Innovative biomedical engineering and computational science to improve the management of critical illness in resource-limited settings (360G-Wellcome-215010_Z_18_Z)

The demand for the improved care of critically ill patients is increasing rapidly in Vietnam and other low and middle income countries in Asia and Africa. However, the rich-country model of resource hungry intensive care units, with high-cost monitoring and supportive equipment, and large numbers of highly specialised staff, is neither affordable nor sustainable for less wealthy countries. An alternative model for critical illness care is required in resource-limited settings, which promotes high-quality clinical care at lower cost and delivered with fewer specialist staff. Our vision is that new technology can provide low-cost solutions for monitoring critically ill patients, assist in their rehabilitation, and generate clinical decision support systems that will improve diagnosis and treatment and thus compensate for the lack of specialised staff. We hope that the long-term impact of the project will be the development and delivery of a new affordable, sustainable, and scalable model of critical illness care for resource-limited settings in Asia and Africa.