devices include:

Omron wristband: This wrist-worn health wearable is a subtle and clinically accurate blood pressure monitor (BPM) that provides real-time blood pressure readings. This device will help patients with chronic illness better record and manage their health data. The wristband also collects data like number of steps taken, calories burned, and sleep quality, to give patients a better image of their health.

Resound: This iPhone app will help users control their hearing. This application has smart hearing aids and accessories for people with mild to severe hearing loss.

RightEye: RightEye is a goggle that uses eye tracking and gaming stimuli to measure vision performance. It will help in assessing eyesight and detect concussions and performance problems. This goggle will help evaluate visual skills and vision health.

Gymwatch: This wearable will help top track speed and form during body weight exercises. It detects the range of motion and strength used during exercise, and offers real-time feedback on your form.

Hexoskin: This product is not a device but smart clothing that will measure heart rate, pace, breathing rate and volume, steps taken, calories burned, and sleep. These biometric shirts have sensors woven into the fabric. All the recorded data will be transmitted to an iOS or an Android phone.

iHealth Rhythm: This is a smart electrocardiogram that records heart activity and saves data to an iOS app. The Rhythm is subtle and worn under clothing. A flat recording device clips to a three-electrode patch worn on the sternum to measure cardiac activity.

Zhor: Zhor has built smart footwear called DigitSole, which helps to measure the number of steps taken and calories burned. It also helps to keep the feet warm. This smart sole can be adjusted according to the size of the foot.

LumniWave: This is a wearable that provides infrared light therapy for people suffering from or experiencing unceasing pain. The infrared light penetrates tissue and causes the body to release natural pain relief.

Thermo: This is a smart temporal thermometer that records accurate body temperatures. It contains 16 sensors and HotSpot sensor technology and uses WiFi to sync temperature and advice to a compatible mobile app.

In a country where the average life expectancy is 82 years, it is hardly a surprise to know that healthcare is more than just good.

In the second annual healthcare rankings of 51 countries by Bloomberg in 2014, Singapore comfortably overtook Hong Kong in health efficiency to bag the number one position. The factors evaluated included life expectancy, cost of health care, and total medical expenditure for each person. The result is clearly indicative of Singapore’s dedication to preventive healthcare and awareness creation for an ageing population.

A healthy breeding ground for healthcare technology, the island country is visited by patients, doctors and scientists from all over the globe. It has been a pioneer in developing many healthcare innovations and discoveries such as identifying a biomarker of ovarian stem cells which facilitate earlier detection of ovarian cancer. Besides being the first country to have successfully generated human kidney cells from human embryonic cells, it also conducted the first human clinical trials of a novel cancer vaccine, the results of which have been promising; and performing the first simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant surgery in a diabetic (Type 1) patient with who was suffering from renal failure.

Contributing and sustaining such a positive healthcare ecosystem is continually made possible by the right infrastructure and technology adopted by hospitals with the support of a healthcare-conscious government. Recently, a private hospital has come up with a technology called the Elekta Versa HD radiation therapy system which radiates accurate beams of radiation to target cancerous cells very quickly and with a high success rate.

A patient friendly environment at a fraction of the price in the American and European countries is what makes Singapore a lucrative medical destination. What’s notable is the high rate of adoption of hospital information systems that allow hospitals to remain lean and efficient at the same time, while serving patients better. State-of-the-art hospitals combine professional medical care with patient-centric procedures of enrolling and discharging patients. Making hospital stays and visits hassle free is the main goal, besides of course, delivering quality healthcare.

Attune Technologies has been at the forefront of making hospitals’ workflows efficient with its cloud based hospital information management system (HIMS). Already used by leading hospitals around the world, especially those in Asian countries, HIS has to its credit the role of making the hospital a better place – both for staff as well as patients.

References:

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/special-reports/singapore-offers-quality-healthcare-specialised-treatments