Dubai to introduce new 'self-health check chairs'

The new self-health check chairs will be introduced by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) at its primary healthcare centres (PHC) before the year-end.

You no longer need to wait for a nurse to check your blood pressure, read the results and then explain how stressed you are.
You can do all this yourself just by sitting still on a chair and get the results in six minutes - for free.
The new self-health check chairs will be introduced by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) at its primary healthcare centres (PHC) before the year-end. Among the new technological advancements being used for medical purposes, the AAC - Automated Assessment Chair is a health screening chair that will be available to all walk-in customers at PHCs in Dubai.
Patients can perform the standard screening and print a report for themselves.
The total assessment including print out time takes only six minutes, explains Shashank Sharma, a business development executive for SpotCheck, the company that is distributing the chairs to the health authority.
The chair uses a non-invasive technology through infrared rays and screens a range of disorders such as blood pressure, heart rate (stress rate) and also analyses blood circulation as well as body composition analysis. The distributor claims that the results are 99.98 per cent accurate.
"This is really beneficial in cases where doctors prescribe tests in big hospitals - if it is a real emergency, patients have to wait for the test results, which can take several hours," said Shashank.
All parameters are described in the results that are printed out and described in an easy way for a layman to understand.
"It's an easy and comfortable to use medical technology," he said.
"Though similar technologies are available, they measure using electric impedance which is likely to give conflicting results," he added.
Only two chairs are being used in the pilot phase, of which one will be installed at the Nad Al Hammar PHC. The chair is on display at the ongoing Gitex Technology Week at the Dubai World Trade Centre, which will conclude on October 22.
The health authority plans to introduce it in the malls soon with a round kiosk that provides privacy.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com