- The CarePlix Vitals app is available to download for free via Google Play and Apple App Store
- The app requires users to register with the email ID
- According to the Apple App Store privacy chart, the app tracks users’ contact info and usage data
COVID-19 pandemic is far from over even though overall cases in India continue to shrink. Many experts and political figures have expressed fears over the third wave of the pandemic, and citizens are panic-buying medical instruments to ensure the safety of their loved ones. One of the primary tools to check the condition of positive patients is an oximeter that measures the level of oxygen in the blood (Spo2). Typically, a COVID-19 positive patient must ensure a SpO2 level above 95 percent, and anything below must require urgent medical attention. Meanwhile, CareNow Healthcare, a health-tech startup based out of Kolkata, has developed a smartphone app dubbed CarePlix Vitals that allows users to monitor vitals such as pulse rate and SpO2 by placing the index finger on the phone’s rear flashlight. The app claims to use the same principles of photoplethysmography or PPG that allows detecting volumetric variations of blood circulation by using a light source. In this case, the app uses the phone’s flashlight instead of infrared light in an oximeter.
Currently, the CarePlix Vitals app is available to download for free via Google Play and Apple App Store. Users will need to register with their email ID. According to the Apple App Store privacy chart, the app tracks users’ contact info and usage data. Users can save scans from each test and later use ‘vitals analytics’. During our trials, we compared the app results with two different oximeters procured from a local medical store. The app showed fairly accurate results during each test. Speaking over the accuracy of the data, Subhabrata Paul, co-founder of CareNow Healthcare told The Indian Express that the app “was 96 percent accurate with heart beats while 98 percent accuracy in case of oxygen saturation” during trials with 1200 individuals. The trial was conducted by a team in Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital Kolkata, Paul further told the publication. The company website notes that new users may face “problems with login or registration” due to heavy traffic.
Overall, the app can be helpful for users who are unable to procure an oximeter either due to its unavailability or the cost of the instrument that has surged amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Users can also check out these SpO2-enabled fitness bands and smartwatches that also feature a host of health-related sensors as well as other blood oxygen monitoring free-apps such as Pulse Monitor – Beat & Oxygen Blood Oxygen and Blood Oxygen app.
*Editors Note: Use of such apps do not qualify for medical purposes, and the data should be not be used for medical treatment or diagnosis.
