American computer giant HP and Singapore's major telecom carrier, SingTel, just launched an eight-week clinical trial of a mobile cardiac monitoring device.
The device, a wrist-watch-like unit made by U.S. firm HealthSTATS, tracks vital signs including blood pressure and heartbeat patterns, according to Medical News Today. One-hundred patients from Singapore-based health insurance company Frontier Health Group will wear the devices, which automatically transmit their findings around the clock to a central data repository on SingTel's cloud network, the Singapore Business News reports.
Once the data is aggregated, it is made available through an HP online portal where physicians can add comments, patients can keep notes about their condition, and both can view the clinical monitoring data. The goal: To detect and treat heart disease early, and possibly prevent exacerbations.
Frontier Health officials say after the trial, they'll continue working to refine the patient interface with the portal and online tools, plus encourage more interaction between patients and physicians using the technology.
"Healthcare providers like Frontier [will] become Instant-On Enterprises by converging the mobile ecosystem with healthcare services. Instant-On healthcare connects patients to their doctors and healthcare professionals anywhere, anytime," says Lloyd Oki, vice president for Asia Pacific Sales with HP.
To learn more:
- check out Singapore Business News' coverage
- read Medical News Today's story