Overview
The measurement of body weight is essential for patients in critical health situations, as it enables the identification of muscle loss, fluid loss, or water retention. Patients' weight must be measured daily to track changes in their condition, a process that takes 10 minutes and requires the assistance of 2-3 staff members. Given the immense time pressure faced by nursing staff, this task is often challenging due to time constraints and staffing limitations. Studies confirm that 30% of patients are not being weighed at all – despite prescribed medication that requires weight-based dosages. Around 20% of patients whose weight is estimated receive an inappropriate dose, leading to adverse effects and complications that prolong hospital stays and hinder patient recovery.
AirScale has developed an innovative concept to measure the weight of immobile patients while in bed. By using a thin inflatable air mat, the patient's body weight is determined based on the increase in pressure within the mat. The laborious process is reduced to the push of a button, freeing precious time of the immensely busy nursing staff. We aim at developing the least time and energy consuming weighing scale worldwide. In the long term, we expect our solution to become a standard feature of all hospital beds used in critical care and ICU.
The startup received financial support from the Bridge Program (SNF) as well as the support of Innosuisse in form of a (grants for Innocheque and coaching). AirScale has established a collaborative arrangement with the University Hospital Zurich (USZ) and the Cantonal Hospital Zug (ZGKS), serving as our implementation partners, to initiate a testing phase wherein the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) was tested with patients. The hospitals are actively engaged in the prospect of acquisition and seek to integrate their requirements during the developmental phase. They recognize the value of the solutions and are willing to invest resources during the testing phase.
