The Philips Foundation https://philips-foundation.com is working to provide access to quality healthcare for 100 million people a year in underserved communities by 2030.
Philips https://www.philips.com and RAD-AID International https://rad-aid.org have announced a multi-year cross continental partnership to promote access to diagnostic ultrasound services in ten countries.
RAD-AID International, a U.S-based non-profit organization, will leverage Philips virtual care capabilities. The plan is to provide a highly scalable remote train-the-trainer model to improve access to diagnostic and point-of-care ultrasound through curriculum-based education and clinical hands-on teaching.
Using these solutions, ultrasound experts, such as radiologists and sonographers, will be able to communicate with training program participants thousands of miles away via voice, video, and text messages, view the ultrasound images taken in real time, and remotely demonstrate equipment settings during guided ultrasound exams if necessary.
The Philips Foundation, Philips, and RAD-AID International have a track record for improving access to ultrasound by training local health workers. Together, they have worked with healthcare experts, non-governmental organizations, to develop tele-ultrasound programs.
This multi-year initiative aims to reach around 50 million by deploying hundreds of ultrasound devices across Africa, Asia, North America, Latin America, Caribbean, Ethiopia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Kenya, Laos, Nepal, Malawi, Tanzania, and the U.S.
During the projects initial phase, RAD-AID International is deploying the model in five high impact regional sites. Information obtained from the phase one deployment will help the Philips Foundation and RAD-AID International to co-create new educational strategies to apply to the second phase deployment.