A nine-in-one home device includes a stethoscope, otoscope, oximeter and thermometer. For throat and skin tests, N9 uses the patient’s phone camera.
The Covid-19 crisis has accelerated an embrace of telemedicine by doctors and patients alike.
Patients have been happy to connect remotely in order to avoid entering a medical facility. Physicians find that consulting with patients over the phone or on Zoom saves them time.
Israeli startup Nonagon (formerly MyHomeDoc) is adding a new tool to the telemedicine bag of technology tricks: the N9 nine-in-one home device (hence the company’s new name, which refers to a nine-sided polygon) that performs many of the tests a doctor has traditionally done in person.
The portable device includes a stethoscope to listen to lung, heart and bowel sounds; an otoscope to look into the ears; an oximeter that checks pulse rate and oxygen (critical for monitoring Covid-19); and a thermometer to record body temperature. For throat and skin tests, the device uses the camera on the patient’s smartphone.
