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Reimagining Innovation in Humanitarian Medicine

Engineering Care to Improve Health and Welfare

  • Book
  • © 2019

Overview

Authors:
  1. Krish W. Ramadurai

    1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA

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  2. Sujata K. Bhatia

    1. Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, USA

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    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Bioengineering (BRIEFSBIOENG)

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Table of contents (5 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xii
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  2. The Humanitarian Relief Paradigm

    • Krish W. Ramadurai, Sujata K. Bhatia
    Pages 1-25

  3. Humanitarian Innovation + Medicine: Defining the Innovation Process

    • Krish W. Ramadurai, Sujata K. Bhatia
    Pages 27-47

  4. Frugal Medical Technologies and Adaptive Solutions: Field-Based Applications

    • Krish W. Ramadurai, Sujata K. Bhatia
    Pages 49-73

  5. Disruptive Technologies and Innovations in Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief: An Integrative Approach

    • Krish W. Ramadurai, Sujata K. Bhatia
    Pages 75-91

  6. Humanitarian Innovation in the Modern Era: Ending Human Suffering

    • Krish W. Ramadurai, Sujata K. Bhatia
    Pages 93-105
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Keywords

About this book

Throughout history, humanity has been plagued by a myriad of humanitarian crises that seemingly take the form of perpetual human suffering. Today, approximately 125,000,000 people require humanitarian assistance as the result of famine, war, geopolitical conflict, and natural disasters. A core component of this suffering is afflictions related to human health, where disturbances strain or overwhelm the existing healthcare infrastructure to create the conditions for an increase in morbidities and co-morbidities. One of the more startling elements is the loss of life to preventable medical conditions that were not properly treated or even diagnosed in the field, and is often due to the limited interventional capacity that medical teams and humanitarian practitioners have in these scenarios. These individuals are often hindered by medical equipment deficiencies or devices not meant to function in austere conditions. 

The development of highly versatile, feasible, and cost-effective medical devices and technologies that can be deployed in the field is essential to enhancing medical care in unconventional settings. 

In this book we examine the nature of the creative problem-solving paradigm, and dissect the intersection of frugal, disruptive, open, and reverse innovation processes in advancing humanitarian medicine. Specifically, we examine the feasible deployment of these devices and technologies in unconventional environments not only by humanitarian aid and disaster relief agencies, but also by crisis-affected communities themselves. The challenge is complex, but the financial support and technical development of innovative solutions for the delivery of humanitarian aid is a process in which everyone is a stakeholder.

Reviews

“This book promotes the promise that introducing technological innovations into humanitarian crises can reduce the cost of care and improve health outcomes. … this thin and thoughtful volume could be useful to students interested in learning more about the potential of innovative, disruptive technologies in humanitarian settings.” (Dilshad Jaff, Medicine, Conflict and Survival, Vol. 35 (1), 2019)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA

    Krish W. Ramadurai

  • Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, USA

    Sujata K. Bhatia

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