Singapore pioneers use of Smart Health TeleRehab

Therapists will be able to use wearable sensors and remote monitoring.

As part of Singapore's Smart Nation Initiative, the city-state will be rolling out the use of Smart Health TeleRehab.

This enables therapists to help patients to undergo rehabilitation exercises at a time and location of their choice through the use of wearable sensors and remote monitoring.

The Smart Health TeleRehab was developed by National University of Singapore (NUS) Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. It will be rolled out as a national pilot by Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS) and T-Rehab, a startup by NUS.

According to IHiS, the technology is suitable for patients recovering from conditions including stroke, fractures, lower limb joint replacements or amputations, deconditioning and musculoskeletal conditions.

“The system detects and measures motor movements with sensors and algorithms. This enables immediate feedback to patients on whether they are performing the exercises correctly. A video conferencing feature is available to enable patients to consult therapists remotely. Therapists are able to review their patients’ progress asynchronously via smart dashboards,” IHiS noted.

Senior Minister of State for Health Chee Hong Tat noted that this transforms how therapy services are delivered in Singapore.

"Patients will benefit from greater convenience, cost savings and better outcomes. Therapists and therapy service providers will also benefit from the productivity improvements,” he said.

Photo courtesy of IHiS.