Bengaluru-based healthtech MFine uses machine learning algorithm to detect variations
Blood pressure and blood glucose level can now be monitored on your smartphone using an app, MFine has said, eliminating the need for other external devices or wearables.
Over 100 professionals — including doctors, data scientists, product managers and engineers — have been working on the app for the past 6-7 months, the company said, adding that it has conducted successful trials with more than 3,000 patients.
The Bengaluru-based start-up has used a technique called photoplethysmogram (PPG) for the self-check tools. In PPG, a machine learning algorithm is able to look at reflected light from the user’s fingertip to gather variations in certain characteristics of blood to arrive at the readings.
Ajit Narayanan, CTO, MFine, told BusinessLine, “If you take the example of pulse oximetry, it is about how much oxygen there is in blood, and that changes the colour of the blood. This small variation in colour cannot be detected by a normal eye but you can train machine algorithms on these variations.
For this training, MFine collects live reading of the patient through traditional tests along with the light signals. The ML algorithm is trained using this data to see the correlation between the light signals and body parameters. The algorithm is said to measure BP with close to 90 per cent accuracy.
MFine’s blood pressure monitoring tool is live on its Android app and compatible with 85 per cent of phone models, the company said. Its glucose monitoring tool is expected to go live in a few weeks. The company is also working to enable the tools on iPhones.
It, however, does not claim to offer a replacement to existing BP and glucose testing devices.
“It just opens up the possibility that anybody with a smartphone can now use this as a first step to measure their health parameters and then decide to see a doctor,” Narayanan added.
MFine will go for certification next year. The company is also running clinical studies and wants to be published in medical journals and publications.
Access to these tools is free.
The healthtech start-up said over 3 million have used MFine services, with the platform clocking over 300,000 monthly transactions, which include doctor consultations, diagnostic tests, e-pharmacy and in-patient procedures. More than 6,000 doctors from over 700 hospitals across 35 specialties are present on MFine.
Published onMarch 23, 2022HealthcareFollow us on Telegram, Facebook,Twitter,Instagram, YouTube andLinkedin. You can also download ourAndroid App or IOS App.