Battling Diabetes with Foot Screening Innovation
Offered as an SMU-X module, this project provides students with an experiential learning experience whilst at the same time also mitigating the war on diabetes in Singapore. Ranking second amongst developed nations in having the highest proportion of diabetes in its population, the issue of diabetes is clearly prominent in Singapore. With this in mind, regular foot screening is crucial in managing diabetic conditions to avoid complications which can lead to amputations. Technological innovation could also help to automate and simplify the process to improve the patient experience and compliance to screening.
Through this project, students were able to apply their IT knowledge into the field, and work on real-world issues by collaborating with clinicians from NUH to develop a prototype which would enable diabetic patients to undertake foot screening more regularly and conveniently. This presents the students with an opportunity to identify and translate real needs from users into system requirements and constraints, identify suitable technologies to realise a practical system and build simple proof-of-concept applications. Ultimately, the device developed by the students was one that allowed for automated diabetic foot screening, with the use of digital imaging and artificial intelligence to increase screening accessibility and efficiency. A comparison between this device (PODIA), which spends about 2 minutes on foot screening, with the current device adopted in hospitals, which takes up about 30 minutes (excluding waiting and traveling time to the hospital), showcases the efficiency and workability of the students’ creation.
Additionally, with such exposure, students were able to draw upon multiple disciplines, and further develop their critical thinking, problem solving, innovation and entrepreneurial skills. Students learned to collaborate effectively in diversified teams, and to communicate their ideas efficiently and effectively to their peers and industry partners.
Related media articles:
https://news.smu.edu.sg/news/2020/12/22/automated-diabetic-foot-screening-digital-imaging-artificial-intelligence-increase
https://mediacast.smu.edu.sg/media/SMU+students+developed+an+automated+diabetic+foot+screening+device+–+PODIA%2C+Capital+95.8FM+%28News%2C+9.50am%29%2C+Jan+11/1_vyhgzi35
https://medium.com/@team_fastfoot/how-we-sped-up-diabetic-foot-screening-with-thermal-imaging-6ce9a320dcca
While majority of the society chases after economic developments, it is also crucial to take a step back to care for those that require help. As remarked by Dr Chua Horng Ruey, a Senior Consultant with the Division of Nephrology at the National University Hospital (NUH), “It takes a village to take care of a patient. With the complexity of chronic diseases today, we cannot provide effective patient care by relying on the health system, alone. The NUHS and SMU-X collaboration is based on a common passion to help our community, and a common vision to improve upstream management for diabetic complications. We merge our medical and technological expertise to create the PODIA initiative. We will continue to improve our device to achieve our goal for 100% patient accessibility and compliance to diabetic foot screening.