Dutch medical 24/7 monitoring solution on the eve of breakthrough in elderly care
Noordwijk, October 5th, 2021
After a period of 4 years of intensive development, smartQare is ready for the introduction of its innovative 24/7 monitoring solution. This consists of a unique medical wearable viQtor, an IT platform and an app for making data available to healthcare professionals and informal caregivers. The integrated solution promises to improve care for the elderly and other people in need of care and make it more future-proof. SmartQare will start in the Netherlands and will connect the first healthcare organizations this week. Further upscaling in the Netherlands is foreseen, as is the introduction abroad.
The medical device viQtor is an innovative finger on the pulse of patients. It continuously measures important vital parameters such as heart rate, oxygen saturation and skin temperature. In addition, it also contains a number of non-clinical functionalities such as fall detection, an activity index, precise positioning and a help button. Medical data and other information are securely accessible to a medical cockpit and an app. Care providers and informal carers are thus connected with the patient. The smartQare solution enables the right care in the right place and also increases the patient's independence.
"The introduction is a moment not to be underestimated for smartQare and care organizations that want to anticipate an aging society in which care is coming under increasing pressure. Take the informal care alone. only 2 in 2040," says Walter van Kuijen - CEO at smartQare.
The figures underline the importance of the solution that smartQare brings to the market. In the Netherlands alone, there are currently 3.3 million people over 65 years of age. 1.3 million of this group use some form of home care. This not only requires a lot of hands, but also a lot of money. In 2017, 50% of the total healthcare costs in the Netherlands was spent on care for the elderly. According to the Vektis agency, this will even increase to 58% by 2030. An impact analysis by PwC shows that solutions such as viQtor are able to save almost 1% of the total healthcare costs annually. “Every euro you invest in viQtor yields three. That amounts to 800 million euros per year in the Netherlands today alone for the group of patients with heart failure and/or COPD phase 3 and 4," says Van Kuijen.
He continues: "The figures speak for themselves, but are cold and cold. Ultimately, smartQare wants to improve the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Janssen. These are a model for those 1.3 million elderly people. In a changing world, they want to be in control of their lives. We are convinced that our technology can largely close the gap between supply and increasing demand. With viQtor we create efficiency, while at the same time enabling attention and support at the right time. The integrated solution and holistic approach of we have worked hard on this for 4 years, so it will not be long before viQtor - and the surrounding eco-system - complies with the strictest European legislation and (MDR) is registered as a medical class IIb solution, which means, for example, that doctors can make medical decisions remotely based on accessed data.”
Walter van Kuijen concludes: "In anticipation of the registration, we will accelerate from today and connect pioneering partners. These are innovative healthcare organizations and hospitals that anticipate the future and want to make a flying start as soon as the medical registration of viQtor is a fact. Together we will refine our platform. Now that the first healthcare organizations are being connected, the focus is on accelerated scaling to make our solution widely available to other organizations in the Netherlands. Interested parties can of course contact us."
For more information, please contact:
Walter van Kuijen (CEO): walter.van.kuijen@smartqare.nl
Ronald Olie (Co-founder): ronald.olie@smartqare.nl