China Deploys Innovative Technologies Against COVID-19 Outbreak
China has deployed several digital health solutions to the front line of care delivery in the ongoing battle against the novel coronavirus COVID-19 epidemic.
According to an article published on the Peoples Daily website on February 13, 2020, these innovative technologies are able to carry out tasks ranging from medical consultation, disinfection, and delivery services.
These digital health solutions continue to add value to healthcare delivery during the COVID-19 outbreak in China, where 1,368 related fatalities have been reported between late December 2019, through February 13, 2020.
These technologies offer cost reduction, increased productivity and most importantly, risk reduction benefits for staff caring for people infected with the COVID-19 disease.
A few of these technologies are as follows:
- At the outpatient hall of the Peking University Shougang Hospital, a robot developed by OrionStar, an intelligent robot company in Beijing, was deployed. Armed with six microphones, cameras and advanced technologies such as laser positioning, the robot can answer patients’ questions and help doctors carry out remote medical consultations, reducing the risk of cross-infection.
- More than 200 disinfection robots provided by a number of Chinese enterprises, including Shanghai TMiRob, have entered hospitals to help combat the epidemic. Intelligent navigation technology enables the robots to avoid obstacles, improve disinfection efficiency and reduce cross-infection risks. According to TMiRob, its robots are installed with hydrogen peroxide sprayers and ultraviolet lamps that allow them to perform multiple forms of disinfection in environments where humans and machines coexist.
- The Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital in south China’s Guangdong province has deployed 2 self-driving delivery robots to help medical staff carry out tasks involving drug and food delivery as well as recycling of medical waste. The workload of one delivery robot is equivalent to that of 3 deliverymen, greatly reducing the cross-infection risk for clinic staff.
- At the Beijing Ditan Hospital, people can only enter after having their temperatures taken by robots. One robot can take temperatures of up to 10 people at the same time. If someone’s body temperature exceeds 37 degrees Celsius, the robot will automatically sound an alarm.
- Beijing Haidian Hospital has introduced an artificial intelligence imaging diagnosis system for pneumonia, which can carry out 300 chest radiographs in 10 seconds. This system can help doctors diagnose and evaluate patients suspected of carrying the novel coronavirus, greatly improving diagnosis efficiency.
Additionally, Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a meeting focused on the pneumonia epidemic, ‘the epidemic situation has shown positive changes due to concerted hard work and that the prevention and control work has achieved notable outcomes.’
‘The results are hard-won progress, made by all sides,’ President Xi said on February 13, 2020.
COVID-19 outbreak news published by Coronavirus Today.