Interview featured in Business Ideas, Radio Singapore International 

Singapore, 4 November 2005

Program Producer - Melanie Yip

Radio Singapore International’s Business Ideas

Dr Zenton Goh, Director and Chief Executive Officer of CADI SCIENTIFIC was interviewed by Melanie Yip from Radio Singapore International in the program Business Ideas on CADI’s trademark product – SmartSense 100^TM Wireless Temperature Monitoring and Location Tracking System.

Audio Clip

An extract of the interview:

ZG: This system kind of revolutionalizes the manual temperature monitoring process by simply automating it through the use of our wireless sensing devices. We noticed that patients need more rest to recover faster, especially after undergoing surgery. Somehow, they are called up for temperature monitoring by nurses now and then. So we saw that this was something that we can do, so this prompted us to do something, and invent some new way of temperature monitoring. It is less interruptive to the patient, and this is how the wireless sensing device developed.

MY: How does this device work? What are some of the equipment that you need which you have invented that will help in the process of measuring a person's temperature?

ZG: First we have this thermal sensor which is a disc like device that is to be pasted onto the patient¡¯s body like the lower abdomen, or under the arm. So after pasting this device there, the device will measure the temperature automatically, and periodically send out the data wirelessly. The data will be received by something we call "smart note" or "thermal note". These are devices that are typically installed in the ceiling. And these notes will be connected to a central server where all the data is stored and analyzed. And monitoring can be done anywhere and any time, as long as we have a PC or a mobile PDA that is connected to this whole system, wirelessly by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or simply wired via the internet.
 
MY: What other types of information do these systems collect about the patient besides the temperature?

ZG: Currently, the system that we offer contains only information about the temperature and location. But we are moving towards the direction of including other vital science information like blood pressure, pulse, respiration rate and so on. It also provides alert messages for situations where a high temperature rate is detected. And these alert messages can be in the form of a simple prompt on the computer, PC screen or it can be even some email messages, even an SMS to the doctor or nurses' mobile phone. The sensor is battery operated, and typically lasts about a year. If more frequency transmissions are required, then the battery life will be shortened.

MY: Currently, there are several patient monitoring systems that have been developed to collect and collate different types of information.

ZG: Some of these devices measure things like vital science such as body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration rate. While some other devices measure location of patients, even location of equipment and environmental conditions like ambience temperature and humidity.

MY: Each day, hospital staff have to go through an assortment of tasks to ensure the best care for patients. Dr Goh hopes that through this invention, it can help lessen the work load for medical professionals.

ZG: On the nurses' part, it reduces their workload because there is no need for them to go around monitoring the patient's temperature every four hourly, which is what is typically done. Secondly, upon the situation where a patient develops a high temperature, the system will have some visual and audio prompt, and this will alert the nurses to take a closer look, and carry out necessary interventions.

Source: http://www.rsi.sg/english/businessideas/view/20051104220340/1/.html