Home Medical Examinations Provide “Missing Link in Telehealth,” Greatly Expanding Ability of Physicians to Diagnose Patients Remotely
TytoCare, a telehealth company with breakthrough technology for conducting remote telehealth visits and examinations, announced today the results of a study with the Schneider Children’s Medical Center and the Sackler School of Medicine that affirms its solution’s ability to perform physical examinations on par with conventional in-clinic examination tools.
The study examined TytoCare, a handheld device and telehealth solution designed to capture and transmit ear, throat, lung, skin, heart and temperature exam data to a physician to better inform a remote diagnosis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of the physical examination findings reached by a remote physician using TytoCare versus physicians using conventional examination tools, including traditional otoscopes and stethoscopes. The participants were 137 children aged 2-18 who were seeking care from the emergency department of a tertiary care facility, 59% of whom were male. The study was conducted in a combined effort by Professor Yehezkel Waisman of the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, and Dr. Assaf Sharabi of the Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel.
“The results are clear— examination findings achieved with TytoCare are on par with those reached by conventional examination tools,” stated Professor Waisman, MD, Director of Emergency Medicine at Schneider Children’s Medical Center. “Beyond that, the quality of the readings as well as the overall user experience received positive ratings from physicians, a great testament to the solution’s promise to provide accurate and confident diagnoses via telehealth technology.”
Patients’ ears, heart, lungs and throat were examined and assessed by one physician using conventional examination tools and again by a second physician using exam data captured by TytoCare. Both the TytoCare results and the conventional examination results were compared and analyzed using standard statistical tests for agreement. In addition, the quality of the data retrieved and the user experience of TytoCare was evaluated on a spectrum from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent), with adverse events recorded. Results showed a range of good to excellent agreement for all exams conducted using TytoCare and conventional exam tools, and the overall quality of the data and user experience for all exams were rated above 4, with an average of 4.4 and 4.5 out of 5, respectively. The TytoCare device was found to be safe to use as no adverse events were reported.
“The proven success of TytoCare signifies a major advance in the telehealth industry,” said Tyto Care Founder and CEO, Dedi Gilad. “Never before has there been a comprehensive telehealth solution that performs just as well as a face-to-face visit with the doctor armed with conventional exam tools. By providing reliable, remote examination data, TytoCare delivers ‘the missing link in telehealth,’ expanding the ability of physicians to reach confident diagnoses miles away from their patients.”
TytoCare exams can be done in real time as part of a live video telehealth visit or in advance of a telehealth session. The company recently launched its telehealth solution in the US market and is initially rolling it out through strategic partnerships with large health systems, physician groups and telehealth companies, most recently announcing a strategic partnership with American Well, the leading telehealth technology and services company in the US.