Faster and more accurate bedside diagnoses of lung disease related to COVID-19 will soon be possible anywhere in B.C. through a network of portable handheld ultrasound scanners. The Digital Technology Supercluster project, led by St. Paul’s Hospital emergency physician and UBC Faculty of Medicine clinical assistant professor Dr. Oron Frenkel, will provide clinicians in rural settings with point of care ultrasound (PoCUS) technology, supported by artificial intelligence (AI) and a robust educational network.
The Point-of-Care Ultrasound for COVID-19 project team is co-led by Dr. Teresa Tsang, Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology; Purang Abolmaesumi, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science; and Robert Rohling, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems at UBC.
Rural and remote health care practitioners with limited access to specialists will be able to diagnose pneumonia from suspected COVID-19 patients in real time. The team will build Canada’s first ultrasound library for lung disease, including COVID-19.
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