Health checkup and telemedical intervention program for preventive medicine in developing countries: verification...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Preventive Medicine
• Global Health

Background:

• Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) pose a growing global health challenge, particularly in developing nations.
• Existing healthcare infrastructures in these regions often struggle to meet the increasing demand for NCD prevention and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel preventive medical service in Bangladesh, integrating eHealth checkups and teleconsultation.
• To assess the efficacy of stratification rules for health conditions and the short-term impact of the intervention.

Main Methods:

• Development of an eHealth system with sensor devices, mobile data transmission, and a data management application.
• Deployment of eHealth checkups across five villages and five factories/offices, with automatic health categorization (green, yellow, orange, red).
• Provision of teleconsultation and teleprescription for individuals categorized as orange or red.

Main Results:

• Initial checkup included 16,741 subjects; 2,361 participated in a one-year follow-up.
• Significant reduction in systolic blood pressure from 121 mmHg to 116 mmHg (P<.001) in the follow-up group.
• Proposal of a cost-effective, sustainable program using machine learning for stratification, reducing the need for costly blood sugar measurements.

Conclusions:

• The eHealth checkup and teleconsultation program demonstrated significant benefits for participants' health.
• This integrated digital health approach offers an effective and sustainable healthcare system model for developing countries facing rising NCD prevalence.