Operations & Productivity [OP]

[OP1]: Hands-free communicator for patient 

A handsfree communication system that will serve both patients and staff. This system will provide healthcare workers with more information about the patients’ needs, allowing them to respond in a more productive manner. The system will allow for more feedback to the patients, informing them that action is being taken. It will also allow staff to communicate with each other, allowing for more efficient coordination of time and resources.

[OP2]: A solution that can monitor patients’ vital signs and behaviour in real-time

A contactless solution to monitor patients’ vital signs and behaviour, acting as an early warning system for nurses. The system should be capable of machine learning to recognize additional behaviours in the future. The basic requirement is for the system respiratory rate monitoring, sleep movement monitoring, and bed exit detection.

[OP3]: A smart system to (1) integrate care information from various sources within the inpatient setting, (2) analyse and interpret the information, and (3) send the information to the relevant care personnel and trigger the necessary action 

Information and data are constantly being collected in the hospital, but may not be delivered and evaluated in a timely manner by the care team. With the introduction of new monitoring systems, there will also be more information and alarm triggers that the care team needs to process and respond to. A smart system to help process the information/data will improve the delivery of care.

[OP4]: High functionality footwear for healthcare professionals 

Different categories of healthcare workers have different footwear requirements. NHG is looking for a partner to design healthcare professional footwear that can meet their respective needs in terms of functionality, comfort, convenience etc. Footwear that are able to meet these needs have potential to appeal to other professions as well.

[OP5]: An improved reusable face visor which does not compromise audibility, meets infection control standards, and at reduced cost 

Dentists and dental assistants currently wear a headgear together with a surgical face mask to protect their whole face from aerosol. This, however, results in their voices being muffled, impeding effective communication between staff and patients. The headgear also poses problems such as their difficulty in cleaning the adjustable drawstring, which gives rise to potential infection control issues. NHG is seeking an improved design that is comparable in price with existing products, but with better functionality addressing the issues raised. 

[OP6]: An efficient way to manage the inventory and dispensing of vaccines within the polyclinic  

The process of picking, rotating and managing vaccine inventory within the polyclinic are all manual processes. Vaccines are currently stored in a vaccine refrigerator connected to a temperature monitoring logger and backup power supply. This set up is bulky and occupies a lot of space. NHGP is seeking a solution to develop an all in one vaccine management system able to perform automated vaccine picking, digitalize inventory management and having a longer duration of backup power supply.

[OP7]: An efficient way to administer referrals to evenly distribute appointments to primary healthcare institutions and shorten patient waiting time for specialist consultation 

The current process for referral is manual, highly subjective, and is very taxing on manpower. It is also very dependent on the motivation of the specialist provider. NHG is looking at an automated solution to receive referrals and distribute them to the various Specialist Outpatient Clinics.