Global Perspective on Health Technology

Question 1

How is global health different from public health?

Answer 1

global health:
-places a priority on improving the health and achieving EQUITY in health for all people worldwide
- directly or indirectly impact health worldwide
- global cooperation
- prevention in populations and clinical care of individuals
- Health equity for ALL
-highly interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary with health sci and all

public health:
- focuses on impact of health of a population of a SPECIFIC COMMUNITY
- does NOT involve global cooperation
- health equity WITHIN a nation/community
- multidisciplinary with health sci and social sci

Question 2

How are health technologies different from technologies for global health?

Answer 2

Health Technologies:
- designed to prevent, diagnose, and treat an illness
- highly specific and widely applicable
- ex: vaccine or BP monitor

Tech for Global Health:
- BROAD
- focuses on SOCIAL determinants of health
- goal is to –> reduce MALNUTRITION, improve SANITATION, increase SAFETY on roads

Question 3

What kinds of resources may be limited in low-resource settings (LRSs)?

Answer 3

LRSs = # of resources to define a low resource setting

Kinds of resources:
- restricted social resources
- influence of beliefs and practices
-human resource limitations (lack of clinical and non-clinical staff)
- suboptimal healthcare service delivery
- research challenges and considerations
-geographic and environmental factors
- financial shortages (lack of finances)
- lack of knowledge, education, training
- underdeveloped infrastructure

Question 4

What kind of technology is needed in LRSs and what are its features?

Answer 4

we need FRUGAL technology

Frugal tech is…
- accessible
- inexpensive
- efficiently distributed
- robust in places where there are limited supplies of energy and human resources
- involvement of users as “co-designers”

Question 5

What are the promises and challenges of telemedicine in LRSs?

Answer 5

Promises:
- use Informational Communication Tech (ICTs) to overcome geographical barriers
- increase access to healthcare services
-beneficial for rural areas

Challenges:
- lack of high speed internet
- patient need for equipment and training/assistance
- privacy concerns
- restrictive regulations
- lack of reimbursement
- limited examination

Question 6

In what areas does nuclear medicine offer promise in LRSs?

Answer 6

nuclear medicine= CAT scans and PET scans

Large inequities in having access to these!

Promises:
-fuller range of applications ( screening, early diagnosis, disease location/spread, prognosis, select approp. therapy, therapy response and follow up, personalized medicine)
- give more specific direction on treating illness (lesion detection and precision medicine) –> THERAGNOSTICS

Question 7

Cite examples of “frugal technologies” for LRSs

Answer 7

ex: jaipur foot

Ex2: use of local materials to make prosthetics

ex3: solar powered hearing aid

ex4: biodegradable sanitary pad

ex5: mPedigree–> tech that helps stop use of fake drugs being consumed, scanner to see if fake or not

Question 8

What is top 3 global leading causes of illness in 2004?

Answer 8

1. Lower respiratory tract infection
2. diarrhoeal disease
3. unipolar depressive disorders