Advancing next-generation PHC tools and the innovation ecosystem around AI and smartphone sensors for health
Improving access to tools that enable providers to deliver more accurate and integrated screening, diagnoses, and care
Achieving the ambitious maternal and child health targets set for 2030 demands urgent attention to equitable access to innovative healthcare solutions in resource-constrained settings.
Multimodal (or next-generation) pulse oximeters —noninvasive handheld devices that expand the features of standard handheld pulse oximeters by additionally measuring respiratory rate, temperature, and/or hemoglobin—are a promising technology that can provide objective measurements to support clinical decision-making. Integrating multiple clinical measurements into a single device improves accuracy, efficiency, and patient adherence during consultations, facilitating more precise diagnoses and comprehensive illness management. Beyond reducing mortality rates, multimodal pulse oximeters have the potential to optimize resource allocation and alleviate strain on healthcare systems. They achieve this by providing critical health information, strengthening referral decisions, and reducing unnecessary hospitalizations, intensive therapy, and excessive antibiotic treatments.
In community and primary health care settings, accessible, objective health information is vital for promptly identifying and directing resources to critically ill or at-risk patients.
Assessing the feasibility and performance of multimodal pulse oximeters
As part of the TIMCI project, PATH is leading an evaluation and operational research study to assess the feasibility and performance of multimodal Pulse Oximeters (POs) in primary healthcare settings across Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uttar Pradesh, India. This evaluation is essential to enhance the market for multimodal Pulse Oximeters (POs) by addressing uncertainties related to the validation and suitability of emerging clinical measurement tools derived from photoplethysmography (PPG). These tools encompass medical devices and smartphone-based screening technologies. Using a hybrid type 2 research design that blends various diagnostic accuracy and implementation assessment methods, local primary care providers will evaluate the performance and practicality of these multimodal pulse oximeters. To ensure the seamless integration of these new health screening tools into the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) care process, the study engages end-users and key stakeholders through a collaborative co-design process.
Devices and manufacturers
Various devices are being evaluated for performance, feasibility, and sustainability in primary health care settings.
- Scanbo from Scanbo
- Neoguard from Neopenda
- M-800 from Biolight
- Model 3230 from Nonin
- RadG+ from Masimo
- Prototype noninvasive anemia application from Google Research
Devices and manufacturers are listed above from top left to bottom right.
Unlocking AI's Potential for Public Health through Smartphones and open access resources
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing health care, offering solutions from disease diagnosis to drug discovery. Among the most promising frontiers in AI research is the development of smartphone-based health measurement technologies. These technologies harness smartphone sensors to gather data on various health indicators like heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, and anemia. This data, along with AI models, can detect and monitor health conditions, and potentially predict which patients are at higher risk of severe illnesses.
In community and primary healthcare settings, easily accessible and objective health data is crucial for identifying critically ill or at-risk patients, expediting referrals, and efficiently allocating healthcare resources where they are needed most. With over 6.8 billion users globally, smartphones are a readily available health tool, already in the hands of most providers, healthcare workers, and patients.
However, translating AI models into accessible public health tools can be challenging, especially for developers who may not be familiar with commercializing health products or regulatory guidance for Software as a Medical Device. Recognizing the growing need to streamline the innovation process and help AI researchers bring public health tools to market in low and middle-income settings more efficiently, PATH is dedicated to strengthening the innovation ecosystem for AI-powered health technologies utilizing smartphones.
Our objectives include:
- Forging partnerships to accelerate AI-driven health measurement technologies on existing smartphone platforms.
- Facilitating knowledge sharing to address key barriers in deploying AI models.
- Identifying synergies between AI model developers and health product creators.
- Advocating for best practices concerning regulatory pathways and financing for AI-based health technologies.
Access to data, sharing insights and best practices, and fostering collaboration among diverse groups working on AI innovation can help solve common problems and accelerate progress, ensuring that solutions also reach underserved communities.
Resources
- Next-generation pulse oximeters: Technology and market landscape report
- From biorepositories to data repositories: Open-access resources accelerate early R&D and validation of equitable diagnostic tools
- Advancing next-generation pulse oximeters in Kenya
- Advancing next-generation pulse oximeters in Senegal
- Advancing next-generation pulse oximeters in Tanzania
- Advancing next-generation pulse oximeters in India
- Human-centered design workshops for next-generation pulse oximeters
