The platform analyses cough signals along with a subset of symptoms and provides an assessment.
Speaking to ToI, Andhra Medical College principal Dr PV Sudhakar said the technology works based on audiometric analysis of cough sounds and other symptoms. “Based on the analysis, it will provide a health assessment by using the proprietary algorithms. This is also being tested for Covid-19 disease. The existing methods of diagnosis like X-Ray, CT scan and other pulmonary tests (routine sputum culture and spirometry) require laboratory setup. These are expensive and time consuming. Moreover, they are not available in all rural and tribal areas. Modern technology should be made use of to diagnose these conditions based on the pattern of ‘cough’, which is the common symptom for all respiratory diseases,” said Dr Sudhakar.
Professor and head of the department of community medicine, Dr Devi Madhavi, said earlier a private hospital conducted the pilot study on the technology. “Now, the artificial intelligence platform is being tested in the primary health care setting at RHTC Simhachalam. The technology will be tested on nearly 2,000 patients. The study is completely non-invasive and involves only recording of cough from the patients. The device facilitates screening and identifies whether the problem is attributable to airways or lung parenchyma/pleura. This will be highly useful in identifying the appropriate next intervention, including referrals. This is also highly cost effective” said Dr Devi Madhavi.
The duration of the study is six months. Dr Devi Madhavi and Dr L. Siva Kumar, assistant professor, are the Investigators.