Tulsa-Smith:- emotional...: Keeping a close eye on diabetes by diabetics

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Keeping a close eye on diabetes by diabetics

Digital art enters medical service - a new tool for care givers to ably explain a patient's condition and what may be ailing him/her.

Art imitates life sciences:

[.....The artists turn medical images from 3D anatomical scans into less formidable forms, suitable for patients.

Trials of the system have shown it can aid understanding and deepen dialogue between patients and their care givers.

The system is also being used as part of a project to raise awareness among diabetics of some of the most serious side-effects of their condition.

"Doctors talk shop, which can be difficult for patients to penetrate," said John McGhee, a PhD student and 3D computer artist from the University of Dundee, who helped to direct the visualisation project.

The tools and methods used to pass on information about illnesses and cures were as various as the doctors themselves, Mr McGhee said.

"None are that great," he said.

But, by producing simplified images from detailed MRI scans, for example, patients can get a far better grasp of what is happening inside them, how it came about, and what is being done about it, he said.

"It was about imparting information but more importantly about getting a dialogue going on to help to get the patient discussing what is going on," he said.

Exposure to the images also helped in subsequent discussions, said Mr McGhee.

"When they talk to health professionals and go armed with better questions and knowledge of their anatomy," he said.

Early warning

In a related project, computer graphics derived from medical images are being used in a bid to prompt diabetics to keep an eye on their health.....

In some cases diabetes can cause abnormalities in the blood vessels serving the retina and make sight deteriorate.

It was important for diabetics to have regular scans to catch the side effects of diabetes at the earliest opportunity, she said.

"If they catch it early they can stop it," said Ms Fyfe. "But they cannot go backwards; they cannot cure it."....]

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