Healthcare Perspectives

With significant disparities in diagnosis, treatment, and funding when compared to men, women’s health has long been underserved. These gaps affect not only individual health outcomes, they also have societal and economic implications which are highlighted by a recent report by the World Economic Forum and The McKinsey Health Institute which addresses a $1 trillion dollar opportunity to improve lives and economies by mitigating these disparities. Factors like societal perception, clinical practice, and financial investment all play an important part in women’s health. Addressing the gender health gap and overcoming issues like the misdiagnosis of diseases in women, increasing women’s representation in clinical trials, and advocating for greater financial investment in women’s health are all crucial steps in building a more equal healthcare system for all. Today, we’re joined by board members of the World Economic Forum’s Global Alliance for Women’s Health to discuss how building a more equitable healthcare system can drive meaningful change, improve healthcare for women, and create access to significant economic potential worldwide.In this episode, host Elisabeth Staudinger, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens Healthineers, is joined by fellow World Economic Forum’s Global Alliance for Women’s Health board members Nadia Fettah, Minister of Economy and Finance for the Government of Morocco and Shyam Bishen, Head of the Centre for Health & Healthcare at the World Economic Forum.What you’ll learn in this episode:Despite living longer, women spend 25% more time in poor health than menWomen are twice as likely to be misdiagnosed after having a heart attack than men. Along with misdiagnosis and premature discharge, female cardiac patients are also less likely to be prescribed secondary prevention measures after experiencing a cardiac eventHow the Global Alliance for Women's Health is pooling together efforts in research, regulation and funding to close the gender healthcare gap Success stories that give hope on the path to healthcare equalityConnect with Elisabeth StaudingerLinkedInConnect with Nadia Fettah LinkedInConnect with Shyam BishenLinkedIn

Sepsis, originally known as blood poisoning, is a life-threatening medical emergency. Tune in to learn about the complexities of sepsis diagnosis, the role of lactate and procalcitonin levels, and the global health challenge it poses. Hear from experts and a sepsis survivor about the advancements in identifying and managing this critical condition. Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. It occurs when a pre-existing infection triggers a chain reaction throughout a person's body. Sepsis can be difficult to diagnose because patients present different symptoms, and their observation can be subjective. According to the Global Sepsis Alliance, the disease contributes to approximately one in five deaths worldwide and in the United States alone; it stands as the leading cause of death in hospitals, leading to one in three hospital fatalities. Compounding these mortality rates is a rise in antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance due to overuse or misuse. Today, we’re joined by experts in the field of diagnostics and critical care as well as a sepsis patient and advocate in order to more acutely understand the disease, its diagnosis, and the advancements in the field.In this episode, host Ranga Sampath, Senior Vice President and Head of the Center for Innovation in Diagnostics at Siemens Healthineers and Member of the Board of the Sepsis Alliance, welcomes:Heike Spreter-Krick a sepsis survivor who is now a patient advocate working with the Global Sepsis AlliancePatti DeJuilio, Director of Respiratory Care and Diagnostic Services at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, IllinoisDr. Eric Gluck, Director of Critical Care Services at Swedish Hospital and professor of medicine at Finch University of Health Sciences at The Chicago Medical SchoolMervyn Singer, professor of intensive care medicine at University College London What you’ll learn in this episode:The timing of diagnosis and treatment is critical because sepsis creates oxygen deprivation in the cells.Risk factors like age and comorbidities can increase the likelihood of a patient developing sepsis.The biomarker procalcitonin can be used as an identifier for sepsis infection.Lactate levels, a chemical naturally produced by the body during times of stress, can be used as one indicator among others that a patient may be experiencing sepsis.In the UK, the National Early Warning Score helps closely monitor patients at risk for developing sepsis.IV antibiotics have long been the gold standard for sepsis treatment, but they are at risk of overuse and misuse.For many patients, surviving a sepsis infection is just the beginning of a long road to recovery.Connect with Ranga SampathLinkedInConnect with Heike Spreter-KrickInstagramConnect with Patti DeJuilioLinkedInConnect with Mervyn SingerLinkedIn

Regular exercise is one of the most effective methods to keep the heart healthy and efficient. In rare cases, however, there are reports of athletes collapsing mid-game due to cardiac arrest. And while exercise is generally also a key part of the rehabilitation process for those who’ve experienced cardiac events, caution should still be taken. This is where physician input is important, and where testing and regular monitoring can be implemented to reduce the risk of further events. Today, we’re joined by experts in the fields of sports cardiology and exercise physiology, as well as an athlete with firsthand experience in the matter, to draw attention to the topic of cardiac health and how it pertains to sports medicine. In this episode, host Myra Cocker, Assistant Professor of Cardiology at Houston Methodist Hospital and Global Director of Clinical Science for Cardiovascular Ultrasound at Siemens Healthineers, welcomes Dr. Jonathan Kim, Associate Professor and Founding Director at Emory University Sports Cardiology and Team Cardiologist for Georgia Tech, the Atlanta Falcons, Hawks, and Braves; as well as Dr. Dominique Hansen, Professor of Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology in Cardiometabolic Diseases at Universiteit Hasselt in Belgium and Secretary of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology; and retired professional soccer player and cardiology patient Daniel Engelbrecht.  What you’ll learn in this episode:How cardiac risk can affect older and younger elite athletes differentlyCardiac events can stem from myocarditis, caused by an infectious disease.Red flag symptoms when it comes to cardiac events while exercising, including intense chest pressure or loss of consciousnessThe use of Automated External Defibrillators is a critical first response strategy in the event of cardiac arrest.Implementation of an exercise program can be essential when treating a patient who has experienced, or is at risk for, cardiovascular disease.For patients who have suffered from major cardiac events, their timeline for return to sports or intense physical activity is heavily dependent on a number of individual factors.Connect with Myra CockerLinkedInConnect with Jonathan KimLinkedInConnect with Dominique HansenLinkedInConnect with Daniel EngelbrechtLinkedIn

Every year, more than 12 million people suffer from strokes. With 6.5 million dead and many left with permanent disability, it is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Today, we’ll learn about the stroke pathway and secondary stroke risk as well as the underlying diseases that are connected to stroke and how they can be identified and treated.In this episode, host Wiebke Plenkers, product line head for ON THE SPOT, Siemens Healthineers global mobile CT solutions, is joined by Mira Katan, MD, head of Stroke Unit and deputy head of Acute Neurology at University Hospital Basel in Switzerland and Carlos Molina, MD, head of Neurology Section and director of Stroke Unit at Barcelona’s Vall d’Hebron Research Institute.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:The pathway for an incoming patient after it is determined that they are suffering from a strokeDetermining the type and severity of the stroke is an important deciding factor for successful treatmentModern imaging techniques support in the identification between an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke Secondary stroke events are a significant risk for many stroke patients Educating patients is key in preventing secondary stroke eventsImplementation of telemedicine is just one of the advances that might improve outcomes for stroke patients in the futureConnect with Wiebke Plenkers •LinkedInConnect with Mira Katan •LinkedInConnect with Carlos Molina •LinkedIn

In medical imaging, there is a constantly growing gap between the need for diagnostic imaging and the availability of specialist staff. At the same time, groundbreaking developments in the field of artificial intelligence continue to transform the face of the imaging field as we know it. In fact, AI is currently being used as an efficient and cost-reducing solution to a variety of industry challenges.Today, you’ll hear several panel conversations discussing generative AI in radiology, recorded live at the European Congress of Radiology. Held this year in Vienna, the ECR is one of the leading events in radiology as well as one of the world’s largest international meetings of radiology professionals, radiographers, physicists, and industry representatives.In this episode, host Fabian Schoeck, Head of Global Product Management for Artificial Intelligence Products at Siemens Healthineers, is joined by Dr. Johannes Haubold, Senior Physician for Clinical AI Integration at University Hospital Essen and Isabelle Ayx, a Senior Radiologist at University Medical Center Mannheim, all based in Germany. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:The potential and the limitations of generative AI in radiologyAI can be used to help with early detection Generative AI can transform clinical workflowsHow can AI can pave the way for more accurate and efficient diagnosticsArtificial intelligence can process massive amounts of data, allowing for huge advantages to researchWhat’s coming next in AI development for the radiology fieldConnect with Fabian SchoeckLinkedInConnect with Johannes HauboldLinkedInConnect with Isabelle AyxLinkedIn

The carbon footprint of healthcare has been estimated to be 4 to 5% of the worldwide total. To put this number into perspective, if “healthcare” was a country, it would be the fifth largest emitter in the world, coming in just behind China, the United States, India, and Russia. Today we face pressing global issues like climate change and an energy crisis, that impact our health and wellbeing. It becomes crucial then, that the healthcare industry not only takes responsibility for health, but also actively works towards reducing the impact of the environment on people’s health – especially by reducing emissions and consumption of resources.In this episode, Shikha Pillai, Global Head of Sustainability at Siemens Healthineers, is joined by Dr. Elmar Merkle, Head of the Department of Radiology and Chief Physician for Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland; as well as Dr. Christopher Hess, Chair of the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California San Francisco; and Dr. Clemens Juettner, Chief Sustainability Officer at Sana Kliniken in Munich. These experts in radiology and sustainability are talking about what the sector is doing to implement consumption-reducing measures that can lead to not only operational efficiency, but also contribute significantly to our sustainable future.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:      •     For hospitals around the globe, the perpetual “idling” state of imagining machines contributes to the huge carbon footprint of radiology departments.      •     On a global average, one hospital bed consumes the same amount of energy as four family homes annually.      •     Major strides have been made toward more energy efficient imaging machines, but the most pressing issue is encouraging their use by the medical community.      •     The production and delivery of imaging equipment can have massive environmental repercussions.       •     It’s not just carbon footprint that can be reduced by greener radiology practices: cost is also a crucial factor.Connect with Shikha Pillai·   LinkedInConnect with Clemens Juettner·   LinkedInConnect with Christopher Hess·   LinkedInConnect with Elmar Merkle·   LinkedIn

Urine is more than a natural waste product—it can provide a wealth of information about an individual’s overall health, and urinalysis is one of the oldest diagnostic tests in existence. Its use has been dated as far back as Mesopotamia and ancient Greek physician Hippocrates wrote extensively about the use of urinalysis in diagnosing disease in the 6th century BCE. Today, urinalysis can be used to detect a number of diseases and ailments including urinary tract infections, kidney disease, diabetes, and bladder cancer. In this episode, Will Hutt, Head of Primary Care, Acute Rapid & Decentralized Urinalysis at Siemens Healthineers, is joined by Nancy Brunzel, a medical laboratory scientist and author of the book Fundamentals of Urine and Body Fluid Analysis and Jon Stradinger, director of assay development for point of care at Siemens Healthineers. We’ll also hear from two experts interviewed for Siemens Healthineers’ recent five-part docuseries about the history of urinalysis: Medical Author and Educator Connie Mardis and Kelly St. Vrain, the head of marketing operations for diagnostics at Siemens Healthineers. They’re discussing the current state of urinalysis, where it could go in the future, and what it all means for the overall patient experience.Watch Siemens Healthineers’ five-part docuseries Urine, A Liquid Lens into Your Health What You’ll Learn in This Episode:           •         Urinalysis is cost-effective and non-invasive—two reasons it is such a popular diagnostic tool.           •         Urinalysis can play an integral role in the early detection of serious diseases.           •         Advances in urinalysis such as automated test strip readers have brought new innovations in the consistency and quality control of the test.           •         There is a lot of potential for the role that artificial intelligence may come to play in interpreting the data of urinalysis results.           •         Urinalysis has existed for millennia, but it will remain an invaluable tool in healthcare.Connect with Will Hutt·     LinkedInConnect with Nancy Brunzel·     LinkedInConnect with Jon Stradinger·     LinkedInConnect with Kelly St. Vrain·     LinkedInConnect with Connie Mardis·     LinkedIn

A vast number of cancer patients will undergo radiotherapy during their treatment process. Because of this, experts are searching for ways to treat patients as effectively as they can through radiotherapy while also reducing the treatment’s side effects as much as possible. One answer to this is adaptive radiotherapy. Recent advancements in AI and imaging technology have refined the process and made new solutions possible. These advancements have made it easier for healthcare professionals to adapt treatment to real-time images of the patient's anatomy. This helps to preserve the health of organs surrounding the targeted area and treat patients more effectively.Today, Sasa Mutic, Senior Vice President at Varian Medical Systems, a Siemens Healthineers company, is joined by Dr. Eric Horwitz, Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Temple University and Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia; Jennifer Pursley, Medical Physicist and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School; and Kirsten Offereins-van Harten, a senior radiotherapeutic technician at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands. They discuss how advancements in adaptive radiology technology have transformed the patient experience and the field as a whole—and where it may take us in the future.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:Adaptive radiotherapy allows real time scans of a patient in order to better, more precisely treat tumors.Improvement of imaging technology advances the ability to contour organs, which is a major aid in avoiding collateral damage around the target.Adaptive radiotherapy has the potential to reduce the ill effects of typical radiological treatments by focusing on a more precise target, therefore allowing patients to maintain their quality of life.Adaptive radiotherapy greatly changes the way that providers work together to create a treatment path. Artificial intelligence can potentially expedite the process of adaptive radiotherapy by allowing for a more accurate picture of the contours around affected organs. Connect with Sasa MuticLinkedInConnect with Dr. Eric HorwitzLinkedInConnect with Jennifer Pursley, PhDLinkedInConnect with Kirsten Offereins-van HartenLinkedIn