Feb 16, 2023
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) since its inception, has been continuously working towards the betterment of the society, bringing socio-economic benefits to the public. Telemedicine using Communication Satellites offering the required health services to the needy in very remote locations, is one of societal applications having wider impact. The off-shoot of the knowledge developed at the organization has resulted in producing cost effective, efficient systems for regular use in various segments of the society. All this has been possible due to the involvement of different teams across the organization by implementing good quality practices right from the design phase itself. The home grown quality system has helped the organization in achieving repeated successes in managing critical projects and realizing complex missions. Leveraging the benefit of such a proven quality system for societal applications is very much advantageous.
Incidence of any human errors in Emergency & Critical care departments of hospitals can lead to fatal conditions. Adopting ISRO's best Quality practices in these areas can certainly benefit millions of patients across the country by reducing the mortality rate. In this direction, the Health-Quest (Quality Upgradation Enabled through Space Technology) programme, a joint effort between ISRO and the Indian medical fraternity, started during the year 2017, has reached its final stage after a series of studies at various hospitals across the country. The study has witnessed the scientific proof of quality enhancement in the Emergency and Critical care departments of the participating hospitals.
The pilot study at Dr. Mehta's hospital, Chennai and Narayana Health City, Bangalore, and a full-fledged implementation project involving 10 hospitals from across the country were carried out over a period of one and a half year with the experts reviewing the progress of the study on a weekly basis. The study was completed in January 2023, wherein 16 quality parameters were assessed for each of the participating hospitals. Using a digital platform, the data collected on a real time basis at these hospitals were analysed to understand the areas of improvement and set up focused & specific interventions to improve process parameters.The results are found to be very promising which is evidenced through the reduced mortality rate.
The Directorate of Safety, Reliability & Quality (DSRQ) at ISRO Headquarters organised a conclave to deliberate on the consolidated results from the Health-QUEST study on 16th February 2023. Shri Somanath S, Chairman, ISRO/Secretary, DOS chaired the conclave and delivered a keynote address. Open house discussion on the results from the study and the way forward for implementing the devised mechanism across the country was discussed at the conclave. Dr. Brinda V, Director (DSRQ). Dr. Alexander Thomas, President AHPI, Dr. Saravanakumar S, President SEMI etc., participated in the event and shared their experiences and suggestions towards reaping the benefits of the study.