Saturday, February 21, 2009

Better health through your cell phone..wait until you read about this technology

In many Third World and developing countries, the distance between people in need of health care and the facilities capable of providing it constitutes a major obstacle to improving health. One solution involves creating medical diagnostic applications small enough to fit into objects already in common use, such as cell phones — in effect, bringing the hospital to the patient.


UCLA researchers have advanced a novel lens-free, high-throughput imaging technique for potential use in such medical diagnostics, which promise to improve global disease monitoring, especially in resource-limited settings such as in Africa. The research, which will be published in the quarterly journal Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) and is currently available online, outlines improvements to a technique known as LUCAS, or Lensless Ultra-wide-field Cell monitoring Array platform based on Shadow imaging.





An Electronic Medical Record that is stored on your cell phone


Once installed on a cell phone, MyRapidMD's Emergency Service Profile (ESP) can help protect you at the scene of medical emergencies and accidents. Whether you have a pre-existing medical condition, are taking certain medications or have a Pacemaker, MyRapidMD's ESP on your cell phone ensures your personal medical information is at hand when it is needed most.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Digestible electronic vital signs sensors that could communicate with your cell

An electronic medical record for each person permanently located in the US in conjunction updated frequently with data from health vital sign electronic personal sensors (such as implantable blood pressure sensors) is a necessary technology if, as a society, we are to improve the delivery of universal medical care at an affordable price.

I envision that computer algorithms will continuous scan the new sensor data in all electronic medical records for indications of disease and alert owners that deviations from optimum readings are been detected and that further analysis is indicated...an early warning system.

I imagine that such a computer-based system can also follow up such warnings via e-mails and text messages or phone calls until the individual takes action..such as visiting a clinic. If this trikes you as too invasive, I'm confident that we as a society can agree on safeguards that balance individual privacy and rights with societal needs to reduce the costs of providing universal health care.

A personal sensor will need a means of collecting and retransmitting its data.

The most obvious device ... more and more carried by every person and which has the capacity to perform this task... is the cell phone.

And the Proteus Company may have invented the perfect sensor.

Read about this fascinating technology.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Mobile phones in Malawi battle malnutrition

Health workers in Africa will no longer need to fill out long forms to monitor nutrition levels in the community, instead they can now use a mobile phone to text in the data, allowing government and aid agencies to rapidly intervene if the information shows a health crisis is developing.