For the first time in Olympic history, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games — which kick off today — will have ultrasound available at many Olympic venues for rapid diagnosis of injuries sustained on the ice or snow. In training rooms and tents rink-side or slope-side, GE’s laptop-sized LOGIQ e will be on hand to give doctors, coaches and athletes a much quicker understanding of injuries, helping to identify early signs of tendon and ligament damage as well as other health markers. Ultrasound scans taken on-site will be sent digitally to radiologists in the athlete’s villages for review immediately, increasing the likelihood of a faster return-to-play decision. As Eden Donatelli Green, a two-time Olympic speed skater from Canada, says in the video below: “When you’re competing at an Olympic level, you want to race the race. If they can tell you ‘you’re ok, go race,’ well, that would be worth its weight in gold.”
As we described in our story on Wednesday, this year’s Winter Games have another medical first, as doctors and clinics will be using the most comprehensive information technology solution for healthcare support in Olympic Games history. GE technologies will be connecting staff at remote polyclinics and mobile medical units — which are positioned close to the ski runs and other venues that are often far from hospitals — in order to provide the most updated information in emergency situations.
Healthcare solutions such as the rink-side ultrasound and the IT connectivity are both examples of GE’s healthymagination initiative to drive technologies that increase access to care while simultaneously reducing costs and increasing quality. To help show how those technologies can make a real difference in people’s lives, new TV ads were launched this week. The humorous spot below shows how Electronic Medical Records help doctors treat their patients better by having all of a patient’s medical history is in one place.
And, as you’ll hear if you click on this TV spot, saying “ahh” never sounded better.
In the U.S., we’re celebrating President’s Day on Monday — which also gives everyone extra time to stay glued to the Olympics! See you again on Tuesday.
* Watch our other healthymagination TV spots on our YouTube channel
* Learn more about GE’s work with the Olympics
* Read “At Vancouver Olympics, a great skate on newly nice ice” on GE Reports
* Watch a video about our mobile medical unit
* Learn more about the games
* Learn more about GE’s ongoing work with the Olympics
* Read “Olympic countdown begins: 1,000 days to London 2012” on GE Reports
* Read more healthymagination stories on GE Reports