Health Care
EXPLORE: China | Kenya | Peru | Portugal | South Korea | Spain | Thailand | United States
China: Facilitating Health Care and Internet Access through 3G
 Working with partners including: Xi’an Kingtone Information Technology Co., Ltd.; China Children and Teenagers’ Fund; China Rural Doctors Training Center, affiliated with the Ministry of Health; Hebei Province Women’s Federation; and China Telecom, Wireless Reach is helping to improve the delivery of care in rural health clinics using 3G handsets and 3G-ready PCs, pre-installed with a customized health care application. This system enables doctors and 21 clinics in Xian County, Hebei Province, to have access to medical information and the ability to treat patients more effectively. Using China Telecom’s EV-DO network, clinic workers have access to real-time medical treatment and regulation information, the ability to communicate with other physicians for remote medical consultation and manage patient profiles and records any time, from any location. Educational health care content designed to address the specific needs of rural doctors also is available. The system gives rural physicians the tools they need to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and provide timely treatment, thus improving the overall health and medical services available to local communities. This is particularly beneficial for groups at higher medical risk such as women and children. PARTNERS
|
|
Kenya: Timely Medicine, Helping People with HIV/AIDS
 Wireless Reach has teamed with partners to develop a technology intervention program that creates a more efficient process in the supply management of antiretroviral medicines (ARVs) using 3G wireless connectivity. As part of the project, participating antiretroviral therapy (ART) sites in Nairobi, Kenya, have been provided with computers, software and support equipment for wireless connectivity on Telkom Kenya’s 3G CDMA EV-DO Rev. A network. The software developed in the project is designed to automate the manual reporting system for managing ARVs. These newly converted electronic reports can reach the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency quickly and efficiently, providing a more accurate inventory of ARVs in clinics and pharmacies. The project provides a simple, practical solution to a real problem that can be greatly improved using wireless technology. With the immediate increased efficiency and more accurate reporting, pharmacists are able to concentrate on more in-depth tracking of ART adherence and patient care. PARTNERS
|
|
Peru: Extending Doctors’ Reach with Wireless Connectivity
 Wireless Reach is working with several US partners to help fund webcam-enabled laptops, mobile phones, IT equipment and wireless broadband service for various clinics in Peru. Local health care professionals use the connectivity to communicate with teams of doctors from the United States who visit Peru to provide volunteer medical services for residents that would otherwise have no access to health care. One partner, Capitol City Medical Teams, works with the Kausay Wasi Clinic in Coya. Prior to Qualcomm’s involvement, the clinic had extremely unreliable fixed line communications that often failed due to the harsh mountainous terrain. Today, medical specialists from around the world communicate with the clinic in real time to complete pre- and post-operative assessments of patients. Furthermore, through the use of wireless technology, nurses travel to surrounding areas to visit patients that are unable to travel to the clinic on their own. Another Wireless Reach partner, FACES Foundation, provides critical maxillofacial, cleft lip and cleft palate surgery and remote post-operative speech therapy. Using 3G wireless connectivity, a laptop and a webcam, doctors conduct speech therapy sessions from the United States and have changed how health care is provided in extremely rural villages in northern Peru. PARTNERS
|
|
Portugal: Mobile Solutions for People with Disabilities
 In Portugal, Wireless Reach is working with Portugal Telecom Foundation and local hospitals and rehabilitation clinics on a three-pronged project that helps connect people with disabilities, mainly focused on those with paralysis and Cerebral Palsy. Each of the three projects addresses a different group of people in need with specially developed text-to speech software and hardware to provide them with connectivity and the ability to communicate. Portugal Telecom’s GRID software is used on mobile phones and laptops that can be attached to wheelchairs, which allows people to type using symbols and communicate with caregivers and loved ones. For the severely paralyzed, special eye-tracking devices and control buttons used with one’s cheek are helpful, allowing participants to type using the GRID and use text-to-speech capabilities. PARTNERS
|
|
Spain: 3G for All Generations, Providing Social Inclusion for Elderly People
 Since 2008, Wireless Reach has been working with Vodafone Spain Foundation and the Spanish Red Cross on a social inclusion pilot for senior citizens called “3G for All Generations.” Using a video conferencing system, a wireless HSPA modem, a desktop phone configured for pre-programmed dialing, and a 3G handset with videoconferencing capabilities on Vodafone’s network, elderly participants are able to connect with care workers at the Red Cross call center and with family members. The pilot began with 100 participants and the response has been so positive that it has been expanded to include 150 elderly people, as well as approximately 200 relatives. In addition, working with the Spanish Deaf Association, the service has been expanded to assist a group of hearing impaired seniors using text messaging, sign language and pictograms. Through this program, elderly citizens have been given the tools to remain independent longer, enabling them to continue to live in their own homes, improving their quality of life. Participants report that the video conferencing system is easy to use and helps them stay connected, healthy and socially integrated. PARTNERS
|
|
South Korea: Seoul Family Helper, Assisting the Elderly
 Collaborating with the City of Seoul, Community Chest of Seoul, Korea Telecom and MacroEye, Wireless Reach is supporting a pilot to help seniors stay connected. A team of 500 caregivers throughout South Korea, called “Helpers,” visit elderly participants in their homes once every few weeks to check their health and welfare. The pilot, now in Phase II, gives 5,000 seniors a small, lightweight device called SHOWCare, which uses Qualcomm mirasol™ display technology. It also provides 500 mobile handsets to the Helpers to assist with efficient and timely care of the elderly in cases of emergency, as well as preventative health care needs. Services and applications include: automatic reception, providing direct access to a Helper by allowing senior citizens to be heard and seen by the caregiver even when they are unable to reach the device; direct access, devices are programmed for direct dialing to the Seoul Family Helper helpline; and remote functionality, enabling Helpers to establish personalized communications with senior citizens using video, photos and other applications. This device also allows Helpers to check on the participants without having to wait for scheduled visits. PARTNERS
|
|
Thailand: Technology for Life, Facilitating Health Care and Internet Access with 3G
 The Technology for Life project, supported by Wireless Reach, helps improve health care throughout Thailand’s rural areas. Fifty health clinics and hospitals in nine provinces in northern, northeastern and southern Thailand within the Princess Mother’s Medical Volunteer Foundation’s network have been provided wireless connectivity, computers and webcams. Patients at participating clinics now have the ability to communicate with doctors in major cities via CAT Telecom's 3G broadband Internet connection. By using a computer and webcam, doctors assist in diagnosing and providing consultation on various medical conditions. In addition, administrators in rural clinics can now send reports and updates regularly via the Internet to provincial public health offices, major hospitals and the Ministry of Public Health. PARTNERS
|
|
United States: Trauma Surgeons Using Robot to Reach Patients in Need
A robot may not have the bedside manner of a human, but the advantages of marrying the latest technology with health care are proving to be extremely beneficial in helping to compress the time it takes for specialized doctors to treat patients.
Wireless Reach and its partners are studying the feasibility of using EV-DO Rev. A-enabled laptops controlled by trauma surgeons in Miami to maneuver a robot at the Ryder Trauma Center. Working with the US Army Trauma Training Center, this research is exploring the use of this technology in a busy trauma setting and identifying the potential for its use in supporting trauma care in a battlefield hospital. Using a laptop with special controls and a wireless broadband connection, doctors are providing guidance to the attending medical team on how best to treat injuries. With EV-DO Rev. A connectivity, physicians are treating patients anywhere, anytime - extending the reach of trauma surgeons.
The InTouch Health RP-7® robot and five specially configured laptops with EV-DO Rev. A wireless data cards were donated to the William Lehman Injury Research Center by Wireless Reach. Surgeons are now using a laptop to autonomously drive the robot to the bedside to offer consultation during an emergency, monitor patients and train nurses and residents from the doctor's home, office or from virtually anywhere. The robot's two-way audio-video capabilities allow physicians to check vitals, zoom in on the patient and provide advice to attending doctors, nurses or clinicians. Enabling surgeons to instantly connect to the ICU through high-speed wireless technology can help lower the preventable death rate by speeding up the delivery of trauma care during the 'golden hour,' the critical 60 minutes after an injury.
PARTNERS
- American Telemedicine Association
- Army Trauma Training Center
- U.S. Army's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center
- William Lehman Injury Research Center located at the University of Miami/Jackson Medical Center's Ryder Trauma Center
Qualcomm's Fan page is a friendly community for partners, press, analysts, tech
enthusiasts, and current and potential employees, as well as
consumers, where we publish fresh content daily.
Bit by bit,
Qualcomm's Twitter page delivers haiku-like streams of content,
sharing news, conversations and thoughts, while engaging with our
followers in a productive dialogue.
This
community will encourage exchange of ideas around wireless and mobile
innovation and offer open forum for business conversations.
Qualcomm's video channel tells compelling stories about Qualcomm
ideas and innovations, and connects you with our leaders and products
around the globe.
