System for patient monitoring

Some of the deterioration leads to a transfer to intensive care, heart/respiration failure or death. The staff have patient monitors at their disposal, but the majority of the automatic readings are not used.

AIM

The vision for this project was to improve an existing prototype of a new patient monitoring system and to evaluate if the system reduces unexpected deterioration. The new system started out by using the existing models but ensured that no reading got lost. The readings were processed and boiled down to a colour system containing green, yellow, orange and red. Based on the development of the colours, the nurses could quickly spot patients with an increased risk of developing life-threatening complications.

ASSESSMENT

The system was evaluated in a randomised study across the Emergency Departments in Odense and Esbjerg during a period of nine months. During this period, all hospitalised patients were included (the goal was 10,500 patients). Subsequently, the effect of the system was evaluated from a clinical, technical and organisational perspective.

The project built upon results from a previous PhD project. The results of the PhD project and the new system has been mentioned in a wide range of Danish media, e.g. TV2 Fyn, Aktuel Naturvidenskab and Danish Nurses Organization’s Academic News.

PARTNERS

The project was based on Software Engineering by the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Institute (MMMI) at the Technical Faculty at the University of Southern Denmark, and it is a partnership between MMMI and the Emergency Research Unit at the Emergency Department of OUH.

EXTERNAL FUNDING

The previous PhD project was funded by Patient@home. This project was funded by SDU’s efforts for strategic growth areas.