Royal Philips secures a substantial $60 million funding boost from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate the adoption of AI algorithms in the Philips Lumify Handheld Ultrasound. This innovation streamlines the identification of pregnancy abnormalities, reducing training time from weeks to mere hours. The positive impact in Kenya demonstrates the potential to empower frontline health workers globally and tackle maternal mortality, particularly in underserved areas. Maternal health disparities, a significant global concern, could see vast improvement through AI-guided ultrasound technology.
Amsterdam, Netherlands – Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, is thrilled to announce a significant injection of funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to propel the worldwide adoption of AI algorithms integrated into the Philips Lumify Handheld Ultrasound. This substantial investment, amounting to a total of USD 60 million, aims to accelerate the expansion of AI-guided ultrasound capabilities, particularly in maternal health. The deployment of AI technology promises to revolutionize the field of maternal care, making it more accessible and efficient.
The AI-powered ultrasound program, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, seeks to simplify and expedite the identification of abnormalities during pregnancy through AI algorithms. By harnessing the power of AI, the training time required for healthcare professionals to proficiently use ultrasound systems can be dramatically reduced from weeks to just a matter of hours. This advancement holds the potential to significantly broaden the pool of frontline health workers who can effectively utilize this technology and incorporate it into routine maternal care.
The initial grant funding provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2021 has already yielded promising results, particularly in Kenya, where AI-guided ultrasound technology has played a pivotal role in informed decision-making when triaging pregnant women in underserved rural communities. The new round of funding is poised to take this groundbreaking AI-assisted tool to underserved regions across the globe.
Maternal health is a critical concern, with nearly 800 women succumbing to preventable pregnancy and childbirth-related causes every day worldwide. Shockingly, approximately 95% of these maternal deaths occur in low- and lower-middle-income countries. It is well-established that quality care delivered by skilled healthcare professionals before, during, and after childbirth can significantly reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates.
The World Health Organization recommends at least one ultrasound scan before 24 weeks of gestation for pregnant women to evaluate gestational age and enhance the detection of fetal abnormalities. With the latest developments, Philips Lumify Handheld Ultrasound is set to become the first commercially available point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) device designed to assist non-expert users. This innovative technology automates image acquisition and interpretation for a comprehensive range of obstetrics measurements, ultimately improving access to early fetal ultrasound scans.
Jeff Cohen, General Manager of Ultrasound at Philips, highlighted the significance of this technological advancement, stating, “Ultrasound is the primary tool for scanning pregnant women, but it demands extensive training to ensure proper scanning techniques and accurate image interpretations. By empowering front-line healthcare workers, such as midwives, to identify potential pregnancy complications at an early stage, we aim to significantly reduce maternal mortality rates. In collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we are poised to introduce this innovation as a commercial offering to increase the quality of care access and enhance maternal health in underserved rural communities, both in developed and developing countries.”
Dr. Rasa Izadnegahdar, Director of Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Discovery and tools at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, emphasized the foundation’s dedication to addressing maternal health disparities. She stated, “A critical objective of our work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is to bring health technology to underserved regions of the world to prevent maternal deaths—an issue that remains a concern even in high-income countries like the United States and the United Kingdom.”
In a trial period conducted in Kenya, feedback on the AI-assisted ultrasound tool has been overwhelmingly positive. Thanks to digitalization, informatics, and AI, operators no longer need to interpret the images themselves. The training period for midwives has been drastically reduced from weeks to hours, without any compromise on their confidence in triage procedures. Expectant mothers have also found comfort in knowing how their baby is progressing. Based on the results obtained, patients can be referred to a certified sonographer for image review and further evaluation if necessary.
Matthijs Groot Wassink, General Manager for Point of Care and Obstetric Ultrasound at Philips expressed the transformative potential of this disruptive technology, stating, “With this groundbreaking technology, we are introducing a new approach to ultrasound scanning, where midwives and non-expert users are guided by the algorithm to provide them with critical information needed for triaging pregnant women in underserved and rural areas. The prototype identifies six critical parameters for high-risk assessments, such as gestational age and placenta location. With the automated AI capabilities integrated into Philips Lumify, frontline healthcare workers can detect abnormalities at an earlier stage, enhancing the confidence and comfort of expectant mothers in their decision-making and care pathways.”
The collaboration between Philips and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a testament to the transformative potential of AI technology in maternal healthcare. With this substantial funding boost, the deployment of AI-guided ultrasound capabilities is set to drive meaningful change, ultimately reducing maternal mortality rates and improving maternal health outcomes in underserved communities worldwide. This initiative aligns with the global commitment to ensuring that all women, regardless of their geographical location, have access to high-quality maternal care, furthering the mission to save lives and promote the well-being of mothers and their newborns.
