Philips teams up with PURE on pioneering tele-ultrasound program linking specialists around the globe with physicians in Rwan...
September 19 2019 - 8:00AM
Philips teams up with PURE on pioneering tele-ultrasound program
linking specialists around the globe with physicians in Rwanda
September 19, 2019
- Unique intercontinental tele-ultrasound program allows
physicians based in Europe and the U.S. to support emergency
medicine physician training over 10,000 km (6000 miles) away in
Rwanda, boosting the country’s emergency medicine capabilities
- Building on their successful education programs, by
incorporating tele-ultrasound capabilities, PURE aims to further
expand access to high quality ultrasound imaging in limited
resource environments
Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Royal Philips
(NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, and
PURE (Point-of-care Ultrasound in Resource-limited Environments), a
non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing ultrasound education
and use in the developing world, today highlighted a unique
tele-ultrasound mentorship program to provide much needed
diagnostic ultrasound training to health workers in Rwanda. Expert
training and mentorship in point-of-care ultrasound imaging
supports Rwanda’s front-line primary and emergency care system and
improves access to care for its citizens.
Ultrasound is considered to be one of the most important
technologies to improve access to care in limited resource
settings. This is particularly relevant in many practice settings
across Africa, which bears 25% of the global burden of disease but
has less than 2% of the health workers [1]. PURE has been working
in Rwanda since 2011 to provide ultrasound training. However, there
are many barriers to overcome when implementing an ultrasound
training program in a resource-scare setting that is thousands of
miles away.
Philips Lumify with Reacts tele-ultrasound is helping PURE to
breakdown some of those barriers. Leveraging the unique
live-streaming tele-ultrasound capabilities of Philips’ Lumify with
Reacts (a portable point-of-care ultrasound solution), the PURE
mentoring program in Rwanda connects a team of Europe and US-based
physicians that are experts in point-of-care ultrasound with
emergency medicine residents at the University Hospital of Kigali.
Rwanda is helping to lead in access to universal healthcare
coverage and in the development of emergency medicine as a
specialty in East Africa. The doctors that are trained by PURE act
as ultrasound ambassadors who can train primary care and emergency
medical workers throughout the rest of the country and beyond.
“The Rwandese healthcare system has a rapidly developing
emergency care infrastructure but still experiences challenges with
limited rapid diagnostic capabilities, yet diagnostic imaging is
essential in providing specialist-level care for the majority of
acute illnesses and injuries presenting,” said Dr. Trish Henwood,
President and Co-Founder of PURE and a specialist in emergency
medicine and ultrasound. “The goal of this new tele-ultrasound
mentorship program is to get our mentors and mentees better
connected, helping to greatly increase the number of physicians we
can train, and sustainably develop ultrasound expertise at the
point-of-care throughout Rwanda.”
“The role of point-of-care ultrasound in improving emergency
medicine in Rwanda is really important. We have a limited number of
radiologists that we can call on to perform scans, and as a result
there is often a delay in providing care to patients,” said Dr.
Vincent Ndebwanimana, Emergency Care Physician at the University of
Rwanda. “Now I can make the emergency diagnosis myself so that I
can much better fulfil my responsibility as an emergency
physician.”
“Ultrasound is an important first-line diagnostic tool, but may
be limited by the capabilities of the user conducting and
interpreting the scan,” said Bich Le, Business Leader Ultrasound,
Philips. “At Philips, we are focused on providing ultrasound tools
that aid in answering key clinical questions simply and quickly and
we continue to believe that sustainable education is critical to
increasing access to ultrasound and improving healthcare
globally.”
Philips’ Lumify with Reacts point-of-care ultrasound solution,
which works in conjunction with a compatible smartphone or tablet,
is the world’s first ultra-portable ultrasound device with advanced
telehealth capabilities. The Reacts communications platform enables
two-way audio-visual calls with live ultrasound streaming, so both
parties can simultaneously view the live ultrasound image and probe
positioning, while discussing and interacting at the same time.
Lumify with Reacts is already an integral part of Philips’
outreach kit for its Community Life Center program, which aims to
improve community and primary health across Africa by providing key
tools and services for the continent’s health workers and midwives.
Philips is a global leader and trailblazer in connected care
solutions that support healthcare systems and improve access to
care for millions of people across the world. Its other
ground-breaking telehealth solutions include home monitoring
systems for chronic disease patients and patient monitoring in
electronic intensive care units (eICUs), as well as multiple
tele-radiology applications.
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA74)Philips
will be present at the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly
(UNGA 74) (September 17 – 30, 2019) where it will engage with
industry, NGO and government stakeholders on how to best implement
initiatives that support Universal Health Coverage in underserved
communities around the world. The tele-ultrasound mentorship
program will be highlighted as an example during a high-level panel
discussion on 24 September.
[1] Pubmed
For further information, please contact:
Joost MalthaPhilips Global Press OfficeTel: +31 6 10 55
8116E-mail: joost.maltha@philips.com
Sarah HaegerPhilip UltrasoundTel.: +1 1 206 9208726E-mail:
sarah.haeger@philips.com
About Royal PhilipsRoyal Philips (NYSE: PHG,
AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on
improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the
health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis,
treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and
deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated
solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a
leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient
monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health
and home care. Philips generated 2018 sales of EUR 18.1 billion and
employs approximately 78,000 employees with sales and services in
more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found
at www.philips.com/newscenter.
- Philips Lumify with Reacts used at the University Hospital of
Kigali, Rwanda
- Philips Lumify with Reacts links specialists around the globe
with physicians in Rwanda
- Philips Lumify with Reacts links specialists around the globe
with physicians in Rwanda
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