Strategic Opportunities for Leveraging Low-cost, High-impact Technological Innovations to Promote Cardiovascular Health in India

Abstract

Accelerated epidemiological transition in India over the last 40 years has resulted in a dramatic increase in the burden of cardio­vascular diseases and the related risk factors of diabetes and hypertension. This increase in disease burden has been accompanied by pervasive health disparities associated with low disease detection rates, inadequate awareness, poor use of evidence-based interventions, and low adherence rates among patients in rural regions in India and those with low socioeconomic status.Several research groups in India have devel­oped innovative technologies and care-delivery models for screening, diagnosis, clinical management, remote-monitoring, self-management, and rehabilitation for a range of chronic conditions. These innova­tions can leverage advances in sensor tech­nology, genomic tools, artificial intelligence, big-data analytics, and so on, for improving access to and delivering quality and afford­able personalized medicine in primary care. In addition, several health technology start-ups are entering this booming market that is set to grow rapidly. Innovations outside bio­medical space (eg, protection of traditional wisdom in diet, lifestyle, yoga) are equally important and are part of a comprehensive solution.Such low-cost, culturally tailored, robust innovations to promote health and reduce disparities require partnership among multi-sectors including academia, industry, civil society, and health systems operating in a conducive policy environment that fosters adequate public and private investments.In this article, we present the unique op­portunity for India to use culturally tailored, low-cost, high-impact technological in­novations and strategies to ameliorate the perennial challenges of social, policy, and environmental challenges including poverty, low educational attainment, culture, and other socioeconomic factors to promote cardiovascular health and advance health equity. Ethn Dis. 2019;29(Suppl 1):145- 152; doi:10.18865/ed.29.S1.145.

Prevention and management of CVD in LMICs: why do ethnicity, culture, and context matter?

“…Reliable access to healthcare in LMICs, particularly in rural areas, continues to be a challenge and, in contrast to high-income countries, the average person has minimal interaction with primary care providers who could conduct CVD risk screening. However, efforts are ongoing to improve primary healthcare delivery in LMICs, with community health outreach models that task-shift to local health workers showing success [35]. Recent meta-analyses have found substantial evidence for the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions, key examples of which have led to a twofold higher likelihood of tobacco cessation [36] or improved knowledge regarding complications of type 2 diabetes [37].…”

Strategic Partnerships to Advance Health Equity

“…21 Although the majority of articles address health equity research in the United States, three manuscripts in this journal supplement present important research examples at the global health level. [22][23] Prabhakaran et al present an example from India where strategic partnerships for leveraging low-cost, high-impact technological innovations to promote health and advance health equity in cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are underway. 22 In the region of the Americas, Rodriguez et al 23 describe the emerging Health Equity Network of the Americas to share their approaches for promoting health equity in the Americas through intersectoral partnerships.…”

“…[22][23] Prabhakaran et al present an example from India where strategic partnerships for leveraging low-cost, high-impact technological innovations to promote health and advance health equity in cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are underway. 22 In the region of the Americas, Rodriguez et al 23 describe the emerging Health Equity Network of the Americas to share their approaches for promoting health equity in the Americas through intersectoral partnerships. Mokdad et al demonstrate how the burgeoning health metrics and big data from the Global Burden of Disease Study can inform and help advance health equity research at the global, regional, national, and sub-national levels.…”

Wireless Body Area Network and Sensor Data Interoperability

“…The use of wearable devices is not designed to replace medical practitioners, but rather to assist medical practitioners to evaluate the patient even when the patient is physically absent. Using wearable devices for remote monitoring of patient health can also reduce healthcare costs (Prabhakaran, Ajay and Tandon, 2019). Wearable devices are being used to collect data for diagnosis to alleviate the dangers of maternal and child death rates.…”