HEADBAND THAT CUTS STROKE DEATHS AMONG FOUR AI INNOVATIONS IN DUBAI
▶ Trials on devices and apps that bring world’s best medics to UAE hospitals and make care more cost-effective
Next-generation technology is being introduced in Dubai hospitals to evaluate their effectiveness in health care.
A trial for the latest intake on the Dubai Future Accelerator Programme has been testing four innovations in clinical settings. Each was selected for the project from hundreds of applications.
Bodyo health analysis pods are to be brought into government buildings so staff can monitor their health for any signs of illness that may require a hospital check-up.
And an application by Babylon uses the latest artificial intelligence to deliver video consultants from around the world to patients all day every day. It has been used by 2.2 million patients worldwide, and will be available in Dubai this summer.
Two other innovations are the Health Care and Innovative New Technology neuro headband to detect strokes, and the flow cell sensors by Admetsys to alert doctors to sudden drops in vital signs in intensive-care patients.
“The staff at Dubai Health Authority-run hospitals are looking for next-generation technology, and the Admetsys system fits into their initiatives to advance the standard of care and control costs at the same time,” said Glenn Robertelli, chief operating officer of Admetsys in the US.
“It is well known that better glucose control in the hospital reduces mortality, a range of complications and a patient’s overall length of stay.”
The Admetsys team visited hospitals in Dubai during the introductory phase to show physicians and nurses how it works.
The system is a closed-loop device that manages a patient’s blood sugar with biosensors monitoring various physiological functions.
A learning algorithm adapts the model to the patient’s metabolism, to administer a correct and healthy dose of insulin and dextrose when required.
“This is information-driven precision medicine,” Mr Robertelli said. “We use sensors and artificial intelligence to drive treatment of the medication. The concept is simple but has been technologically difficult to implement until now.”
The system could be critical for health care in the UAE as diabetes control is one of the major considerations for industry planning. Nurses are required to constantly monitor a patient’s blood sugar level during a hospital stay, usually on an hourly basis.
Monitoring of blood sugar can be difficult and time-consuming but the Admetsys system reduced the workload for nurses. It is due to be introduced at Dubai Hospital and Rashid Hospital.
The Health Care and Innovative New Technology neuro sensor is designed to detect strokes before they happen.
While originally designed for use by high-risk patients at home, working with doctors in Dubai has opened new avenues for the tech company.
It has now signed an agreement with Dubai Health Authority to carry out further research.
“Our technology has been received very enthusiastically,” said Ahmed Elmeligi, chief executive and founder of the tech company.
“We ended up seeing it in a completely different light while working with the authority for other potential uses beyond what we initially had in mind.
“There’s a lot of interest in modifying our technology to be used inside the hospital rather than just at home, to provide better quality care for patients.”
The device developers have also used an artificial intelligence algorithm with a stroke detection accuracy of almost 80 per cent.
That is expected to increase when the company starts its pilot programme in Dubai, because the algorithm becomes more accurate when more data is fed in.
“We are working closely with the DHA to modify our technology to better fit with the Dubai healthcare system,” Mr Elmeligi said. “It will be used in a hospital environment to help detect strokes early, to prevent any long-term damaging effects to the brain.
“This means better and faster recovery for the patient, allowing them to maintain their quality of life, even if they are at a very high risk of a stroke.”