ISA is developing into a comprehensive health platform for the workplace

At Deep Care, we have always worked to improve people's health in the workplace and minimise the risks they face. With ISA, we have made it possible for the first time for employees to use their working time at their desks to prevent health risks caused by inactivity and poor posture. By providing low-threshold support in the real world of work using sensor technology and deep learning algorithms, employees can independently identify potential for improvement in their own way of working and reinforce positive behaviour through tailored health advice. Today, we are proud to make an exciting announcement:

We are continuing to develop our digital health coach and want to create an ecosystem of health solutions around ISA.

ISA becomes a health platform

Our goal at Deep Care goes beyond providing a single solution. With ISA, we want to create a platform that is able to take into account various aspects of health in the workplace. This new ecosystem will holistically support companies in optimally protecting their employees and promoting their well-being in the best possible way. In addition to ongoing improvements to the current features, we will be adding completely new features to ISA. New areas of application of which we would like to present some below.

Recognising stress in the workplace

Mental stress in the workplace is a growing problem. How the DAK Health Report shows that mental illness has reached a new high with 276 days of absence. Stress plays a key role, particularly in the workplace, and can increase the risk of mental illnesses increase significantly. In order to minimise the number of people affected and the severity of the disease burden, it is essential to recognise stress at an early stage and counteract its development.

We therefore want to use our anonymous sensing technology to recognise the first signs of stress and mental fatigue in the workplace. By training our deep learning algorithm to recognise the first symptoms, such as shallow breathing, we can take targeted interventions. Similar to our previous approach, ISA creates a stress profile and suggests suitable countermeasures at the right time, e.g. in the form of relaxation exercises.

• Development progress: Recognising stress or workload during work is not easy. Especially if, as in our case, invasive methods or sensors worn on the body are to be avoided. We are currently still in the early stages of brainstorming and conceptualisation. In other words, we are in the process of defining the requirements and thinking about various concepts.
• public appeal: We would like to call on everyone to support us in our endeavour. How can you do this? By letting us know what requirements you have for such a solution, by becoming part of a pilot project or by joining us in campaigning for a funding project.

Training programmes for pain relief

In recent years, musculoskeletal disorders have accounted for the most days lost due to illness in Company causes. Back pain is the most common single diagnosis. With ISA, we have already created a measure to tackle this problem preventively. However, our focus is not only on preventive measures, but also on helping those who are already affected by back pain. Current statistics show that one in three adults suffers frequently or even permanently from back pain. We are therefore now developing several programmes that specifically complement ISA support to address various musculoskeletal pains at work.

By using the functions of ISA, we can develop customised programmes to help employees manage pain in different areas of the body. Our aim is to enable employees to carry out their work without pain and improve their quality of life. With targeted measures and instructions for pain relief, we want to help affected employees experience a pain-free and productive working environment.

• Development progress: Ergonomics and movement have been at the centre of our developments from the very beginning. In addition to a broad network of experts, we already have internal expertise and resources at our disposal. We are therefore already in the validation phase with an initial programme for the back and are carrying out various quality, safety and user tests.
• public appeal: We are about to publish our first musculoskeletal training programme and are looking for our first (pilot) customers who would like to offer their employees a low-threshold programme for a healthy back. 

Risk assessment in the home office

Since the pandemic, the working methods of many employees have increasingly focussed on the Home office shifted. From a health perspective, this poses a challenge not only for employees, but also for companies. Employees often do not know how to set up their workspace at home to support a productive and healthy way of working. Companies are faced with the challenge that they simply do not know the conditions under which employees work from home and only have limited influence over them.

As part of the planned ecosystem around ISA, we are therefore offering a comprehensive interactive risk assessment for the home office. Over a period of two weeks, companies can use ISA to educate their employees in several sessions about healthy workplace design, analyse the workplace using AI and sensor technology, identify risks and jointly improve any problems. Regardless of where employees work, we want to enable companies to ensure that their employees' working environment is safe and that potential hazards are recognised at an early stage.

• Development progress: In addition to our own behaviour, the design of our workplace plays an important role in enabling healthy and productive work. We are therefore currently working with a customer on a solution to carry out a risk assessment for various working environments. We are currently actively developing an initial prototype.
• Public appeal: Companies have different requirements for a risk assessment, especially in connection with working from home. We are interested in finding out what requirements you have with regard to risk assessment in the home office. 

Outlook & invitation to a joint exchange

With our new ecosystem for holistic workplace health, we want to support organisations in promoting the health and well-being of their employees. At Deep Care, we are determined to provide innovative solutions for workplace health. We believe that a healthy working environment leads to higher productivity, satisfaction and long-term success. Stay tuned for upcoming developments and feel free to contact us if you see potential for future joint projects. 

We look forward to the exchange!