Health Tablets Proposed For Public Health In India

India has increased planned expenditure in healthcare to 2.5 % .  While this is a big jump from the previous 1% of GDP, do note that it is about 5% to 10% in most civilized countries. The Indian government is now betting big on technology and eHealth. Faced with shameful data collection practices, health ministry officials are now looking at using Tablets to improve collection of health data and also improve quality of healthcare service provided at peripheral areas. 

In the news almost simultaneously this week were 2 specialized tablets to be used for healthcare service providers in India.

The Kalam-Raju tablet is the result of collaboration between the former President of India, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, and well known cardiologist Dr. B. Soma Raju of Care Foundation. This Kalam-Raju tablet will help physicians and certified nurse practitioners in rural areas access patient information, diagnostic tools and new treatment procedures. The tablet shall be out within 3 to 6 months.

Also unveiled this week was another  Android based Health tablet, the "Swasthya Slate"  reportedly capable of providing enough information to make clinical judgements. The tablet can record body temperature, conduct ECG, test blood sugar and blood pressure, measure heart rate and also test quality of water. This is the braibchild of Kanav Kahol, a US-returned Indian biomedical engineer and is being dubbed as the first-of-its kind diagnostic tool. Swasthya Slate is likely to be ready for operation in next three months. 

This is a demo of the Swasthya Slate to a class of medical officers in Odisha

Global Trends In Lifestyles Are Changing Healthcare Delivery

The world is changing, and so is medical practice. The ubiquitous use of technology, poor dietary practices and a sedantary life is giving rise to a need for a different healthcare delivery mindset.

Check this cool video (after a long long time!)

Population changes, lifestyle diseases, and healthcare spending are forcing changes in how we deliver healthcare today. Barco Healthcare solutions drive efficiency throughout the hospital and help ensure quality care in the decades ahead.

• Predicting the Future of Health IT: How It Could Curb Medical Costs and Transform Healthcare Delivery (medgadget.com)
• Revolutionising Healthcare in Asia Through IT (pharma-iq.com)

Cisco Helping Provide Healthcare For All In India

The vast distances and the low density of healthcare professionals require extensive use of telemedicine to enable Healthcare For All in India. Cisco, the technology and networking giant, recently (9th November, 2011) announced the launch of its Cisco healthcare solution pilot in collaboration with Government of Madhya Pradesh.

Using the telepresence solution provided by Cisco, patients in remote primary health centers will now be able to consult specialist doctors present at far away district hospitals in real time. The patients will be helped in this by the nurses and other paramedicals present at the rural setups.In total, eleven community/primary health care centres across four districts of Sehore, Datia, Gwalior, and Chhindwara will be connected to district hospitals remotely using Cisco Healthcare Solution.

Check this video for a demonstration of how the system will work:

Related articles

• Cisco Builds More Mobility Into Telehealth Platform (informationweek.com)
• Can Cisco positively impact the Health of our population and Healthcare Ecosystem? (blogs.cisco.com)
• Doctors Slow To Embrace Telemedicine, Cloud Computing (informationweek.com)
• How WWW Has Changed Healthcare Over 20 Years (digital-medicine.blogspot.com)

NHS adds personalized Health Information Site for Decision Makers

The NHS Information Center is England's  central, authoritative source of health and social care information for front line decision makers. Our aim is to revolutionize the use of  information to improve decision making, deliver better care and realize increased productivity.

Find out more about us, our work and our objectives.

Check it out for all sorts of data and information, like:

• Ambulances - How many ambulances in any particular district...
• Cancer Screening - Prevalence rates..
• Immunization - Statistics and more..
• Health care workforce - How many are there?
• Contraception, and lots more...

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• Andrew Lansley's NHS policy: 'A revolution in who knows what' (blogs.telegraph.co.uk)
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Health Technology to Improve Geriatric Care

Eric Dishman is an Intel Fellow and director of health innovation and policy for Intel’s Digital Health Group.

Dishman is recognized globally for driving healthcare reform through home and community-based technologies and services, with a focus on enabling independent living for seniors.

Related articles

• Geriatric Population Soars While NIH Devotes Modest Resources To Aging Research (medicalnewstoday.com)
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Using technology in medicine.

A new advanced facility at the University of Minnesota is harnessing big ideas for medical devices.


It's called the Medical Devices Center.


"I don't think there's any place across the country in an academic setting with this kind of facility," said Art Erdman, director of the Medical Devices Center.


Located on the East Bank, the center is a place for engineers and medical professionals to come together and capture the ideas of graduate students often lost when they graduate and move on. "[Ideas] are lost all the time," Erdman noted.



At the center, medical device prototypes from the simple to the complex can be mocked up faster than the weeks it can take if a design has to be made off site. Sometimes prototypes can be finished in a day.


One prototype currently on display that was created at the university is a device that would conduct radial breast compression for MRI's, potentially replacing the bilateral breast compression plates that are currently used.


In addition to prototype manufacturing and providing facilities to test devices on tissue, the center also has new 3D cameras that will be used in about 40 operating rooms around campus.


These cameras will allow groups of engineering students to sit in on surgeries remotely so they can help medical experts solve problems.


Surgeons will also be able to see the students on monitors in the OR and communicate with them during surgery.


"Right now you're lucky if you can get into a surgery suite as an engineer. [They] maybe allow one to two people at a time," engineering graduate student Nathan Knutson said. "So to be able to project those surgeries here and have the prototyping equipment to sit down and start solving the surgeon's problems with their devices and handheld manipulators we can really come across with some great innovations and
breakthroughs."


Not only will graduate students be able to advance their ideas more easily, the center has also hired a team of engineering and medical experts well established in their fields to brainstorm ideas.


And a new fellows program will bring together four experts this fall.


"We put them in a think tank and for one year they seek out relevant clinical needs," Fellows program director Marie Johnson said. "So they actually put on scrubs and go over to the OR's, sit in the clinics, watch rehab, participate in all aspects of medical care and they ask stupid questions."


Those stupid questions though, could lead to the next big idea.


Erdman said harnessing these ideas will be good for the University of Minnesota, and potentially great for the state.


"Arguably, this is the center in the United States for medical devices, certainly in cardiology and urology, so how do we sustain that?" he asked. "It's very important for the economy of the state."


Read it all at:
University of Minnesota Opens New Medical Devices Center - MPO Magazine

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