SAN DIEGO, Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Triple W, an innovator of connected health devices, today announced the availability of the professional version of DFree®, the first wearable device for urinary incontinence. DFree Professional is designed for use by hospitals, senior care facilities and in-home care agencies, to help manage the care of patients with bladder control issues. DFree stands for "diaper-free." DFree Professional is currently used in over 500 senior care facilities in Japan and Europe since 2017.
DFree Professional is a non-invasive wearable device that monitors the bladder with an ultrasound sensor and sends notifications to a caregiver's smartphone or tablet when their patients need to go to the bathroom. DFree Professional pairs with a Wi-Fi base station to upload a patient's urination status to the cloud to enable remote monitoring by physicians, nurses and professional care providers. The device is designed primarily for seniors and people with a disability who suffer from loss of bladder control. DFree Professional can also significantly reduce burden for caregivers who need to provide bathroom assistance. Based on results from deploying DFree Professional in senior care facilities, use of DFree Professional contributed to 30% reduction in overall care time provided and 50% reduction in cost of diapers and pads used.
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, urinary incontinence affects 500 million people worldwide. With DFree Professional, caregivers of seniors, children and disabled people with bladder control issues have a convenient and cost-effective alternative to disposable diapers or pads and medications.
"DFree Professional's bladder monitoring and notification features have positively impacted the bathroom routine of our patients with incontinence," said Kazu Kotani, Administrator for OC Kaigo Homes, a residential care facility for seniors in Laguna Hills, Calif. "With DFree Professional, our caregivers are able to know exactly when they need to take patients to the bathroom. This has allowed our caregivers to allocate more time to other activities."
"With DFree Professional, caregivers can monitor all their patients in real time in one place and prioritize assistance for an individual patient's bathroom break needs," said Atsushi Nakanishi, President and CEO for Triple W. "With DFree Professional, it is no longer necessary to bring patients to the bathroom every two to three hours. Patients are also happier because they are no longer being taken to the bathroom when they don't need to go."
How DFree Works
The lightweight and portable DFree Professional device may be discreetly clipped to an individual's belt or clothing while the non-invasive ultrasound sensor is secured to the lower abdomen with medical tape. The sensor uses nonharmful ultrasound technology to monitor the change in bladder size and predicts urination timing using a patented algorithm. DFree Professional connects to the Wi-Fi base station, uploading the bladder data to the cloud and enabling remote access to the caregiver and physicians. Notifications are sent via the DFree Professional app -- informing the caregiver on their smartphone or tablet, when it's time for each patient to go to the bathroom. Caregivers are able to monitor patients' bladder activities on the same app. The caregiver sets the threshold of when they want to be notified for each individual's bladder fullness level, such as when an individual's bladder is 60 percent, 70 percent or 80 percent full.
The DFree Professional transmitter device weighs approximately 2.5 ounces. The attached wireless ultrasound sensor weighs just over a half ounce and is approximately 2 x 1 x .5 inches. DFree Professional uses a USB cable for charging and has a built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery. A battery charge lasts approximately 24 hours under normal usage and can be fully charged in four hours. The Wi-Fi base station is placed in the resident/patient's room.
Availability & Pricing
DFree Professional is available now in the U.S. Senior care facilities and hospitals may rent DFree Professional for a $100/month subscription per device. Triple W also offers a free 30-day trial option for approved senior care facilities and hospitals. Each resident/patient will require a dedicated device.
DFree Professional includes: a DFree device, USB charging cable, AC adapter and two Wi-Fi base stations. The DFree Professional companion app may be downloaded for free from the App Store. The app supports iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod) running iOS version 10 or later. Please contact the DFree sales team for details: Christine Cifuentes, Director of Sales, 833-337-3387, ext. 2 (833-DFREEUS).
About Triple W
Triple W empowers people with incontinence to live without worries. Triple W believes that having control of your senses is the key to independence and living life to the fullest. The company was founded in 2015 and has offices in Tokyo, Paris and San Diego. DFree's award-winning and patented technology is currently used in over 500 senior care facilities in Japan and Europe since 2017. A DFree Personal device for individual consumers was recently launched in the U.S. For more information visit: http://www.dfreeus.biz
Notes:
D FREE is a registered trademark of Triple W Japan K.K. in the U.S. and other countries.
*DFree is not a medical device and is not intended to be used in the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of diseases or conditions.
SOURCE DFree Professional
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