Design of a monitoring system for mobility, health & safety
Information
Author: Vicuña Contany, I.V.C.
Contributor: Van der Cammer, T.J.M., Özcan Vieira, E.O.V., Münzer, T.M.
Faculty: Industrial Design Engineering
Department: Industrial Design
Programme: Master of Science Integrated Product Design
Type: Master thesis
Date: 2016-04-28
Keywords: monitoring | connection | Health care profession | geriatric patient | St. Gallen | Geriatrische Klinik St. Gallen A.G.
Abstract
Companion, a monitoring system for safety, health and mobility, which connects the HCP and the patient. The system is composed of two bands connecting the HCP and the patient, a patch for monitoring and a processing component called Abacus. Companion uses multivariate input, SpO2, RR, HR, acceleration, movement and location to look for several cues and redundant evidence of events such as falls and heart attacks, the patient might experience. The system automatically informs the specific HCP responsible of the patient when the latter is experiencing one of these events. The events are categorized as low and high Degree of Need of Assistance (DoNA) depending on their severity and urgency. By sending the warning to the HCP instead of triggering an audio warning in the facilities of the hospital and informing beforehand of the severity of the event (low/high DoNA event), the HCP is subjected to less mental fatigue (American Nurses Asso¬ciation, 2002; Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007).
During a low/high DoNA event, the patient’s and HCP’s bands generate visual, audio and haptic stimuli to trigger different emotions and actions to each of them. On one side it comforts and reassures the patient during the incident, on the other, it provides precise information needed to assist the patient to the HCP. Knowing the HCP will accurately and immediately respond in case of DoNA event, allows the patient to feel more secure, therefore more motivated to move and do activities by himself, enhancing the relation between HCP and patient and a better outcome after hospitalization. The collected and processed data used for monitoring the safety of the patient can be used to monitor mobility and health. The data is available on demand by the HCP and can give feedback about the progress of the patient as well as to create new tasks such as tracking medicine intake and locating the patient. The system monitors the safety, health and mobility of the patient, while enhancing the connection between the HCP and patient and reducing the number of stressors found in the hospital facilities.