Hand Held Diagnostic Devices for Consumers

gaffer91

Interesting article in the Economist about how advances in health care diagnostic devices could see patients taking a bigger role in their health management.

How would devices like the ones described in the article affect the role the doctor plays in managing a patient's health? Is it possible, like it is suggested in the end of the article, that such devices could supplant a doctor and his/her knowledge in certain specialities? How would they affect both community and hospital based clinical practice?

(I don't know enough about clinical practice to be able to offer an insightful opinion).

HeadPig

I could see how they could have a role in certain scenarios but could definitely never see them supplanting the role of a doctor. Medicine is too complex for any instrument. Experience, learning and the ability to reason will always trump a machine.

RobFowl

ThatDrGuy

http://medsider.com/interviews/having-heart-attack-app-for-that-the-incredible-story-of-how-dr-david-albert-brought-the-ecg-iphone-app-to-marke/

Says it all really. A two lead ECG read by a computer isnt worth a damn. Every computer read 12 lead ECG ive seen has been impressively wrong. What happens to Grandma Betty when the computer doesnt realise her brand new LBBB is cause for concern ? Phone app says everything is tickety-boo until she drops dead at christmas dinner. The only conciliation is that Dr David Albert is about to be sued to death. I hope his tricorder can detect massive litigation on the way........

Rucking_Fetard

Finalists named for Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize

http://www.qualcommtricorderxprize.org/

Rucking_Fetard

Tricorder X Prize Is Interesting, But Surgical 'Black Box' Could Save Lives Right Away

even the most experienced surgeons make about 20 mistakes per procedure.

jaysus

Dingle_berry

gaffer91 wrote: »

How would devices like the ones described in the article affect the role the doctor plays in managing a patient's health? Is it possible, like it is suggested in the end of the article, that such devices could supplant a doctor and his/her knowledge in certain specialities? How would they affect both community and hospital based clinical practice?

Doctors are experts at evaluating & interpreting data in a clinical context. So a device that measures a blood chemical or produces a chest x-ray wouldn't replace a doctor. We would still need the doctor to match those results to symptoms, out rule any confounding factors, diagnose & prescribe a course of action.

It's estimated that about 70% of clinical decisions are based on laboratory tests though, so the idea of these devices is to remove the lab and have everything happen at the patients side. That idea doesn't take into account factors like economics, expertise of scientists, troubleshooting, fool-proofing, the massive range of analytes, the variety of analytical methods, etc.
It regularly happens that people use expired reagents in point of care devices. Or they add too much sample. Or they damage the device when introducing the sample. Or they don't read the result correctly (eg thinking a control line is a positive test line).

Rucking_Fetard

Dingle_berry wrote: »

Doctors are experts at evaluating & interpreting data in a clinical context. So a device that measures a blood chemical or produces a chest x-ray wouldn't replace a doctor. We would still need the doctor to match those results to symptoms, out rule any confounding factors, diagnose & prescribe a course of action.

It's estimated that about 70% of clinical decisions are based on laboratory tests though, so the idea of these devices is to remove the lab and have everything happen at the patients side. That idea doesn't take into account factors like economics, expertise of scientists, troubleshooting, fool-proofing, the massive range of analytes, the variety of analytical methods, etc.
It regularly happens that people use expired reagents in point of care devices. Or they add too much sample. Or they damage the device when introducing the sample. Or they don't read the result correctly (eg thinking a control line is a positive test line).

Factory line jobs will be gone/are gone, but their's no shortage of work replacing Doctors, was just reading about it this wk...article somewhere.

Mucco

Rucking_Fetard wrote: »

Tricorder X Prize Is Interesting, But Surgical 'Black Box' Could Save Lives Right Away

even the most experienced surgeons make about 20 mistakes per procedure.

jaysus

You should read Atul Gawande's 'Checklist Manifesto.' He's a US surgeon who worked on the WHO surgical checklist:
http://www.who.int/patientsafety/safesurgery/tools_resources/SSSL_Checklist_finalJun08.pdf?ua=1

Very simple, but apparently very effective

Moaner Lisas Hairy Arse

Google X’s Andrew Conrad is developing an early disease detection system that could reinvent health care

medium.com/backchannel/were-hoping-to-build-the-tricorder-12e1822e5e6a