Fujitsu, iSurgery Launch Bone Health Promotion Project in Japan

Fujitsu Limited and iSurgery Co. Ltd. are conducting a field trial as part of a bone health promotion project with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Jikei University School of Medicine. The initiative aims to verify the practicality of bone assessments¹ conducted with chest radiographs and its potential impact to change Fujitsi employees’ health-related attitudes and habits.

Fujitsu is the first Japanese employer to focus on improving employees’ health during examinations through a novel use of chest radiographs for bone assessments. The project will run through March 2025. 
 
The project group is utilizing iSurgery’s artificially intelligent (AI) medical image analysis software—Chest Bone Indicator²—to assess bone health from chest radiographs and relay results to Fujitsu Group employees. Chest Bone Indicator :Software uses deep learning to analyze chest radiographs images and bone conditions, and can be installed anywhere with an X-ray machine. An analysis can be completed with a single click from an existing medical image management system screen. The software received pharmaceutical approval in Japan on April 18, 2023. 

Through a project group recommendation, Fujitsu employees will undergo a thorough examination by a medical specialist based on evaluation results. Regardless of the evaluation results, the project team will also provide health guidance for osteoporosis prevention by using the basic knowledge on bone health provided by Jikei University School of Medicine. The project group will assess via surveys and other means whether these measures have helped change employees’ awareness of osteoporosis prevention and health, as well as helped change health-related habits. The group also will determine the usefulness of the company’s bone-health promotion measures for employees.
 
In the future, based on the field trial results, the project group will formulate a cost-effective method for implementing bone health promotion projects by realizing efficient evaluation in company health examinations, leading to the early osteoporosis detection and treatment, and osteoporosis reserve groups, as well as improving employees’ overall well-being and solving the health problems facing an aging society.
 
Osteoporosis: A Growing Social Challenge in Japan
There are an estimated 12.8 million people in Japan with osteoporosis but the screening rate for this disease remains low (about 5%), and an alarming 80% of osteoporosis patients are not receiving treatment. When left untreated, osteoporosis can lead to fractures and conditions requiring long-term care; the total cost to society of medical care and long-term care is estimated to be about 1 trillion yen.
 
As part of its health management policies, Fujitsu is working on forward-looking health management themes such as improving work productivity and quality of life by better treating headaches and back pain (both a source of rising worker complaints). In January 2023, under the supervision of Mitsuru Saito, professor and chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Jikei University School of Medicine, the Fujitsu Group conducted an e-learning course for employees called “Learning from Low Back Pain: Physical Activity and Leg Health,” with the aim of providing the knowledge necessary to maintain and improve employees’ health. The workers’ understanding of the course was 96.3%, proving the bone density test’s efficacy as a countermeasure against bone health problems. But since bone density measurement requires special testing equipment, the number of laboratories that can perform the test is limited and expensive.
 
The AI medical device provided by iSurgery uses photos taken by the company’s chest radiograph examination, which allows bone condition assessment without the need for bone densitometry. Consequently, the three organizations decided to work together on a field trial.

Bone Health Promotion Project Details 
In this trial, chest radiographs of Fujitsu Group employees who received health examinations will be analyzed by the AI-powered software and bone assessments will be conducted. Fujitsu’s occupational physicians and occupational health staff will explain bone conditions, provide health education and health guidance to employees, and encourage them to take healthy action. Depending on their condition, staff will recommend an employee undergo consultation or a more thorough examination. Changes in employees’ health attitudes and habits will be measured by questionnaires and other means to verify the usefulness of the bone-health promotion measures taken by companies for employees. In addition, the data obtained through this project will be compared with national and international epidemiological data, such as the prevalence of osteoporosis and the detailed examination rate for osteoporosis, to verify the medical validity, and the effectiveness of bone assessment through the utilization of chest radiographs will be summarized academically.
 
The Fujitsu Group’s roughly 30,000 employees will receive health examinations at the Fujitsu healthcare center in Kawasaki, Japan.
 
Fujitsu provides various kinds of health support to its employees to improve their work productivity, revitalize individuals and organizations, and lead to sustainable well-being. In addition, iSurgery aims to promote bone assessment in health examination for employees in companies and improve workers’ bone health.

As the digital transformation partner for customers in more than 100 countries, Fujitsu’s 124,000 employees work to resolve some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Its range of services and solutions draw on five key technologies: computing, networks, AI, data and security, and converging technologies. Fujitsu Limited reported 3.7 trillion yen ($28 billion) in consolidated revenue for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, and is the top digital services company in Japan by market share. 
 
iSurery’s vision is to “reduce fractures and the need for nursing care through early detection and early treatment of osteoporosis patients, thereby extending their healthy life expectancy.” The Tokyo-based company is developing an AI medical device that tests for osteoporosis from chest radiographs.

Reference
¹ Bone assessment :Deep learning image analysis technology can be used to analyze bone conditions from chest radiographs and compare them with younger age averages and age groups, leading to early detection of osteoporosis.