Ericsson to supply mobile health solution to Changi General and Gleneagles hospitals in Singapore

September 21, 2006, Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC), Parkway Hospital and SingHealth have signed a collaboration agreement to deploy Ericsson Mobile Health solution for the remote patient monitoring in the Changi General and Gleneagles Hospitals in Singapore.

Under the project Ericsson will supply and manage its mobile health solution that will be trialed at some of the hospitals’ Acute Care Wards, specialized in patients that require round-the-clock monitoring due to chronic illnesses such as stroke, asthma and diabetes.

The solution will enable automated collection and real-time monitoring of the patients’ vital signs, such as heart and breathing rates, oxygen saturation and blood pressure. The precision and timeliness of this information will enable hospital staff to provide appropriate medical assistance to the patients.

The patients only need to be fitted with lightweight and wearable health sensors that will collate and securely transmit the required data via Bluetooth to a communication module, which is connected to the hospitals’ servers using WLAN technology. The information stored in the servers can be conveniently accessed by designated hospital staff from their workstations.

This will significantly increase the productivity and efficiency levels of both hospitals’ staff as they are now able to keep track of patients’ well-being and evaluate the support required in real time, remotely and quickly.

Kenneth Thean, General Manager of Information Systems, Parkway Hospitals Singapore, says, “This project will help us be more effective in deploying the nursing staff and at the same time improving the quality of patient care.”

Ang Boon Hock, Changi General Hospital’s Assistant Director of Nursing, says: “The mobile health monitoring project can improve the timeliness in recording vital signs and can alert doctors and nurses quickly of any changes in a patient’s condition.”

Ann Emilson, President, Ericsson Singapore, says, “Derived from one of the healthcare initiatives driven by IDA (Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore), this venture is the first step towards making hassle free medical services possible to Singaporeans. Ericsson is proud and happy to be given the chance to support the local government’s initiative in ensuring the well-being of its citizens.”

The Ericsson Mobile Health solution can also be deployed on wireless networks, allowing patients to receive medical care and assistance anytime, anywhere.

Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world.

Read more at http://www.ericsson.com/press

About Ericsson Enterprise Mobility Solutions (EMS)
For the past 30 years, Ericsson has been supplying businesses with world-class communication solutions. In order to address the market in the most appropriate manner, Ericsson’s global enterprise activities and expertise have now been integrated into Ericsson’s core business. Ericsson has as identified mobility as the key enabler for new, more flexible ways of working. Enterprise mobility solutions have been developed to improve enterprise productivity and enhance customer service. Enterprise-focused end-user applications for both voice and data such as mobile centrex, mobile push mail and mobile access to corporate applications provide unlimited mobility and accessibility to all mobile professionals. In addition, industry segment solutions that enable mobilizing business processes have also been developed for selected segments such as healthcare, utilities, public safety and transportation. The remote patient monitoring system is one of the applications of the Ericsson Mobile Health solutions.

About Changi General Hospital
Changi General Hospital (CGH) is a 776-bed restructured hospital located in the east of Singapore. A merger of Toa Payoh Hospital and Changi Hospital, CGH is designated to serve as a healthcare hub for the community in the east. It offers a comprehensive range of medical and paramedical services which include general medicine, general surgery, orthopaedic surgery, emergency medicine, radiology, anaesthesia, urology, geriatric medicine, rehabilitation medicine, ENT, eye, gastroenterology, psychological medicine, neurology, dermatology, oral & maxillofacial surgery, neurosurgery, obstetrics & gynaecology, breast surgery, laboratory medicine, psychological medicine, multiphasic health screening and sports medicine. CGH is a member of the SingHealth cluster.

About Parkway Hospitals Singapore
Parkway Hospitals Singapore owns East Shore, Gleneagles and Mount Elizabeth Hospitals. Its parent company, Parkway Holdings is one of Asia’s most prominent healthcare organisations with an extensive network of hospitals and integrated healthcare facilities in the region. Gleneagles Hospital is a 380-bed private tertiary acute care hospital. It provides a wide range of medical and surgical services for the total management of patients.

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