Patient

It's normal to feel anxious about going under the knife, but stress before surgery can range from mild anxiety to overwhelming fear. Now, researchers believe a tech more often seen in video games – augmented reality – can help relieve that anxiety.

Middlesex University London is putting student nurses, pediatric postgrads and midwifery students to work in virtual environments to deal with scenarios faced in real-world settings.

A new system developed by the Toumaz Group may hold the key to improving the level of life-saving attention received by patients, providing two-minute updates on their vital signs 24 hours a day with the use of a comfortable, wireless sensor pad.

The MAP System provides a real-time display of the pressure points on a patient's body, to minimize the chances of them developing bedsores. It consists of a pressure-sensing mat that is placed on an existing mattress, and a bedside monitor.

The prototype "intelligent T-shirt" is capable of remotely monitoring patients' vital signs, level of physical activity, and location.

The IT Future of Medicine project is developing computer models of human patients, that would incorporate each person's genetic data.

A high-tech superglue called Kryptonite speeds the recovery of heart patients after open chest surgery, shortening the current recovery time of eight weeks by 50 per cent.

Students at MIT have designed a low-cost plastic negative pressure pump that puts the healing potential of this technology within the reach of the world's poorest countries.

A new diagnostic technique that measures the patterns of electrical activity in the brain's vestibular (or balance) system could dramatically fast-track the detection of mental and neurological illnesses.

It might look like a cross between a snowman and a badly-designed toy polar bear, but the nursing fraternity should appreciate this robot that can lift patients in and out of beds and wheelchairs on command, while at the same time saving nurses’ backs and improving patient care and safety.

A 'mixed reality human' composed of a life-sized image on a flat screen and a mannequin with a prosthetic breast is the design of engineering students from the University of Florida intended to assist medical students conduct breast examinations.