How The Ebola Crisis Has Sparked Innovation

The simmering fears of a possible global Ebola epidemic, however unlikely one may be, has certainly sent shockwaves through the healthcare industry. From helping to catalyze groundbreaking discoveries in diagnostics and treatments to completely revamping the process of isolating and reducing the risk of spreading the virus, the heightened sense of awareness is improving our understanding of how to contain infectious diseases. 

As the Ebola virus slowly left the seemingly distant lands of Africa and began popping up in our own backyard, efforts to actively search for alternative methods to effectively diagnose and treat the disease were significantly increased. As recent as last week, robotics researchers met with healthcare and aid workers from around the country to begin a series of workshops to gather ideas on how technology can bolster the fight against the deadly disease, as well as share ideas on how to contain the spread of other dangerous viruses.

The focus of the workshops, according to Computerworld, was centered on what medical responders need in order to work in countries that have been hit hard by the outbreak. Discussions were held to explore the possibility of replacing healthcare workers with robotics as much as possible, to help prevent the spread of Ebola and other deadly viruses. They also discussed the needs of workers in the U.S., as well as the fact that Ebola is only one of many deadly viruses needing increased efforts toward diagnoses and treatment.

Even IBM has entered the fray, as they recently announced how their new research lab in Africa is using a citizen engagement and analytics system that will allow locals to report their concerns directly to the government. The mobile system will enable citizens to report Ebola-related matters by both voice calls and text to a toll-free number set up by telecommunications company Airtel, according to InformationWeek. The data is all tracked by location, enabling IBM to create "opinion-based heat maps" that will help establish a unified system that can track the progression of the virus as it spreads. All of these developments are part of a new initiative led by IBM to create cloud-based Ebola Open Data Repository, which will provide governments, aid organizations, and researchers with access to open, real time data related to Ebola.

Elsewhere, the Boston Globe has reported that countless hospitals are stepping up their efforts to prepare healthcare workers for a possible Ebola case through expansive training that covers proper procedures, as well as proper protective gear that must be worn when interacting with potentially infected patients.

Doctors are even exploring treatment options from remote locations, removing any increased risk of spreading the infectious disease. Doctors and researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital held their own three-day conference to discuss how technology could be improved to make sensors, pumps, and monitors work more seamlessly together to provide better care, and eliminate any needless risks involved in the treatment process. Innovations--from sensors that can easily share and provide data from remote locations, to drug pumps that automatically increase or decrease dosage based on varying diagnostic readings--were all discussed at the conference.

There has also been a myriad of other recent technological innovations, from informative apps that provide information on the disease and recent cases in many different languages, to a Google trends app that can help users report Ebola cases in half the time. All of this should help health officials track cases faster, and provide information to virtually anyone at the touch of a button.

Perhaps the concern over the spread of the virus has begun to temper, in part thanks to a shift in the exploration of alternative Ebola-fighting technologies that seek diagnostic tools that are less invasive, and produce results much faster. New devices such as the biospleen have even been designed to help treat some of the complications that come with the disease, such as sepsis.

For now, many researchers believe there is still a lot of untapped potential in the medtech industry, and a lot of technology that can be utilized to help radically reduce the chances of a major Ebola outbreak. While improving diagnostic devices and constantly maintaining high standards of treatment procedures remains a focus, efforts are being increased to ensure that the collection and integration of data surrounding the disease can help lead to an eventual eradication of this deadly virus. 

Kristopher Sturgis is a contributor to Qmed and MPMN.

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