KaHa and EasyCare join hands to address healthare monitoring with IoT

Source: KaHa/EasyCare. Screens from the iDOC Easy Track app on the left and middle, and the
iDOCWATCH on the right.

Singapore Internet of Things (IoT) solutions company KaHa has partnered with medical solutions provider EasyCare, known for its iDOC brand to address challenges in preventive healthcare management.

The iDOC Remote Monitoring Solution comprising the iDOCWATCH wearable, iDOC Easy Track mobile app and the iDOC Remote Monitoring Dashboard in the back end is powered by COVE, KaHa’s proprietary IoT platform. The solution encourages health awareness, enabling individuals to take greater control of their health choices. Health and fitness advisors can also use the solution to make informed choices when formulating treatment plans and early intervention.

IDOC Clinic is a medical group founded by the EasyCare team, and EasyCare works with iDOC Clinic in the implementation of its healthcare technologies in the primary care setting. As part of its services, EasyCare conducts annual or biannual chronic disease screening for corporate clients. In between screenings, the iDOCWATCH together with iDOC Easy Track, will be made available to individuals to enable continuous monitoring of their health.

Working together, iDOCWATCH and iDOC Easy Track collect and analyse essential health data from the user and send it to the iDOC Remote Monitoring Dashboard. A health or fitness advisor can use the iDOC Remote Monitoring Dashboard to obtain at-a-glance information about the user’s health, including activity level, sleep quality, blood pressure, heart rate, together. They will also be alerted when a user exceeds a prescribed threshold.

The solution addresses challenges in preventive healthcare management, such as trends and variability in blood pressure or heart rate, and could eliminate ‘white coat syndrome’, a phenomenon where patients have higher-than-normal blood pressure readings in clinical settings due to anxiety. Kaha and EasyCare also point out that the iDOC Remote Monitoring Solution will also reduce contact during an infectious disease outbreak while potentially helping to identify those who need help.

Dr Poh Pei Ghim, COO, EasyCare said, “Our partnership with KaHa is an important first step to lead our fitness and healthcare ecosystem venturing into remote monitoring technologies. This remote monitoring solution leverages a natural synergy between our services and wearable technology.

"IDOC will be able to upgrade its artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics capabilities with the additional input from wearables. I would be keen to share our current anonymised data to interested medical professionals, assist in reproducing the data, and advance the uptake and implementation of medical wearables in the healthcare setting locally.”

Founder and CEO of KaHa Pawan Gandhi added, “Extending our platform to the healthcare space was a natural evolution for KaHa, and telemedicine is an emerging space that is hugely exciting, as it brings unparalleled levels of convenience and solutions to both patients and doctors.

"Using AI and data-driven decision making, wearable tech stands to play a pivotal role in healthcare management. Wearable tech in healthcare can also support and protect healthcare workers in the ongoing battle against COVID-19.”

KaHa plans to integrate more of its devices into the iDOC Remote Monitoring Solution, including a smart fitness t-shirt, an electrocardiogram (ECG) fitness tracker and a body temperature monitoring fitness tracker.

KaHa has offices in Singapore, China, India and Switzerland. It has over 2 million users globally. Its COVE platform includes electronics design, printed circuit board assembly, application frameworks for iOS and Android, cloud services, data analytics and smart after-sales service tools.

IDOC Clinic has a telemedicine network and focuses on developing solutions for remote diagnostic technologies. iDOC aims to empower patients to take charge of their own health through all means including technology, education and research. The EasyCare tech team works closely with iDOC Clinic to deploy its medical solutions including telemedicine, remote healthcare assessment, data analytics and AI in applications. 

Sign outside the telemedical station at Unity, Jurong Point.

Details:

The iDOCWATCH device will first be released for non-clinical use for example health promotion, fitness tracking and health coaching. The iDOCWATCH will be available from May 2020 at iDOC ePharmacy, an online retail platform, and at iDOC Clinics in Hougang and Jurong West.

The iDOC Remote Monitoring Dashboard will be rolled out in phases starting with non-clinical uses such as with gyms, health coaches and fitness instructors before deployment for research and clinical use.