LOCATION: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
PROJECT LAUNCHED: 2015
PROJECT LEADS: Reva Institute of Technology and Management
PROJECT OVERVIEW & UPDATES
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) pose serious healthcare problems and challenges in India and in particular, rural India. In rural India, trained doctors, in particular cardiologists, are scarce. Cardiac healthcare facilities and cardiac healthcare screening devices at primary health care (PHC) centers are minimal and there is critical need for cost effective and innovative solutions for telemedicine/mobile healthcare applications. One of the screening devices used by cardiologists is a conventional acoustic stethoscope, used by doctors to perform cardiac digital auscultation (the art and science of listening heart sounds and murmurs and interpreting them). In the proposed solution, a healthcare worker at a remote place (e.g., village) would use the proposed device/ICT enabled solution and connect it to the chest of the patient. Cardiologists then listen to the digital recording of the heart sounds from the patients in his/her hospital located in a city, interpret them, and advise appropriate medical recommendations.
This EPICS project, “Indian Rural Cardiac Healthcare,” is concerned with the design and implementation of cardiac device for listening to heart sounds and murmurs. University students from the REVA ITM student branch will work as volunteers. High school students from grades six, seven, eight, nine, and ten (about five schools from each grade group) will participate in the design of the prototype cardiac device, an “electronic stethoscope,” by using innovative ideas and low-cost sensor solutions. They will also learn to develop a sensor for the acquisition of heart sounds and murmurs by applying engineering principles and instrumentations. The students will also gain experience working as junior research assistants, participating in field surveys for the project and learning technical documentation skills.
The university and high school students will work with the non-profit organization, Think and Ink Science Foundation. Think and Ink Science Foundation is committed to the quality science education and main aim is to inculcate scientific temper and lay a strong foundation for physics, chemistry, biology and mathematical skills with experimental and experiential learning pedagogy and activity-based learning for young minds (primary, middle and high-school students) in urban, semi-urban and rural India.
PROJECT PARTNERS
- Reva Institute of Technology and Management
- Think and Ink Science Foundation