Can Technology Help Bolivian Patient-Doctor Relationship?

Where does trust, communication, accountability--and technology--fit in the AAVia journey?

Medical care depends on trust, communication and accountability as those attributes support the relationship between patient and provider. This remains as true today as in ancient Greece when Hippocrates (460BC-370BC) established the early foundation of modern medicine.

Technology, however, adds another factor to the equation today. When used well, it leverages information so patient and provider can make good decisions and monitor care to improve health. But the risk remains that technology can be a barrier between the two parties, or replace one of the three primary attributes--in either case, a grave error.

A new medical technology should only be part of care if it improves the patient-doctor relationship and is both easy to use and effective.

I just learned of  a non-invasive test (that is, no poke or needle stick to get blood) that rapidly checks for anemia and may pass muster for the above criteria. It is designed to be reasonable for use in poor, rural, under-developed areas of the world.

I read an interview with the lead researcher, Myshkin Ingawale, on the TED blog and then watched the related TED video.

The new portable technology (ToucHb) would allow community health workers to assess patients for anemia, help them get proper care, and then monitor if the treatment is working. Since the test is non-invasive, patients do not have to fear pain or bleeding.

It would support the trust patients have for a community health worker, facilitate communication about anemia and the treatments, and allow for accountability as treatment effectiveness can be documented.

I don't know if the ToucHb itself will ever play a part in the efforts of the AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children; but I can say our inaugural project depends on properly balancing modern technology with proper medical care based on a strong patient-doctor relationship.

Our Bolivian partner, Dr. Edwin Dolz, is a pediatric surgeon who is establishing the Centro Nacional de Patología Colorectal Pediátrica in the Hospital Arco Iris, a charity hospital in La Paz, Bolivia.

The goal for the center is to provide excellent medical assessment and treatment, including skilled surgical care using appropriate medical technology when needed, for children having severe intestinal problems. When an infant or young child has Hirschsprung's Disease or congenital colon malformations, they and their families suffer greatly without proper medical care. But the cost of care is a barrier for impoverished Bolivian families; thus leading to long-term health complications for the child, and greater stress for the family.

With our support, children will have access to both medical technology and better health otherwise unavailable to them--and the trust, communication, and accountability between our Bolivian partners and their patients will be ever stronger!

--Timothy Malia, MD
Co-founder, AAVia Foundation for the Health of Bolivian Children
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