French start-up Hygia, present at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, has developed the Hygia Pulse connected chair to save time, improve diagnoses and offer joined-up healthcare. Patients in doctors’ waiting rooms could soon be able to sit in this special chair to have important health measurements taken and the results sent through to an expert in real time.
Founder Pierre-Jean Brousset, Director of the company and President of Eole-Consulting, a digital services operation, explained that the chair comes with an app to allow patients to share data:
“I noted that the digital transformation in healthcare was hampered by a fragmented offer for professionals and by the lack of solutions to enable patients to take ownership of their health. So, I founded Hygia with the ambition of creating a new framework for cooperation between patients and healthcare professionals.”
The Hygia Pulse will be positioned in doctors’ waiting rooms, pharmacies, nursing homes and even emergency admissions. Patients connect to the app then take a seat in the chair. On a smartphone, they select the problematic body part and explain symptoms via a dynamic and intuitive form before having their vital signs taken by the chair. Through medical-grade sensors, the chair reads body temperature, blood pressure, weight and heart rate oxygen saturation and sends the results through to the expert in the next room. Brousset said:
“The patient is better informed about his or her healthcare progress and the doctor has access to all of the information before the consultation for faster, more qualitative diagnosis and better follow-up.”
Patients’ Medical History
Hygia is currently industrializing the chair, which is manufactured in the regions of Toulouse and Montpellier in France, with testing and commercialization expected in the first half of 2020. Brousset added:
“By 2025, we aim to equip 15,000 general practitioners for about 25% of the French population, or 15 million patients. France is naturally our primary market, but at the same time we are planning to expand our offer on the European market.”
To use the chair and access the app, healthcare professionals will take out a monthly subscription of €120 euros (not including taxes).
“For healthcare professionals, in addition to saving time (thanks to the patient who prepares the consultation), they will have easy access to the patient’s medical history. They will also be able to collaborate more effectively with the professionals in their medical network by facilitating the exchange of information. This innovation will enable patients to become actors in their own health.”
