Will the increased patient populations and the aging western societies with increased incidence of disease and disability accelerate the cost hike? How can we save cost and at the same time invest in rapid changes in medical technology and practice? Will the partnership of engineering and healthcare produce new and efficient treatment methods and devices?
A report in 2005 by the National Academy of Engineering emphasized the need for partnership of engineering and healthcare to meet the six goals of the 21st-century healthcare system identified in 2001 by the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C. The IOM said the system must be safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable.
The healthcare system is currently facing many problems and challenges, including rapid changes in medical technology and practice, severe shortages in skilled healthcare workers, and an aging population with increased incidence of disease and disability. Until now, attempts to address these problems have added to the complexity and cost of healthcare, and provided, at best, marginal improvements in services.
In short, the U.S. healthcare system needs to be re-engineered…
Engineered devices—the heart pacemaker, the defibrillator, the cochlear implant, and other marvels—have improved and extended the lives of millions. Medical device engineering has given rise to the field of biomechatronics…
Biomechatronic devices have been developed that interact with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems with the goals of restoring human motor control impaired by trauma, disease, or birth defects.
Devices include artificial limbs, such as the Rheo Knee System from Ossur and Boston Digital Arm System from Liberating Technologies Inc., and neural prosthetic devices in development at the University of Southern California and elsewhere…
Future biomechatronics applications may eventually include pancreas pacemakers for diabetics. Initial in vitro studies have shown that circulating insulin concentrations oscillate in regular fashion. Only high-frequency oscillations, every 5 to 17 minutes, were observed, suggesting that they derive from a primary pancreatic source…
Robotics, meanwhile, can improve clinical procedures and provide innovative approaches to clinical problems. Robots can serve as carriers, porters, and helpers. The precision and repeatability of robotic systems can aid physicians in performing surgery. Robots are also suitable for noninvasive and minimally invasive surgery.
The first robotic-assisted surgery dates back to the mid-1980s. A robot, the Puma 560, was used to place a needle for a brain biopsy using CT guidance. Further advances led to the development of the commercial Da Vinci Surgical System, which was used in 1998 in Germany to perform the first robotic-assisted heart bypass. The first unmanned robotic surgery took place in May 2006 in Italy.
Future surgical robots will be lighter, smaller, simpler, and cheaper. They will be integrated, with other smart instruments, in hospital operating rooms to form plug-and-play systems.
Diagnostic applications of medical robots include capsular endoscopy for noninvasive diagnosis of the gastrointestinal tract. That is, there may one day be camera pills for detecting colon polyps.
Robots are being explored as an adjunct to physical therapy. Other applications include robotic legs, arms, and hands, both as prosthetic devices and as exoskeletons.
Engineering challenges for future robotic devices include designing them to become autonomous with a sense of their environment. Autonomous wheelchairs and robotic-assisted walking devices, for example, could provide home care, help the elderly move around, or guide blind people. Portable surgical robotics, coupled with advanced telecommunications and telepresence facilities, will provide healthcare and telementoring services in remote areas, war zones, and, possibly, future human space missions…
The realization of smart engineering healthcare systems requires, among other things, the accelerated development of novel medical devices, as well as the creation of an ambient intelligent environment that enhances innovation, stimulates discovery, and facilitates incorporation of new technologies…
Novel medical devices range from molecular and biophotonic imaging machines to minimally invasive and noninvasive surgical devices; from tools for microsurgery to intracellular nanosurgery instruments; from camera pills to labs on chips and nanodevices that can roam the bloodstream to prevent infections…
The cyberinfrastructure will facilitate technology-based, distributed delivery of health services, as well as training and lifelong learning for healthcare workers. It can evolve into an electronic care continuum with pervasive access to global, accurate, and timely medical knowledge for individuals about their health needs in an era of rapid change and expanding knowledge.
Post a Comment