Why can the AirPods Pro 2's new “Hearing Check” feature now be used in Japan immediately after its release?

Apple's special event was held on the 10th of last month. While the announcement of the iPhone 16 series attracted attention, I was personally surprised by the development of the AirPods Pro 2.

It is equipped with a “Hearing Check Function” that allows users to check their hearing in just minutes from the comfort of their homes. It was also announced that hearing aids that do not require a prescription will be made available to people with mild to moderate hearing loss.

However, while I was giving up and thinking, “It will be postponed in Japan anyway,” Dr. Samburu Desai, Apple’s Vice President of Healthcare, said, “We will get manufacturing and sales approval from the global insurance.” It is expected to be available in more than 100 countries and regions, including the United States, Germany and Japan, starting this fall. I wasn't expecting much at all, so I couldn't hide my surprise that Japan was included among the targeted countries.

In fact, it was approved as a medical device in Japan on September 30. Now, the above functions can now be used in Japan without falling behind the rest of the world.

Regarding why it could be used in Japan at the same time as the rest of the world, Hajime Maezawa, Director of the Tokyo Medical Association (part-time lecturer in the Department of Specialized Neurology and Stroke at Nippon Medical University), said, 'The then Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Keizo Takemi and PMDA (Independent Administrative Agency for Pharmaceutical Industries) This was made possible through a request from Haruo Ozaki, President of the Tokyo Medical Association, to the Chairman of the Japan Medical Devices and Devices Agency and the President of the Tokyo Medical Association.

Director Maezawa

In fact, President Ozaki is also a doctor who works hard in the medical field to make health support functions available for Apple products in Japan, such as appearing in the press release when the ECG app on Apple Watch is made available in Japan. In 2021. There.

President Ozaki

The fact that Apple's health support functions are now readily available in Japan is also a great credit to the Tokyo Medical Association.

How to give an EKG measured with Apple Watch to a doctor

Recently, at the beginning of Apple events, a movie has often appeared presenting a person who was able to detect a condition called atrial fibrillation using an Apple Watch, undergo surgery immediately, and maintain a healthy life.

It is said that atrial fibrillation, if left untreated, may lead to stroke. On the Apple Watch, the crystal on the back of the watch and the electrodes built into the Digital Crown work with the ECG app.

ECG app on Apple Watch

When you open the ECG app and place your finger on the Digital Crown, a circuit is activated that records the electrical signals passing through the heart and, after 30 seconds, detects either atrial fibrillation, sinus rhythm, low heart rate, high heart rate, or atrial fibrillation . Or the heart rate is not specified and it will show you. In the unlikely event that there is a possibility of atrial fibrillation, you will receive a notification, so it is best to go to a medical institution and re-diagnose with appropriate medical equipment and proceed with treatment.

The Apple Watch also records irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) other than atrial fibrillation, and when this data is checked by a doctor, he or she can diagnose whether treatment is necessary.

However, even if you show the iPhone screen to the doctor and scroll through the EKG, the doctor will have difficulty making a decision.

The Health app on iPhone lets you output EKGs to PDF files. However, even if you output it as a PDF file, you face the problem of how to bring this PDF file to a medical institution. As expected, it will not be possible to exchange LINE messages with a doctor and send them as an attachment in a message.

“If it's my office, I can airdrop my Mac with my electronic medical records using AirDrop,” says Director Mimizawa, but it's not easy to find doctors familiar with Apple products.

“If it is paper, it can be imported into the electronic medical record using a scanner at a medical institution,'' says Director Mimizawa. In order to bring the PDF file to the medical institution, it is preferable to print three records on paper and bring them with you.”

Data recorded by ECG application

The Apple Watch, a modern wearable device, can take ECGs and output them as PDF files, and although the iPhone is a communication device, the analog business of “printing it on paper” still exists. I don't think I can fully accept that that would be necessary.

However, Director Mimizawa says: “Large hospitals especially tend to dislike digital data brought in from outside for security reasons. There is no doubt that it is easier to integrate into electronic medical records if the data is presented in paper form.”

Just in case you receive a notification from your Apple Watch, keep in mind that you should print out the PDF file and go to a medical institution.