Feedback expands its cloud-based tuberculosis programme in rural India

Feedback has received funding from Amazon Web Services to support the expansion of its cloud-based tuberculosis screening programme for rural communities in India.

The company has been awarded funding through the AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative which will enable it to push x-ray images from screenings in rural communities straight to the cloud for processing by clinical and artificial intelligence (AI) partners.

It means even the most remote communities can still participate in screening programmes, with rapid, point-of-care diagnostics delivering results while the patient is still in attendance at the clinic.

Dr Tom Oakley, CEO of Feedback, said: “We are delighted to have AWS as a partner in our TB screening programme. This funding support will enable us to establish and subsequently scale the TB screening solution to citizens in rural locations across India.

“It is a key public health priority and a challenge of enormous proportions. To have AWS support and backing will make all the difference in getting this out to the citizens who need it.”

Bleepa Box from Feedback will host the solution on AWS Cloud, and the funding received will cover the initial hosting costs of a pilot of the cloud-based tuberculosis screening solution.

An imaging pathway will ensure that x-rays can be transmitted even without networked connectivity, thanks to Bleepa’s cloud-hosted infrastructure.

Once the Feedback technology has pushed an x-ray to Bleepa via a mobile network, Bleepa will then share it with a specialist clinician or suitable AI tool. Within minutes a diagnosis can be made, and advice shared where necessary.

Bleepa’s patient-specific chat feature will connect directly to the screening personnel so that treatment can be initiated while the patient is still in the clinic. All reports, information and images are stored in CareLocker, which will enable the creation of citizen health records in line with the Indian government’s National Digital Health Mission record.

Maggie Carter, global lead, social Impact at AWS, added: “Cloud-powered diagnostic tools are critical in the fight against turberculosis and other infectious diseases. Over the last year, AWS has seen inspirational results from the Diagnostic Development Initiative. We look forward to helping Bleepa and other organisations worldwide use the cloud to mitigate current and future infectious disease outbreaks.”

Closer to home Sussex Integrated Care System piloted the use of Bleepa and CareLocker to enable patient specific pathways through Community Diagnostic Centres. While The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust signed a one-year deal with Feedback in April this year to roll out Bleepa as part of its wider communication strategy.