Health & Medicine

In a world where healthcare professionals are stretched beyond the limits of their daily responsibilities - especially in low- and middle-income countries, where the World Health Organization estimates a shortage of 11 million health workers by 2030 (1) - the urgent need to produce more professionals and create technology to ease their burden has become increasingly critical.

In Thailand, according to data from the Ministry of Public Health and the Cabinet Resolution on 7 August 2024, the doctor-to-population and nurse-to-population ratios are 1 to 922 and 1 to 316, respectively (2). These high ratios suggest a heavy workload. At Walailak University Hospital, for example, in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs), one nurse cares for approximately six patients - a very high number, considering the need for careful and continuous patient monitoring.

That's why Assistant Professor Dr. Bukhoree Sahoh, a researcher and professor at the School of Informatics at Walailak University, together with his team of medical professionals at the hospital and Ph.D. students, has been applying artificial intelligence to devices such as headsets, wearable watches, and fingertip sensors to measure the body's internal states and detect health issues early, aiming to prevent them before they become serious.

"We believe that the solution is to use technology - not necessarily new technology, but technology that has been around for some time - to address this issue," explained Dr. Bukhoree. "What we do is called Preventive Medicine, meaning that we use technology to detect signs of illness early on, before conditions worsen to the point where hospitalization is needed."

"When there are abnormal signs in vital signals - such as irregular heart function, abnormal brain activity, unusual lung responses, or issues with other vital organs - these devices can measure them precisely, allowing doctors to monitor these patients closely. This way, patients can be treated early and return home, rather than overcrowding hospitals, helping to reduce the burden on medical professionals."

Dr. Bukhoree explained that these wearable devices can measure Electrodermal Activity (EDA), which detects changes in the skin's electrical activity through sweat, reflecting chemical activity in the brain. This can help detect early signs of physical or mental abnormalities, such as in cases of depression, identifying individuals at risk before their conditions worsen.

He further explained that if someone exhibits early symptoms before reaching a critical stage, signals such as EDA or heart rate variability (HRV) can indicate it. "Because the human heart functions according to the brain. Even when someone is in shock in an ICU, their heart does not simply stop - it keeps beating. This shows that the heart listens to the brain."  

"And for me, EDA is truly amazing. I see it as a gift from God. When humans feel stressed or calm, it is not just the heart that responds. The sweat glands under our skin are responsive to the brain. When we are stressed, our sweat glands become highly active, and we get sweaty. So, by measuring the changes in sweat - the activity of the sweat glands under the skin - we can indicate the level of agitation happening in the brain," Dr. Bukhoree added.

"We want to see ordinary people - those without high spending power - also able to afford them, whether through government-supported rental programs or reasonably priced purchases. We envision a future where preventive medicine is not exclusive to the wealthy but is accessible to all groups who need care from doctors and nurses. That is the ultimate goal we are striving for."

Finally, Dr. Bukhoree invited international researchers interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in Management of Information Technology Innovation (International Program) at the School of Informatics, Walailak University. They would engage in research areas such as Physiology, the study of stress-related behaviors, or Psychiatry - all to advance preventive medicine, with high hopes that it will help ease the healthcare professionals' workload.

 

References
(1) World Health Organization. Health Workforce. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/health-topics/health-workforce
(2) Thai PBS Policy Watch. (2024, August 7). ทุ่มงบ 3.8 แสนล้าน ใน 10 ปี เพิ่มบุคลากรสาธารณสุขกว่า 2 แสน. Retrieved from https://policywatch.thaipbs.or.th/article/life-58

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Photos and article by Settaboot Onphakdee
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