Samsung Africa once again demonstrated the
company’s innovation not only in the healthcare industry, but in understanding
the African market, when they launched the Samsung Tele-Medical App, a world’s
first, in conjunction with the Samsung Tele-Medicine Centre.
“The Samsung Tele-Medicine Centres, driven by solar
power technology, can provide patients in rural areas with access to doctors
and medical specialists anywhere in the world,” said Thierry Boulanger,
director of IT and B2B Solutions at Samsung Electronics Africa. “The
Tele-Medical App is an extension of the centre, allowing patient details to be
captured accurately, medical equipment to be set up correctly and a standard of
medical tests to be undertaken, for a complete medical solution.”
(Photograph: Thierry Boulanger, Director: IT & B2B Solutions, Samsung Electronics Africa)
In the Samsung Tele-Medicine Centre qualified nurses
will be equipped with Samsung GALAXY Tabs containing the built-in app which has
been specifically written for the medical solution. The App will guide the
nurse through the necessary processes to make certain that all the relevant
information is captured in a specific way to ensure that human error is
eliminated.
The App allows patient records to be created –
where personal details are inputted and or edited before the medical
examination begins. Once all the information is captured, an appointment is
created with the following medical examinations options: ·
Eye test, ·
Audiometery (Ear) test, ·
Body Mass Index calculation, ·
Vital Signs Monitor (including blood pressure,
temperature, pulse rate etc), ·
Electrocardiography (ECG), ·
Ultrasound test, ·
Diagnostic blood test.
Once an examination is selected, an overview of the
test to be undertaken is provided, giving the nurse not only an outline of
what will be tested to provide the patient with, where relevant, but also a
diagram of the medical machinery and how it should be set up to ensure they can
familiarise themselves with the equipment before the test begins. Once the
nurse is comfortable with the setup and clicks the ‘next’ button, the App moves
on to the series of tests to be undertaken in that category.
Each test overview provides a step-by-step guide on
how the equipment should be set up and where/how the patient should be
positioned. Once set up, the test commences and a question is then posed to the
patient, and the answer is entered directly into the App. The blood
analysis units are plugged directly into the tablet. All information is
captured digitally and then stored as a patient record in a server within the Tele-Medical
Centre.
“The results of the tests are then sent to the
cloud, where a notification is transmitted to the relevant doctors on call,”
says Boulanger. “No specialised software is needed to access the password
protected information and once accessed by the remote doctor; the results can
be analysed and a diagnosis for treatment provided along with a prescription
if necessary.”
This information is sent back to the cloud and a
notification is sent to the Tele-Medicine centre to download the diagnosis. The
diagnosis and prescription is sent in PDF format so that it cannot be tampered
with, printed at the tele-medical centre and discussed with the patient. “Should
further investigation of symptoms be required, video conferencing will be used
between the doctor and the patient. What’s more, for pictures that are too
large to send, such as the ultrasound scans, the mobile video conferencing camera
can be pointed to the ultra sound screen
and shared via the teleconference
facility to the remote doctors in real time,” added Boulanger.
“It’s all about providing diagnosis as quickly as
possible, as in outlying areas early detection or treatment could mean the
difference between life and death. The App prompts the on-call nurse to
undertake the correct tests in a consistence and standardised manner – bringing
technology together to really make a difference.”
The launch marks Phase 1 of the App which will be expanded
on and refined in the coming months. Additionally, as requests for additional
services or tests are received, not to mention the information provided in
numerous languages, the App will be customised accordingly.
“We pride ourselves on developing and pushing the
boundaries of innovative technology and today marks another milestone in
further fulfilling our mission to bring Built For Africa technology to the fore
in our efforts to change the world and improve the quality of people's lives,” concluded Boulanger.
About
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in
technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless
innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of televisions,
smartphones, personal computers, printers, cameras, home appliances, LTE
systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 270,000
people across 79 countries with annual sales of US$187.8 billion. To discover
more, please visit www.samsung.com
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