(image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, May 9 (Korea Bizwire) — A clinical test has revealed that a smartphone application linked to a hospital used to manage daily habits helped to improve patients’ well-being.
A team of doctors composed of Prof. Kim Jung-hun (otolaryngology), Prof. Jeong Se-yeong (family medicine), and Prof. Yu Su-yeong (medical information center) at the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, revealed yesterday that after linking the hospital’s electronic medical records (EMR) to a smartphone application developed by the same team, patient outcomes related to treating severe snoring and losing weight improved.
The test was carried out on patients between the ages of 20 and 47 suffering from chronic snoring and those who with apnea symptoms needing to lose weight.
A total of 24 people looking to lose weight were asked to use the application to communicate with the medical team, and the results were compared to those of 23 people who did not use the application.
Data showed that 22 out of the 24 people who used the application lost weight, but only 9 out of 23 who did not use the application were successful.
In addition, snorers who used the application saw the period of severe snoring of 45dB and above drop from 16.7 percent to 10.2 percent. Those who did not use the application saw a minimal drop from 15.9 percent to 13.2 percent.
“The smartphone application linked to the hospital’s electronic records allowed the medical team to check data on the patients’ lifestyle in a more accurate and objective way,” said Prof. Kim Jung-hun, who led the research.
Kim added that he hoped that this effective way of changing the daily habits of patients would continue to provide a source of motivation.
The results of the clinical test were published in the most recent edition of “Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology.”
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
