U.S. Students Design Ultrasound for Ugandan Midwives
source: http://www.womensenews.org/story/reproductive-health/110121/us-students-design-ultrasound-ug...
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A low-cost ultrasound system is on its way to Uganda in early summer. Produced by students at the University of Washington, it's intended to help midwives battle the high death rate in the country's rural areas.
A low-cost maternal ultrasound system that began as a class project by a group of college students at the University of Washington in Seattle is to be tested by midwives in Uganda, a country with one of the world's highest maternal mortality rates.
Around 10 Ugandan midwives will be selected to participate in the field test project. The experiment will evaluate whether the device matches the midwives' needs and skills.
The device is designed to enable midwives to detect conditions that can complicate pregnancies and birth, such as multiple births, breech births--when the fetus' head is pointing upward--and blockage of the birth canal by the placenta. Midwives spotting these high-risk conditions in time could refer women to hospitals with facilities to handle them.
The student-designed device connects an ultrasound probe to a laptop computer with a touch-sensitive screen. Students have reduced the number of controls required to allow for easier operation than the type of display set up found in doctors' offices and hospitals.
The notebook has big, touchable buttons, which make it easy to adjust the controls for a clearer image. It also has a built-in system that provides assistance to the midwives and suggests ways to make the scan image better.
To reduce the cost of the device, the students wrote their own software. The device costs about $3,500. Ultrasound machines usually cost $15,000 to $60,000, a prohibitive amount for many African health care providers.
It could also reduce the need for costly remote interpretation and diagnosis.
You can read the full details on Women's eNews http://www.womensenews.org/story/reproductive-health/110121/us-students-design-u...
A low-cost maternal ultrasound system that began as a class project by a group of college students at the University of Washington in Seattle is to be tested by midwives in Uganda, a country with one of the world's highest maternal mortality rates.
Around 10 Ugandan midwives will be selected to participate in the field test project. The experiment will evaluate whether the device matches the midwives' needs and skills.
The device is designed to enable midwives to detect conditions that can complicate pregnancies and birth, such as multiple births, breech births--when the fetus' head is pointing upward--and blockage of the birth canal by the placenta. Midwives spotting these high-risk conditions in time could refer women to hospitals with facilities to handle them.
The student-designed device connects an ultrasound probe to a laptop computer with a touch-sensitive screen. Students have reduced the number of controls required to allow for easier operation than the type of display set up found in doctors' offices and hospitals.
The notebook has big, touchable buttons, which make it easy to adjust the controls for a clearer image. It also has a built-in system that provides assistance to the midwives and suggests ways to make the scan image better.
To reduce the cost of the device, the students wrote their own software. The device costs about $3,500. Ultrasound machines usually cost $15,000 to $60,000, a prohibitive amount for many African health care providers.
It could also reduce the need for costly remote interpretation and diagnosis.
You can read the full details on Women's eNews http://www.womensenews.org/story/reproductive-health/110121/us-students-design-u...
