Philips launches a tele-intensive care eICU programme in Japan

Leading health technology company, Royal Philips has launched its first intensive care (eICU) programme in Japan.

In partnership with Showa University, the programme has been implemented at Showa University Hospital and Showa Koto Toyosu Hospital. Designed to improve the outcomes of high risk patients and advance the globalisation of critical care, the duo is working to increasingly develop connected, patient-centered, critical care models and provide a fundamental shift in the delivery of patient care.

By reducing costs and improving patient outcomes, the programme will follow the success of similar programmes in the Americas, the UK, Australia, and the Middle East.

Leveraging technology to support access to highly experienced critical care physicians and nurses, an ongoing challenge for hospitals within Japan, the critical care model enables clinicians to deliver improved critical care support to patients across multiple sites.

With the aging population and unsustainable rising costs of healthcare, the eICU programme is expected to improve efficiency in medicine through a subsidy programme for global innovation centres funded by the Japanese government to bring technology advancements to healthcare.

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Allowing for near real-time remote patient monitoring and early intervention via advanced audio-visual technology, the programme will harness smart algorithms to predict deteriorations in patient health, giving remote experts the ability to communicate with bedside caregivers via live video link, monitor patient status, and advise on the best course of treatment. 

“The eICU represents the future of globalized critical care, transforming the delivery of care from the bedside,” said Hiroyuki Tsutsumi, CEO, Philips Japan.

“Having a centralised remote patient support centre provides the ability to consolidate and standardise care, reduce transfers while maximising bed utilisation, and reassure bedside staff. This helps reduces costs while enhancing revenues, patient flow and capacity management across the system.”

Virtual health hubs are leveraging eICU technology and care transformation beyond the ICU to impact clinical, financial and operational outcomes to support broad patient flow and clinical access efficiency across the acute patient experience.  Such systems recognise the value of technology-enabled clinical insights is one of the primary drivers for sustainable operational improvement.