Remote Healthcare Applications With Smartphones In Developing CountriesJeffrey Tse

Mentors: Gloria Mark, Dani Massaguer

University of California, Irvine

Lack of Quality Healthcare Systems In Developing Countries

Shortage of medical professionals and hospitals

Patients must travel long distances to gain access to healthcare

Patients fail to receive continuous care

Communication issues often arise between the doctor and patients

Rise of Mobile Phones In Underprivileged Regions

2.2 billion mobile phones in the developing world in contrast to the 11 million hospital beds

Mobile phone technology has cheaper, more powerful, and more accessible

Mobile network coverage is becoming more widespread

Source: Vodafone Foundation

Adoption of Smartphones for Healthcare Applications

Smartphones can assist health professionals when diagnosing, treating, or monitoring a patient

Minimize patient traveling for health services

Storage and exchange of patient information

Avoid confusion or miscommunication between doctors and patients

Minimizing Patient Traveling for Health Services

Remote diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of patients via virtualized medical devices and smartphones

Virtualized Medical Devices: Portable biosensors that interface with smartphones

Smartphones act as a general purpose computing device

Integration of Portable Biosensors with Smartphones

Figure 2: AliveCor ECG

Figure 3: Withings Body Scale

Figure 4: Withings Blood Pressure Monitor

Storing and Transmitting Patient Information

Easy access and management of patients’ medical records improves quality and continuity of care received by patients

Exchanging of patient information with other clinics/hospitals and health professionals also improves quality of healthcare services

Preventing Communication Issues Between Doctors and Patients

3D avatars of the human body assist health professionals

An interactive avatar

Views of the different physiological systems of the human body

Avatar resembles patients’ body allowing doctors to pinpoint regions of pain felt by the patient by clicking a region on the avatar’s body

Interactive 3D Avatar of the Human Body

Figure 1: Google Body Browser

VirTelMed Smartphone Application

Development of an intuitive mobile healthcare application that incorporates biosensors and the 3D avatar to tackle existing healthcare issues in developing countries

Future Implementations

Social networking like feature to allow users to post health concerns/questions

Upload photos taken by smartphone camera to a private gallery

Testing

Affiliation with Global Medical Training connects us with physicians in developing countries

Joining GMT organized trips to underdeveloped countries

Recently received IRB approval to perform users studies here at UCI

Advisory board consisting of researchers and physicians all over the world

Global Medical Training

Conclusion

Adopting the use of smartphones for healthcare applications in developing countries has the potential to: Decrease traveling done by patients Improve informational continuity Avoid communication problems between patients and

doctors

Improves BOTH domestic health care systems as well as healthcare systems abroad

End

Thank You!

Questions?