Vulnerable patient groups now have the opportunity to receive automatic oxygen treatment at home, from a new system developed by Danish entrepreneurs. The solution will make a big difference for patient groups that are particularly sensitive to Covid-19 while easing the pressure on the busy pulmonary medicine departments. The intention is to use the covid–experiences from the hospitals to treat post covid patients in their own home.
Today, more than 8,000 citizens in Denmark receive oxygen therapy in their own homes. For them, frequent contacts with the health system are often part of their daily lives. In these times of a corona loaded health system, it can be visits that can lead to anxiety, worries and unnecessary risk of infection, which for this patient group can be fatal.
Several Danish hospitals today use a system from Danish O2matic for automatic treatment of respiratory patients with e.g., COPD and Covid-19. In a project between the Capital Region of Denmark, Region Zealand, Medical Danmark and O2matic ApS, which is co-financed by the Innovation Fund Denmark, the technology has now been further developed and CE marked to also be used at home in patients with the option of telemedicine monitoring.
“By moving the technology home to the citizens, as part of a telemedicine solution, we hope to be able to free up both beds in the hospitals and at the same time increase patient safety. Ultimately, it can help reduce stress for both healthcare professionals and patients,” says Thomas Ringbæk, who is chief physician at Hvidovre Hospital’s lung department.
The system ensures that oxygen is dosed individually and in the correct dose. In the event of changes in the condition of the citizen, the robot corrects within the limits prescribed by the doctor. The hospitals can monitor the development of the citizens and can change the treatment centrally without a time-consuming visit.
A technological breakthrough
The solution is an example of how modern technology is gaining increasing ground in healthcare. The system is built in Microsoft’s cloud environment and uses so-called IoT (Internet of Things) technology to send and analyze data between the hospital and the patient’s O2matic device.
“We have been talking for several years about how modern technology will move into the healthcare system. Here we have an example where the technology very concretely goes in and makes a huge difference for both patients and healthcare professionals. There are lots of interesting public-private partnerships underway and within the next few years, we
will see many more digital solutions in the healthcare system,” says Maria Damborg Hald, Director of Public Sector, Microsoft Denmark. “The strong partnership with the Capital Region of Denmark, Region Zealand, Microsoft and with co-financing from the Innovation Fund Denmark has made it possible for us to lift automatic oxygen treatment to new heights for the benefit of citizens in need of home oxygen treatment,” says Farzad Saber, Chief Business Development Officer at O2matic. The Innovation Fund Denmark has supported the project with DKK 7.6 million. Partner in the Capital Region (Hvidovre Hospital) Project, Region Zealand (Næstved Hospital), Medical Danmark A/S and O2matic ApS.
