Telemedicine leverages telecom devices and technology to fundamentally change the way value can be created in the healthcare industry, either by improving
healthcare access and driving efficiencies, or through containing costs and addressing physician needs and patient pain points.
ASEAN countries are seeing the rise of chronic
diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Governments are looking to encourage healthy lifestyles and promote wellness. Wearable devices are gaining prominence in ASEAN owing to these efforts.
For example, Singapore’s Health Promotion Board (HPB) distributed wearable step trackers and a ‘sure- win’ chance to earn small cash incentives by clocking 5,000 to 10,000 steps a day. Participants synced their step counts through a mobile app called Healthy 365 that allowed HPB to gain insights about Singaporeans and refined its programmes and policies to empower citizens to lead a healthier lifestyle.278
Digital solutions are of particular value in reducing emergency room visits and hospitalisations. They are also valuable in rural areas where access to healthcare is limited. In both cases, enabling collaboration and optimising resources will advance the quality and access of care for patients. Large medical device companies are working with ASEAN governments to improve healthcare access and quality in rural areas.
Startups are also gaining considerable market share in the telemedicine sector by offering innovative means
of connecting stakeholders and sharing data. Ospicon (headquartered in Singapore) created the world’s first alkaline battery–powered fibre-optic sensor that can detect breath count accurately, for both infant and adult use. Irregularities in data can then be communicated to a physician with the accompanying app. The company’s products include a slumbering mat capable of monitoring a baby’s breathing sequence via installed fibre-optic sensors. This information is communicated through supporting smart apps, giving parents real-time situation awareness and alerting them to instances of irregular breathing. The adult bed sensors monitoring a patient’s respiratory signs can improve the care experience for patients, while support from a host of smart technologies can ease the pressure on healthcare workers and lead to efficiencies in workflow.279
Digitally enabled medical devices can also facilitate access to information. This enables patients to manage their health in a less intrusive manner, by tracking chronic diseases and disseminating information to manage them on a day-by-day basis. Healint is a digital healthcare analytics startup (headquartered in Singapore) with the tag line “Intelligence for a better life.” Its mobile app is called Migraine Buddy, and its apps purportedly predict migraines with an accuracy of 90 percent. It recognises triggers and identifies patterns that help patients cope with migraine. The reports can be shared with the doctor. The platform has recorded terabytes of data to help patients, doctors, and researchers better understand the real-world causes and effects of neurological disorders.280
Case study: Philips telemedicine solution to improve maternal and child health in Indonesia281
Background and context
The maternal mortality rate in Indonesia remains among the highest in Southeast Asia, with 190 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. This problem is largely attributed to a continuing lack of access to quality healthcare for expectant mothers.
Deaths occur with births handled by traditional birth attendants rather than by medically trained healthcare professionals, according to the World Health Organization.
Indonesia has large mobile penetration rates and an increasing usage of mobile apps. Philips developed a pilot program that leveraged this huge mobile penetration to improve maternal health.
Solution
Philips worked with the Indonesian government to improve maternal and child health. The initiative Mobile Obstetrics Monitoring (MOM) was piloted with the Indonesian Reproductive Science Institute (IRSI), providing expectant mothers with enhanced care to help address maternal mortality. It is a scalable telehealth platform that can be adapted to suit specific rural and urban needs, using a mobile phone application. The app enables midwives to build a relevant health profile of pregnant women by collecting data from physical examinations and tests and local nursing clinics, or even at the soon to-be mother’s home. Data is uploaded from the app onto the central Mobile Obstetrical Monitoring server, allowing obstetricians and gynaecologists to remotely monitor patients from hospitals or home. The doctors can review the data collected from the antenatal visits and determine if a pregnancy might be high risk, in which case immediate care can be provided.
Source: Philips white paper ‘Mobile Obstetrics Monitoring (MOM) as a model for community-based antenatal care delivery in a low-resource setting‘, 2015
Doctor’s app
• Doctor reviews patient information from anytime, anywhere
Midwife’s app
• Records pregnancy data and vital measurements on mobile
• Data collection and sync to server (USB or SMS sync) Philips MOM
platform and mobile app
MOM web portal
• Midwife registers pregnant women
• Resident doctor review data and ultrasound reports Health
Centre On the go
Home
Philips Telemedicine Solution to Improve Maternal Health in Indonesia
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Impact and Benefits
MOM empowers community caregivers to capture vital information during home visits, enabling antenatal risk stratification, diagnostic assistance, and progress assessment through mobile applications.
A pilot study of 656 pregnant women in Padang assessed the use of MOM to facilitate a public-private partnership of midwives and obstetricians and
gynaecologists. Based on the study, detection of very high-risk pregnancies increased by three times during the 2014 pilot study and zero maternal deaths were recorded thanks to identification, timely referral and management using the MOM solution. There was also a 99 percent reduction in anaemia from the first to the third trimester through enhanced patient management.
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