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TytoHome – the innovative telemedicine device

TytoHome is an innovative telemedicine device with which you can carry out medical examinations yourself, regardless of location. SWICA will be testing the device until the end of 2020 as part of a pilot project involving around 2'000 customers.

The pilot project has been very popular and all devices have now been assigned. No further applications will therefore be considered.

To the introduction video on YouTube

SWICA is the first health insurance company in Europe to offer its customers an innovative telemedicine device for test purposes. With TytoHome, seven different examinations can be carried out regardless of location. The device is already being used successfully in Israel, where it was developed, and in the USA and was included in Time Magazine's list of the 100 top innovations of 2019.

In combination with an app, it transmits information, images and sounds to the medical professionals and doctors at santé24, enabling them to conduct an additional telemedical assessment of the symptoms. A medical professional can talk to the user by phone or video via mobile phone if necessary.

Around two hundred SWICA employees have been testing TytoHome intensively in the fourth quarter of 2019. The device will now be tried out by 2'000 SWICA customers as part of a wide-ranging pilot test which will run until the end of 2020.

Examinations that can be carried out using TytoHome

TytoHome allows various examinations to be carried on yourself or on a third person – a child, for example. The app guides you through the process.

Examinations of the lungs, heart and pulse rate (stethoscope)
Examination of the ears (otoscope)
Examination of neck and throat (integrated camera function)
Measurement of body temperature (integrated thermometer)
Photography of the skin (integrated camera function)
Examination of the abdominal region (stethoscope)

Functionality

If you have been selected to participate, you will be sent the device and the login information by the end of March 2020. You can then download the app from tytocare and connect your device to the app. The TytoHome device is then ready for use.

In the event of illness, you can carry out examinations using the device and app.
You then submit the examination results which are reviewed by the santé24 team.

Examinations can be performed with the device anywhere and at any time. During the test phase, santé24 will offer call-backs from Monday to Sunday from 7.00 to 23.00 until the end of 2020. To enable us to continuously evaluate and improve the service, a short questionnaire will be sent out after each examination. It takes less than a minute to complete the questionnaire.

If you have technical questions about the device or the service, please contact our helpline on +41 52 244 28 30 (Monday-Thursday, 8.00-12.00 and 13.30-17.00 and Friday, 8.00-12.00 and 13.30-16.00) or by email to tytocare@swica.ch.

You can find answers to the most frequently asked questions in our FAQ.

All medical data is subject to medical confidentiality and can only be accessed by santé24. In addition, tytocare may access the information you send us in the context of technical support.
Marcel Wild
«TytoHome is very easy and straightforward to use. Nothing can go wrong if you read the instructions. TytoHome gives me more flexibility and lets me do things when I want to. I strongly recommend using TytoHome.»
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Johanna Vogel
«TytoHome: I’ve had very good experience with it. It's easy to do the measurements, and you can see the values and results right away. You can then discuss them and the diagnosis and prognosis with your doctor by phone afterwards. In effect, this means you now have the doctor "at home" and won't have to wait for an appointment.»
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Once you have registered, you will be sent the device and a welcome email with your login information. To install TytoHome, you download the TytoApp (App Store for Apple and Google Play for Android) onto your smartphone or tablet. You then log in using your login data and change your initial password.

Downloads

The package contains the device itself and three attachments (applicators) which allow you to carry out a number of examinations. The package also includes a range of consumables. In order to enable examinations for both children and adults, the individual attachments are provided in two sizes.
There is a helpline for technical questions about the app and the TytoHome device. You can reach the helpline on +41 52 244 28 30 (Monday-Thursday, 8.00-12.00 and 13.30-17.00 and Friday, 8.00-12.00 and 13.30-16.00) or by email at tytocare@swica.ch.
During the pilot phase, a short questionnaire will be sent out after each examination to enable us to evaluate and improve the service on an ongoing basis. It takes less than a minute to complete the questionnaire.
Your data will be sent to santé24 via an encrypted connection. The data is backed up by tytocare to an Amazon cloud server in Ireland. Your data will be retained for ten years in accordance with cantonal regulations and the recommendations of the data protection authorities.
Access to your examination data is restricted to you as the patient and the santé24 medical staff. All such data is subject to medical confidentiality. In addition, tytocare may access the information you send us in the context of technical support.
No. Video tutorials and instructions are integrated into the TytoApp and explain each individual examination step by step, making it easy and safe to use. Any incorrect use (e.g. if the distance between the device and the body for a temperature measurement is not correct) will be detected by TytoHome and a repeat examination will be requested.
TytoHome makes sound recordings of the heart, lungs and abdomen, plus high-quality digital images and videos of the ears, throat and skin. This data is then transmitted to santé24. It is also possible to measure heart rate and body temperature. The results of examinations can then be sent by the patient to the medical professional by text message or in the form of a short video recorded using a smartphone. Direct app-based face-to-face contact with a doctor is also possible.
TytoHome is a compact, easily transportable device, about the size of your hand. It is therefore possible to carry out examinations regardless of location. In addition to the TytoHome device, you also need the TytoApp, which is installed on a smartphone or tablet. In order to use the service, the smartphone or tablet requires access to the internet.
TytoHome can be used for children and adults of all ages. Anyone who has ever downloaded and used an app will also be able to use this app.
TytoHome can be used by you and your family members. You decide which family members you set up as patients in the app. If you have any questions, please contact santé24.
TytoHome can be used for children of all ages. If you are unsure about how to use it, the santé24 medical staff will help you.
You carry out the examinations on yourself or your family members. In order to gain maximum benefit from the pilot phase, you should only forward examination results to santé24 if you would like to have a medical assessment carried out. If, for example, your TytoHome finds that you do not have an elevated temperature, do not send this result to santé24. At the same time, we ask that you complete the short questionnaire that will be sent to you after each investigation during the pilot phase.
No, you don't need any particular insurance model to take part. You need to have either basic or supplementary insurance with SWICA. With TytoHome you can take advantage of the standard telemedicine services enjoyed by all SWICA customers.
As soon as an updated version of the software is available, you will receive an update notification while you are using the device. You will then be prompted to install the updates. Once the updates are complete, you will be able to perform further examinations.
It takes two or three hours to charge the battery. We recommend recharging the device each time you use it.
TytoHome has had FDA approval in the USA since 2016 and CE marking for use in Europe since 2018.
Please check the inbox for the email address you provided when you registered. There you will find a welcome email from Tytocare that describes the next steps and has the information you need in order to register. If you don’t see the welcome email in your inbox, please check your spam folder. Don't hesitate to use the helpline if you run into problems.
Please contact our helpline. We will send you a new one right away.
You can clean the device, adaptor and related items with standard wet wipes or alcohol wipes (70% isopropyl alcohol) that are available commercially, for example at a specialist supplier such as a pharmacy.
Please inform us about the defect first via our helpline. You will then need to return the device to us for testing. We will send you the repaired device or a replacement as soon as possible. Important: We can issue a new device only after you send us your current one.