Hospital at home
Atos and Huma, the digital health innovator, are giving their technologies and services to the Symbiosis University Hospital and Research Centre (SUHRC), constituent of Symbiosis International University (SIU), in Pune, India. SUHRC patients are now starting to receive the latest medical care with a new remote patient monitoring system which uses smartphone technology, a pulse oximeter and includes a portal for clinicians. This ‘hospital at home’ will allow the SUHRC to expand its capacity by around 40-60%.
The ‘hospital at home’ system, delivered by Atos and built by Huma, is based on Huma’s award-winning remote patient monitoring system that has already been used across England and Germany. The system effortlessly helps monitor blood oxygen levels, heart rate and symptoms through a smartphone, flagging potentially deteriorating and high-risk patients. Clinicians can manage multiple patients, and with the available inputs can conduct consultations and care for their patients remotely. The technology can help remotely manage patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and also post-COVID discharged patients. Additionally, the system reassures patients that help is always available, that they are being cared for and notifies them when a clinician has assessed their data. It will also help drive research into the impact of the virus.
“This symbiotic industry-academia partnership will help us deploy technology to provide healthcare services to patients in and around Pune. This will be in line with the National agenda as envisioned in the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) for India.” said Dr Rajiv Yeravdekar, Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, SIU. “India had a large COVID-19 caseload but has a limited awareness on post-COVID care monitoring. We still need to learn more about this disease and its long and devastating impact on people. Monitoring a large volume of patients will help us identify those in need of immediate care.”
Key features of the ‘hospital at home’ include an around-the-clock medical command center staffed by SUHRC clinicians and an integrated care team at SUHRC that delivers in-person care to patients who need to be admitted. Hospital staff will speak with the patients remotely and adjust care plans if necessary via telemedicine. This will not only avoid unnecessary travel and exposure but also help the SUHRC manage bed capacity.
Robert Vassoyan, Head of Healthcare and Lifescience, Atos, said: “Digital technology has proven to be a vital resource in the fight against COVID-19 and as a digital leader, we are proud to be able to help patients and frontline workers together with our partner Huma. Our project with the Symbiosis University Hospital and Research Centre (SUHRC) in Pune is replicable throughout India and we are open to bring this technology and services to other hospitals if needed.”
Dan Vahdat, CEO and Founder of Huma, said: “We want to make a difference for the people of Pune, with our fast-to-deploy technology, combined with Atos’ proven ability to deliver complex projects and SUHRC’s expertise in providing healthcare to citizens in and around Pune. Evidence shows our digital approach can double clinical capacity and achieve high levels of engagement and adherence with patients, including older people. This project marks the beginning of a 5-year strategic global partnership between Atos and Huma to shift healthcare and clinical trials from hospitals to homes, across many different chronic and episodic illnesses.”
