376-1724-00L  Appropriate Health System Design

SemesterSpring Semester 2019
LecturersW. Karlen
Periodicityyearly recurring course
Language of instructionEnglish
CommentNumber of participants limited to 42.


AbstractThis course elaborates upon relevant aspects in the conception, implementation and distribution of health devices and systems that effectively meet peoples and societies' needs in a local context. Four key elements of appropriateness (usage, cost, durability and performance) that are integral to the engineering design process are extensively discussed and applied.
ObjectiveThe main goals are to
> Evaluate the appropriateness of health systems to the cultural, financial, environmental and medical context in which they will be applied
and
> Design health systems from a user's perspective for a specific context

At the end of the course, students can
> name, understand and describe the 4 main principles that define appropriate technology
> apply these principles to critically analyze and assess health systems and technology
> project him/herself into a unfamiliar person and context and create hypotheses as to that person's needs, requirements, and priorities
> modify specifications of existing systems to improve appropriateness
> discuss the challenges and illustrate the the ethical and societal consequences of proposed design modifications
> communicate effectively the results of his/her system analysis and implementation strategies to non-specialists
ContentThe course will be interactive and involve roleplay. Please do not sign up for this course if you are not ready to leave your comfort zone in class. The lectures are divided in two parts:
The first part elaborates upon the important concepts of the design of health care devices and systems, and discusses implementation and dissemination strategies. We focus on communities such as low income households, the elderly, and patients with chronic illnesses that have special needs. Topics covered include point-of-care diagnostics, information and communication technologies, mobile health, user interactions, and also the social-cultural considerations.
The second part consists of elaboration of an appropriate device conducted by student groups. Each group will analyse an existing product or solution, critically assess its appropriateness according to the criteria learned in class, and provide explanations as to why the system succeeds or fails. The students will also present design improvements. Grading will be based on a written case report due in the middle of the semester and a final seminar presentation in form of a poster discussion and demo.
LiteratureWHO, "Medical Devices: Managing the Mismatch", 2010.
Link

PATH, "The IC2030 report. Reimagining Global Health," 2015. Link

R. Malkin and K. Von Oldenburg Beer, "Diffusion of novel healthcare technologies to resource poor settings," Annals of Biomedical Engineering, vol. 41, no. 9, pp. 1841:50, 2013.
Prerequisites / NoticeTarget Group:
Students of higher semesters and doctoral students of
- D-MAVT, D-ITET, D-INFK, D-HEST
- Biomedical Engineering, Robotics, Systems and Control
- Medical Faculty, University of Zurich
Students of other departments, faculties, courses are also welcome