Sata launches pilot study to monitor health of seniors remotely
Minister Tan Chuan-Jin trying out the Sata CommHealth Telehealth system at the event yesterday. Photo: Sata CommHealth
SINGAPORE — Community health services provider Sata CommHealth has launched a telehealth pilot study to remotely monitor the health of elderly individuals with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
The study, a first for Sata CommHealth, will monitor 60 elderly in their homes for six months via Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Vital parameters such as blood pressure, blood glucose, BMI, pulse rate and oxygen saturation in the blood readings will be monitored by a Sata CommHealth central monitoring system. The study is supported by a grant from the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore.
In a press release issued yesterday, Sata CommHealth said the study will complement chronic disease management, and also allow the organisation to assess the benefits and effectiveness of telehealth on a large scale, as well as its suitability for caring for the elderly in the community.
A demonstration of the telehealth technology was conducted yesterday during a Community Health Day event at Sata CommHealth Uttamram Medical Centre in Chai Chee.
The event was attended by 220 residents in the area, where they received free health checks such as chest X-rays, and blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol tests.
Sata CommHealth also included tonometry, a specialised test for glaucoma, an eye disease that affects about 3 per cent of those aged over 50.
A tonometry test measures the fluid pressure in the eye.
At the event, residents could also sign up for either a pre-physiotherapy assessment or a subsidised mammography. Also present was Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin, who is a Member of Parliament for Marine Parade GRC.
