App for home aerobic training helps rehabilitate Covid-19 survivors – it’s ‘like pairing a patient with a personal trainer’
- The R Plus Health app developed in China is available in three languages and delivers mid- to high-intensity exercise routines to do at home
- Designed for patients with lingering respiratory effects, it works in tandem with a belt that measures blood oxygen levels and heart rate
A wearable remote monitor and app for discharged Covid-19 patients to help them with their recovery has been launched in China.
Discharged patients can download R Plus Health, a phone app linked to a belt which can track vitals including blood oxygen levels and heart rate while the wearer is exercising. Doctors can use the data to adjust patients’ rehabilitation programmes.
Available in three languages – Chinese, English and Spanish – the app is a joint design by Chengdu Shangyi and CF PharmTech, a pharmaceutical company specialising in inhalation products for lung-related illnesses including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
A clinical trial was conducted last year on 120 Covid-19 patients from Hubei and Jiangsu provinces. Aged 18 to 75, the patients had middle- to severe Covid-19 infections and suffered reduced lung and cardiovascular capacity after being discharged from hospital.
The app tailor-makes mid- to high-intensity aerobic exercise routines for users to do at prescribed intervals at home. Besides tracking their vitals when exercising, the app allows them to self-report symptoms and contains health education information such as dietary advice.
