This was another week full of eye-opening information and discussions on the practicality of various medical devices for use in areas such as West Africa.

The week began with a lecture investigating hospitals and different standards of physician health assistance in areas of low technology and resources versus areas of high technology and resources. It was interesting to compare the weight that these areas put on different aspects of healthcare using Healthcare Technology Assessment (HTA). It made a lot of sense to me that the two most important factors for all areas were safety and clinical effectiveness. It was also sad to see that in many of these areas, the greatest barrier to production of these HTAs is a lack of qualified human resources.

This week’s discussion allowed us to look critically at a device shown in the World Health Organizations video “The Power and Potential of Medical Devices”. I chose to look at X-ray machines and determine the feasibility of using X-ray machines in West Africa by considering HTA factors. I enjoyed doing this because it allowed me to examine these machines in a whole new light. Throughout my bioengineering career I have learned about imaging systems; how they work, what to look for in results, and the safety of their use. Just last semester I took a class solely focused on learning about imaging modalities and when we discussed X-ray machines, it was to learn how they worked and discuss innovations that could improve the machine’s efficiency and resolution. In a way, I began to take for granted having access to the most high-tech and newest versions of X-ray machines. This discussion pointed out the most important part about X-ray machines that I hadn’t even considered before: that someone must have access to them for it to be useful. I also hadn’t even thought of all the supplemental education required to support these sophisticated machines and how difficult it must be for hospitals to maintain them.

I’m looking forward to continuing my understanding of the impacts of global health in the coming weeks!