This year, the population of seniors aged 65 and over surpassed 10 million. Korea will enter a super-aged society in which the senior population exceeds 20% of the total starting next year. As the senior population increases, one caregiver must look after 28 elderly individuals. Consequently, accidents have increased. According to data submitted to the Democratic Party lawmaker Jang Jong-tae by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, among all safety accidents that occurred in nursing hospitals last year, fatal falls accounted for 2,161 cases, or 82%.
Domestic healthcare company Jeronex is developing services that address the risks of safety accidents that may occur in nursing hospitals and facilities using digital technology, targeting the senior healthcare market. The digital technologies mentioned by the company include artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), and wearable devices.
During a meeting on the 9th at the company's headquarters in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Kim Un-bong, CEO of Jeronex, said, "Through the smart nursing hospital system that integrates digital technology, we can enhance the quality of senior healthcare services and address problems related to staffing shortages."
The 'Noolcare Platform' developed by Jeronex consists of a cloud AI analysis system, an app, wearable devices, and IoT sensors. The 'Noolband,' which is worn on the wrist like a watch, and the IoT sensor 'Noolhub,' which is installed in patient rooms, are integrated. This system measures, collects, and transmits key biometric information such as blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, respiration, step count, stress level, and location data in real time.
The biometric and location information is transmitted to the real-time integrated control system, the 'Noolcare Platform,' where AI analyzes it along with historical medical records from the electronic medical records (EMR) to predict fall and heart attack risks and categorize at-risk patients. Kim noted, "We have developed the system to predict risk levels by training AI with anonymized data that protects personal information and the patient's prescription medications and medical history," adding, "Dementia patients often try to secretly escape and hide, but medical staff and caregivers can respond to these risks by checking location information."
The integrated control system creates a replica of the nursing facility on a computer using a blueprint. Medical staff can view the status of multiple patients in each room at a glance. There is also a feature that measures and informs the carbon dioxide levels in patient rooms. Kim said, "In the past, caregivers, including nurses, would ventilate the room every three hours instinctively, but now we can ventilate on time through the control platform and the app."
Jeronex's system is currently in use at nursing hospitals and facilities such as the Central Veterans Hospital, The Sun Nursing Home, and Samsung Sweet Nursing Home. According to Kim, a satisfaction survey conducted among nursing facilities that introduced the Noolcare Platform service showed a high satisfaction score of 93.5 for nursing staff.
Kim stated, "We are pursuing strategic collaborations with financial groups and large hospitals aiming to enter the senior healthcare market," adding, "We are also collaborating with iCoop, a chronic disease management platform company." Jo Jae-hyung, CEO of iCoop, is a professor of endocrinology at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and previously served as the head of the Catholic Smart Healthcare Center.
Jeronex plans to combine iCoop's digital healthcare platform, Dr. Vice, with its services to develop a smart nursing system applicable to general hospitals and nursing hospitals. Kim said, "We will continuously enhance the AI system to alleviate concerns and difficulties not only for elderly patients residing in nursing facilities but also for their families and caregivers."