Mobile telemedicine app DrGo by telecommunications provider HKT has released a new atrial fibrillation screening feature.

The app has added into its app the a-fib screening technology called FibriCheck by Belgian company Qompium. The technology, which has been cleared in the United States, Australia, and Europe, has sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values of more than 90%. 

On the app, DrGo users can check their heart rhythm using the FibriCheck feature by placing a finger on their smartphone's camera. Results will be delivered in a minute, and should the screening suspect a-fib, users will receive a follow-up phone call or email from the Hong Kong Society of Rehabilitation (HKSR), its partner organisation, who will recommend further testing. 

WHY IT MATTERS

Stroke is the fourth biggest killer disease in Hong Kong. Although AF causes stroke in one in five patients, a third of them are unaware that they had the condition prior to having a stroke. It is estimated that over 250,000 Hong Kong people have persistent or paroxysmal AF, a third of which may not experience symptoms, according to local research.

The addition of a heart rhythm checker on the DrGo app "will empower users to better manage their heart health and have a better understanding of the negative impact of atrial fibrillation," said Teresa Ng, DrGo chief commercial officer. 

Meanwhile, HKT, in partnership with Roche Diagnostics, HKSR, and FibriCheck, also launched the Atrial Fibrillation Tele-Screening Programme (AF-SEEN) which aims to raise awareness about the risk of stroke caused by a-fib. The programme is offering free 14-day access to the FibriCheck feature on DrGo for the first 100,000 users. 

"Despite the fact that mainstream global guidelines recommend opportunistic screening for atrial fibrillation for people aged 65 or above, compliance to the guidelines is still very low. With the AF-SEEN Programme, we can study the possibility of tele-screening [for] atrial fibrillation in Hong Kong, which could potentially help reduce [its] burden on the Hong Kong public healthcare system," Dr Chan Ngai-Yin, the programme's medical advisor, said.

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Early this year, National Taiwan University Hospital unveiled RhythmCam, a consumer mobile app that measures heart rhythm for preventing stroke events. Available on both iOS and Android devices, the free mobile app has shown 95% accuracy in detecting a user's blood volume change using PPG-based technology.

ON THE RECORD

"We believe that through the DrGo app, we will encourage more people to conduct atrial fibrillation screening, resulting in more people getting treatment after follow-up actions managed by our community network," Ng Yuk-Mun, head of Allied Health at HKSR, commented.