Early Health Technology Assessment of an Osteoporosis Screening Machine using Machine Learning
End : 15 December 2025
Early Health Technology Assessment of an Osteoporosis Screening Machine using Machine Learning
About Project
Osteoporosis is one of the major public health problems in Thailand, particularly among postmenopausal women and the continuously increasing elderly population. This condition causes a significant disease burden from fractures, leading to patient disability, reduced quality of life, and high expenditures for both the patients themselves and the healthcare system. Although bone mineral density (BMD) measurement using Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) and the FRAX® program currently serve as key guidelines for diagnosis, gaps still remain in the current screening system because many patients do not receive screening before becoming symptomatic. Furthermore, the use of the standard DXA is constrained by the limited availability of devices and personnel in the country.
To address this medical gap, a team of developers from the Thai Biomedical Engineering Association has conducted research and developed an innovative machine learning osteoporosis screening device. It functions as a screening tool to assist physicians in risk assessment, thereby enhancing accessibility and accuracy in identifying individuals at risk of fractures from an early stage.
The primary objective of this research is to understand the disease burden, patient care, and screening gaps, while also conducting an early health technology assessment (early HTA) and developing Target Product Profile recommendations to guide the direction of innovation development to effectively meet the needs of the Thai public health system.
