Background:
Patients at the gastro-surgical department often undergo complex surgical procedures and are vulnerable to postoperative complications. Changes in the patient's vital parameters, such as pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature, can be early indicators of complications and are linked to negative patient outcomes. By detecting changes early, healthcare personnel can quickly take measures to prevent the development of critical illness. At the ward, nurses therefore measure vital signs regularly. Continuous monitoring, in contrast to periodic and manual monitoring, means that patients are connected to sensors and devices that continuously measure vital parameters. AI can then analyze the data in real time and notify the nurse if changes are significant. AI-based continuous monitoring can in this way improve the response to changes and reduce nurses' time spent on manual monitoring. This can generally increase the efficiency of monitoring and possibly improve patient safety.
Objectives:
The main objective of the project is to improve the working methods among healthcare personnel in the ward by implementing sensor technology and AI. The project aims to improve workflow and relieve staff so that i) nurses can feel safer at work and experience less stress, and ii) patients receive better follow-up and monitoring than we have today.
Project partners:
The project is a collaboration between the gastro-surgical department (UNN, Tromsø), The Norwegian centre for clinical artificial intelligence (SPKI), and E-helse-, samhandlings- og innovasjonssenteret (ESI).