According to the companies, the first kiosks will be installed in community hospitals in Shandong province, with hopes of reaching more than 100,000 patients. The self-service kiosks will allow users to manage their own health, interact with their physician or health coach, and even allow family members to participate in their care on their own terms.
“The results will be healthier patients, fewer hospitalizations and emergency room visits, and better use of scarce healthcare resources,” says Jason Goldberg, president and founder of Ideal Life, a multinational company that provides wireless mobile health and wellness solutions.
As the world’s most populous country, China faces the challenges of both Western countries and Third World nations in providing access to quality healthcare to its citizens, including a growing number of individuals with chronic illnesses. The British medical journal “The Lancet” reports that approximately 153 million Chinese adults have hypertension, but only 24% of these individuals are aware of their condition and less than 24% of that group has their blood pressure under control. Other medical conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease are also on the rise in China’s aging population.
“For years, we researched the remote health-monitoring market, looking for a product that was affordable, easy to use, accurate, and scalable for China’s vast population,” says Liu Zhengping, CEO of NovaTech Biological Pharmaceutical Co. The pharmaceutical manufacturer decided on an end-to-end solution from Ideal Life.
The initiative’s kiosks will allow an unlimited number of users to connect with providers at reduced connectivity charges, giving entire communities access to healthcare and to two-way educational communication at the point of care. The system also provides two-way communication between the patient and the healthcare provider within the monitoring device, eliminating the need for expensive additional devices.
The products are designed to automatically populate and integrate seamlessly with the provider’s data collection systems and with electronic medical records so that data can be accessed at any time and at any location. To support expansion throughout China, groundbreaking for an independent monitoring center is scheduled for February 2011.
Both Ideal Life and NovaTech Biological Pharmaceutical hope their joint initiative will play a part in improving China’s current healthcare system.
“To adopt new technology, concepts, and systems, we must break old modes of thinking,” states Zheng Yunfeng, president of Novatech Biological Pharmaceutical Co. “But with continued cooperation from government, physicians, hospitals, community service centers, and other important partners, we see incredible opportunities for significant economic and health benefits to all stakeholders.”
---
Quelle/Source: Connected World Magazine, 06.12.2010
Bitte besuchen Sie/Please visit:
