Extending the capabilities of mobile device based pulse oximetry

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Mobile Health (mHealth) refers to the use of mobile phones to improve healthcare quality and efficiency. In a world of 7 billion people and 6.8 billion mobile phones, mHealth represents a remarkable avenue for screening and care delivery. Our team from UBC has created an innovative mHealth solution called the Phone Oximeter, which uses a phone app and a finger sensor to measure blood oxygen saturation. Blood oxygen saturation is an important vital sign and by combining it with answers to a few simple questions we can help diagnose and monitor patients, and provide decision-making support to healthcare providers in resource-poor settings. The technical innovation of this solution is in the application of complex principles of biomedical engineering and medical physiology to the creation of a low-cost, accurate and effective device that is easy to use in the field with minimal training and maintenance.The Phone Oximeter has been commercialized through UBC spin-off, LionsGate Technologies Inc (LGTmedical). Now, we are teaming up with them to improve the Phone Oximeter's signal quality and extend its capabilities; most importantly, creating a sensor for neonates and infants. This technology will become a validated, certified, market-ready product by project end. It will help save some of the 29,000 children under five years of age, disproportionately from sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, who die each day from preventable causes like sepsis and pneumonia. This technology is particularly relevant for the poorest regions of the world, where little or no medical equipment is available, patients are younger and sicker, and most deaths occur before a child even reaches care. In Canada, this technology, and those that stem from it, will improve accessibility, efficiency, and cost of care in tertiary and low-resource care settings, alike. As a result of this work, LGTmedical will access burgeoning clinical markets around the world. The nuances of the underlying technology, resolved through this project, will benefit biomedical engineering and mHealth by setting precedence for further applications of this technology to other conditions and challenges.