World first: ASX-listed Australian company HITIQ to launch concussion telehealth platform for Aussie community sports.
Announcement posted by HIT•IQ 13 Dec 2022
Designed for Australian community sports, HITIQ has partnered with Docto Telehealth to deliver ConneQt. The platform promises a high standard of concussion healthcare by linking team managers, caregivers and players with a telehealth service that specialises in the treatment of sports-related concussions. The integrated telehealth service can be accessed at any time, anywhere in Australia, seven days a week, directly with clinicians trained in concussion management. ConneQt redefines the standard of concussion healthcare across community sports in Australia.
ConneQt ensures guardians of players have access to vital information required to ensure best-practice treatment of concussion at home, as well as the option to access specialist medical care with the click of a button.
Team managers will be informed of player availability based on the telehealth consultation outcomes recorded within the ConneQt medical portal. This "gatekeeper functionality" ensures that players fully recover before returning to play.
ConneQt was born through the identification of a knowledge gap in the management of concussions in the home; a recent HITIQ survey found that more than 80% of parents whose children play Australian Rules Football report that sporting clubs need more information and education on managing concussions. In addition, the findings showed that 40% of parents whose children do not participate in contact sports don’t want them to participate due to the risks associated with managing and caring for head injuries.
ConneQt logo
HITIQ's CEO, Mike Vegar, believes that ConneQt will provide the highest standard of concussion management to all community sports participants in Australia.
"Concussion is the biggest issue facing community contact sports, and the current standard of care is inadequate. ConneQt is the breakthrough that finally provides parents, players and sports administrators with comprehensive support for anyone suspected of suffering a concussion during a sports game. The platform will be available on a smartphone or tablet and can be rolled out to sporting associations at an affordable price to everyone." he said.
"The technology behind ConneQt has already proven effective through a pilot in New Zealand and is an extension to the CSX assessment platform HITIQ acquired late in 2021," he said.
"Our research suggests parents need better education, guidance & action from their clubs and leagues to better manage these serious incidents. We are proud to provide a product that is both accessible and meaningful to make a step change in how concussions are managed and a means for administrators to fulfil their duty of care to their participants.”
HITIQ has already developed a high-tech mouthguard that provides comprehensive head impact and data analysis immediately after a player finishes a game of contact sport. This technology is widely used in the AFL and rugby codes in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and EMEA.
“HITIQ understands that community awareness of the importance of quickly and effectively providing healthcare support to anyone with a concussion has dramatically increased in recent years, especially after the efforts at the elite level of sport to recognise and address the issue. Our company offers new generation solutions at both elite and community sport levels for world-class, real-time concussion management,’’ Mr Vegar said.
Please visit www.hitiq.com/insights/conneqt
For more information, contact:
Mike Vegar, CEO & MD
+61 431 581 506
hello@hitiq.com
About HITIQ
HITIQ Limited (ASX: HIQ) operates in the healthcare equipment sector, providing and further developing a transformative, end-to-end concussion management technology platform. This platform aims to provide a total concussion ecosystem whereby the Company’s products support the identification, monitoring and management of sport-related brain injury. HITIQ’s product suite utilises high-end technology that will span multiple domains – from early detection and surveillance to assessment and rehabilitation technology tools.