This startup is leveraging IoT technology to help improve healthcare

Right from providing dockless commuting solutions for last-mile connectivity, to developing comprehensive and contactless health monitoring and healthcare solutions, several enterprises in India are leveraging the endless possibilities of IoT across sectors today.

However, the impact of IoT in Healthcare has been transformatory. IoT is helping physicians monitor the patient's health remotely and in real-time. This means that doctors are able to make more informed decisions and with complete transparency. It is also enabling the medical practitioners to catch any potential risks from diseases early on, thereby helping in significantly reducing errors, waste and system costs, and improving lives in the process.

The importance of timely medical assistance from first responders

While primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare, as provided by clinics and hospitals, makes up a major portion of healthcare, another crucial aspect is first response. Often, the timely medical assistance provided by first responders becomes a matter of life and death.

When persons are victims of unfortunate incidents such as accidents, cardiac arrests, poisoning or animal attacks, they are often too hurt or traumatised to communicate their need for assistance to their loved ones or people nearby, nor are they able to provide the information that would help first responders provide timely aid. Doctors working in emergency units are forced to make assumptions about pre-existing medical conditions, allergies and the like. This is information that is necessary for doctors to give prompt treatment without conduction tests.

Adding to the complexity is that the victims can be from diverse demographics - elderly citizens living on their own, college students and professionals, living away from home, among others.

Improving healthcare with technology

Given that access to the victim’s medical record of medicines, surgeries, implants or allergies plays a critical role in devising the course of life-saving treatment, one startup decided to address the gap.

Founded in 2016, myresQR has developed the myresQR Emergency Alert ID that helps users in medical emergencies by eliminating delays in providing their medical history to first responders.

The device has a QR code that can be scanned with a smartphone to pull accurate, up-to-date and complete medical information about the victim at the point of care within seconds.

The platform works with or without a smartphone or the internet and triggers an SOS to the registered emergency contacts within 15 seconds of submitting the information by the first responders or emergency doctors.

Given its vast potential to aid first responders in providing immediate medical intervention, the myresQR Emergency Alert ID is today seeing increased adoption.

From a middle-aged man worried about his elderly schoolteacher mother’s daily commute, to a woman whose travelling salesman husband has faced accidents in the past, the myresQR Emergency Alert ID has brought relief to the lives of a diverse array of people.

Leveraging IoT to promote health safety measures

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team at myresQR observed the need for people to keep themselves sanitised at all times. However, the team also noted that organisations found it challenging to manage, monitor and replenish the hand sanitisers stationed at their multiple location offices and branches. The team then brainstormed and leveraged their tech expertise to develop the myresQR Sanitizer Refill Services.

At the heart of the service is the Smart Dispenser traQR, which is a patent-pending artificial intelligence-enabled IOT dispenser.

The device’s IoT capabilities provides real-time information on the usage of consumables at any location, which allows for the management, monitoring and replenishment of the sanitiser dispensers in a contactless manner.

Exploring limitless possibilities with the Vodafone edge

With a solution in place, the team also knew that it could work effectively only if it is to be powered by a credible network partner who understood their requirements and could offer an India-centric IoT solution at flexible tariffs.

myresQR turned to Vodafone’s IoT network services to power their IoT Smart Dispenser traQR, as it had the network capacity, the ability and the global experience in this field to be able to provide the company the seamless connectivity required by its systems even at low bandwidth.

Vodafone’s IoT network services consist of a wide range of end-to-end IoT offerings that are specifically designed to meet core IoT requirements, right from providing strong connectivity to the efficient utilisation of digital or IoT end-to-end solutions. These solutions can be implemented in a phased manner to maximise the Return on Investment.

These end-to-end solutions are available in three key verticals, namely: Industrial IoT (IIOT4.0), energy and utilities, and smart mobility that covers automotive, fleet and logistics-based IoT services. These solutions provide a value proposition that boosts competitiveness, reduces operating expenditures (Opex) and adds value to existing business models and revenues.

Backed by the strong network and the wide range of services offered by Vodafone’s IoT network services, the team at myresQR is now working towards deploying its IoT devices at more than two lakh locations across India over the next two years. Its subsequent plan is to add few features to the devices to serve multiple segments and industries, aiming to deploy its solutions to almost one million points of care catering to almost 120 million individuals every day. To that end, myresQR continues to seek partnerships and alliances to spread the IoT wave across the country.

While myresQR is currently only using Vodafone’s IoT services network, it plans to explore more services from Vodafone for more futuristic technologies and networks in the future.