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'IBM India Research Laboratory creates innovations for faster access to healthcare in remote geographical locations'Wednesday, October 24, 2007 08:00 IST  The IBM India Research Laboratory (IRL) was set up at New Delhi in April 1998 as IBM's eighth research lab. In 2005, the company launched its second facility at Bangalore. These two advanced research hubs are manned by a team of researchers concentrating on innovations that are set to revolutionise the world. IBM's five on five innovation is one such effort, where a range of technologies are being developed to provide convenient solutions to both the practitioner and patient, stated Dr. Daniel Dias, Director, IBM India Research Laboratory, in an email interview with Nandita Vijay. Excerpts: How did IBM Research Lab conceive the idea of five on five innovations? At IBM India Research Laboratory, innovation is not just essential but imperative for our existence and growth. Open collaborative research and real world innovations are going to shape the future. 'InnovationJam' is one such initiative that allows us to leverage the power of the web and collaborate on innovative ways to tackle issues that affect business and society at large. During our recent online brainstorm session - 'IBM InnovationJam' - we pooled ideas from more than 1,50,000 people from 104 countries, including IBM employees, their family members, universities, business partners and customers from 67 countries. The outcome was IBM's 'Next Five on Five' innovations. These innovations were selected based on the 'InnovationJam' ideas, business research conducted by our business think-tank and projects from the brains in IBM's Research Labs. The 'Next Five on Five', captures five innovations that will change how people around the world work, play and live over the next five years. How would this innovation make an impact on patient care in the country? When it comes to the healthcare sector, our lives will change through technology innovations in more ways than one. In the next five years, innovations in the healthcare industry will be more flexible, accessible and affordable. Wireless innovations, coupled with the ability to securely capture sensitive medical data, are allowing healthcare to move from the traditional doctor's office to wherever the patient happens to be. For example, millions of people with chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart ailments, will be able to have their conditions monitored as they go about their daily lives through sensors in the home, worn on the person or in devices and packaging. Furthermore, innovations such as 'Doc-in-a-Box' will offer people access to healthcare even in the most remote geographical locations. Doctors will be able to transmit medical images and data instantly, without elaborate equipment, to major medical institutions thousands of miles away. Specialists can assist in diagnoses and treatment that might otherwise have taken weeks to obtain. Have these technologies been commercialized for use? All of IBM's "Next Five on Five" innovations (advanced mobile "presence technology"; Real-time speech translation; 3-D internet; Access healthcare remotely; Micromanaging our environment down to the nano-level) are all in different phases of maturity. What according to you are the unique features of the technologies? In five years, patients will be able to access healthcare remotely. With the helping hand pill dispenser patients can track compliance with their drug regimen and automatically transmit the data to care givers. The virtual doctor check-ups at home will add convenience, a sense of independence and security for the elderly and chronically ill. A blood pressure or pulse reading could be taken on a remote device and the results sent directly to a care provider's mobile phone, then follow ups as needed. The Doc-in-a-Box will offer people access to healthcare even in the most remote geographical locations. Doctors will be able to transmit medical images and data instantly, without elaborate equipment to major medical institutions thousands of miles away. Specialists will be able to assist in diagnoses and treatments that might otherwise have taken weeks to obtain. Further, Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) provide immediate, current, secure access to patient information. And an electronic record can't be destroyed in a fire or natural disaster, as happened when Hurricane Katrina left thousands of people without their medical histories. EMRs have been enhanced with two new technologies: the web-enabled tablets, which allow doctors and care providers to update a patient's medical records at the bedside, while making their rounds and a digital pen, which automatically stores words, numbers, even pictures written by a patient on a medical form and transfers the data to his health record. 'Presence' technology will allow users to be found on the 'network' - computer or mobile phone etc. In its current form, presence technology refers simply to instant messaging applications.
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