A group of engineers at Indian Institute of Technology-Madras is writing a new prescription for healthcare — one that reduces cost, increases accessibility and improves quality. For two years, the city's doctors have been brainstorming with engineers at IIT-M's Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre (HTIC), a research and development centre supported by the department of biotechnology of the science and technology ministry. The doctors have been telling researchers what drives healthcare costs up and what machines they wish were cheaper.
Two years and many meetings later, three products are ready to hit the market — a camera with intelligent image processing to screen the retina, a mobile surgical unit for cataract surgery, and a handheld device to measure the stiffness of carotid arteries , the vessels that supply blood to the brain.
More than 80% of high-end medical equipment used by doctors in India is imported. "Most equipment isn't designed for Indians and is expensive," said Mohanasankar S, an electrical engineering faculty, who heads HTIC.
One imported device that pushed up the cost of eye care was the fundus camera, a screening device for the retina, which costs 12 lakh. This means the tests, which are done once a year to rule out eye disease, become expensive for patients. Bangalore-based start-up Forus worked on a device with IIT-M's help and sells it at less than 50% of the price.
"It is one of the best examples of this collaboration ," said IIT-M director Bhaskar Ramamurthi. While the company built the basic camera, HTIC researchers helped them improve the image quality. "Together, we have created a device that can be used outside a hospital. It has algorithms to interpret results. So, technicians can screen patients instead of doctors. Patients with ailments are referred to doctors," he said, adding that more people could be checked for diseases.
IITs have vast knowledge that can be put to use to improve healthcare services. Experts from various departments in IIT-M , including electrical engineering , engineering design, physics, chemistry and biotechnology, have been working with doctors. "We have built a platform for high-end , collaborative research," said Ramamurthi.
The collaboration ecosystem is the key to success in med-tech innovation, says Mohanasankar. "We have created an ecosystem that brings together doctors , technologists, engineers, researchers and industry to attack this highly complex area," he said.
Doctors who have used the equipment agree. Ophthalmic surgeon Dr Rashmin Gandhi, who has used the mobile surgery unit for around 500 surgeries, said, "The facilities on the bus are as good as the ones in the operation theatre at Sankara Nethralaya. We were operate on people who would never have come to hospital." The health ministry has approved the mobile surgical unit for cataract surgery.
The device to screen the stiffness of the carotid artery has also found favour in the medical community. Senior cardiologist Dr S Thanikachalam is conducting a clinical study with the device at Sri Ramachandra University.
The IIT-M team collaborated with sonologist Dr S Suresh to make create the device that works on the principle of ultrasound, but can be used by nonexperts. "This device can be used for mass screening. We may be able to identify people with heart disease and prevent disease progression," said Dr Suresh.
HTIC has several projects in the pipeline and is working with 20 medical institutions and industry partners. "All of them are focused on devices that are affordable and accessible," said Mohanasankar.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/IIT-Madras-engineers-doctors-work-on-devices-to-cut-costs/articleshow/19055497.cms
Two years and many meetings later, three products are ready to hit the market — a camera with intelligent image processing to screen the retina, a mobile surgical unit for cataract surgery, and a handheld device to measure the stiffness of carotid arteries , the vessels that supply blood to the brain.
More than 80% of high-end medical equipment used by doctors in India is imported. "Most equipment isn't designed for Indians and is expensive," said Mohanasankar S, an electrical engineering faculty, who heads HTIC.
One imported device that pushed up the cost of eye care was the fundus camera, a screening device for the retina, which costs 12 lakh. This means the tests, which are done once a year to rule out eye disease, become expensive for patients. Bangalore-based start-up Forus worked on a device with IIT-M's help and sells it at less than 50% of the price.
"It is one of the best examples of this collaboration ," said IIT-M director Bhaskar Ramamurthi. While the company built the basic camera, HTIC researchers helped them improve the image quality. "Together, we have created a device that can be used outside a hospital. It has algorithms to interpret results. So, technicians can screen patients instead of doctors. Patients with ailments are referred to doctors," he said, adding that more people could be checked for diseases.
IITs have vast knowledge that can be put to use to improve healthcare services. Experts from various departments in IIT-M , including electrical engineering , engineering design, physics, chemistry and biotechnology, have been working with doctors. "We have built a platform for high-end , collaborative research," said Ramamurthi.
The collaboration ecosystem is the key to success in med-tech innovation, says Mohanasankar. "We have created an ecosystem that brings together doctors , technologists, engineers, researchers and industry to attack this highly complex area," he said.
Doctors who have used the equipment agree. Ophthalmic surgeon Dr Rashmin Gandhi, who has used the mobile surgery unit for around 500 surgeries, said, "The facilities on the bus are as good as the ones in the operation theatre at Sankara Nethralaya. We were operate on people who would never have come to hospital." The health ministry has approved the mobile surgical unit for cataract surgery.
The device to screen the stiffness of the carotid artery has also found favour in the medical community. Senior cardiologist Dr S Thanikachalam is conducting a clinical study with the device at Sri Ramachandra University.
The IIT-M team collaborated with sonologist Dr S Suresh to make create the device that works on the principle of ultrasound, but can be used by nonexperts. "This device can be used for mass screening. We may be able to identify people with heart disease and prevent disease progression," said Dr Suresh.
HTIC has several projects in the pipeline and is working with 20 medical institutions and industry partners. "All of them are focused on devices that are affordable and accessible," said Mohanasankar.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/IIT-Madras-engineers-doctors-work-on-devices-to-cut-costs/articleshow/19055497.cms
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