By 2030, the estimated global shortage of health workers is 18 million across all qualification levels. The shortage of healthcare professionals (HCPs) qualified to perform ultrasound imaging leads to long referral times.

The long wait for ultrasound imaging has resulted in acute surgeries, even before the ultrasound referral was due.

Vision Odyssey is designed to enable ultrasound imaging to be introduced earlier in the diagnostic journey and performed by HCPs without previous ultrasound training. Already at health centers, HCPs can perform ultrasound imaging immediately before referring patients.

Vision Odyssey supports by guiding the HCP to cover the full area of search and stabilizes to capture normal and abnormal recordings. The collected data is then shared with a specialist who concludes a diagnosis or requests further imaging, blood tests or biopsy.

"At health centers, Vision Odyssey can for example be used to exclude that limited blood circulation is the underlying cause for leg ulcer, detection of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA)."

-General Practitioner, 17 years of experience.

This project was done in collaboration with Agile Robots, we met the Design and Mechanical Engineer Team and visit the production site in Munich https://vimeo.com/891362633

Challenge:

By 2030, the estimated global shortage of health workers is 18 million across all qualification levels. The shortage of healthcare personnel (HCPs) qualified to perform ultrasound imaging leads to long referral times.
The long wait for ultrasound imaging has resulted in acute surgeries, even before the ultrasound referral was due.
The prolonged referral times for ultrasound also have a big impact on a societal level as it strains people mentally, causing disruptions in their everyday lives and abilities to engage in work.
"If I suspect that my patient's cancer has returned and the referral time for an ultrasound screening is five weeks, I typically have to file a sick leave for this time as well since the patient would not be able to think of anything else during this time". -Researcher, Clinical Science.

Ultrasound is a competence-driven method that requires years of experience to accurately move an ultrasound probe, as well as being able to interpret the result.

It has been shown that ultrasound specialists have been able to outperform magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, in the detection of certain diseases. Such as pneumonia, a global burden where early detection is crucial for improved patient outcomes. However, the literature indicates that when ultrasound has been outperforming MRI, it has been done by ultrasound enthusiasts - meaning that a limited number of individuals utilizing ultrasound are capable of this. But what if ultrasound could be an alternative to MRI and used by people without previous experience? Guided by an intuitive user interface and steered by a small robotic arm that carefully covers the search area, stabilizing to capture accurate images. Stability is a key feature to accurately compare the images in a diagnostic imaging AI as ultrasound recordings can be challenging to interpret.

Solution:

Vision Odyssey is designed to enable ultrasound imaging to be introduced earlier in the diagnostic journey and performed by HCPs without previous ultrasound training. Already at health centers, HCPs can perform ultrasound imaging immediately before referring patients.

Vision Odyssey supports by guiding the HCP to cover the full search area and stabilizes to capture normal and abnormal recordings. The collected data is then shared with a specialist who concludes a diagnosis or requests further imaging, blood tests, or biopsy.

Ultimately, the user shares the preliminary findings obtained from image interpretation. These results are communicated to a specialist who determines the urgency of the case. It's essential to note that the robot doesn't replace human decision-making; instead, its role is to assist and alleviate healthcare professionals by expediting the diagnosis phase. The final decision rests with the human.

One main challenge with the development was keeping a soft transition between the joints and the arm since this device is close to the user's skin. Simultaneously, keeping the degree of freedom we need to achieve all the movement the end-effectors need to function. "At health centers, Vision Odyssey can for example be used to exclude that limited blood circulation is the underlying cause for leg ulcer, detection of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA)." -General Practitioner, 17 years of experience.

Conclusion:

Our global healthcare is facing major challenges in the near future. The shortage of radiologists compared to the increasing demand for medical imaging is a notable concern. To ensure that everyone has access to quality healthcare and to sustain our current standards, we must create new medical solutions. These solutions will not only help bridge the gap between healthcare supply and demand but also drive advancements in healthcare delivery. By prioritizing these innovations, we uphold the fundamental principle of equal healthcare accessibility for all.