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The system allows the care provider to select a preset computer-image boundary around the patient’s bed that will allow the technology to alarm the care provider whenever the patient crosses that boundary (i.e. gets out of bed). The SCS is envisioned to provide assistance to care providers in several healthcare scenarios.
The Smart Camera System and Patient Safety
The SCS is expected to have many beneficial contributions to Patient Safety, one of which is identifying patients when they increase their risk for falling. Patient falls in hospital are a significant problem which can increase a patient’s length of hospital stay, morbidity, risk of mortality, quality-of-life and transition difficulties back to the community. Falls rank second in incidence only to medication errors (Dr. Deb White, personal communication) for acute care facility patients. There is no current technology nor clinical process to identify patients at risk for falling, prior to the fall. Currently there are no technologies or clinical processes that identify patients at risk for falling, prior to the fall.
Research Background
Following an extensive pre-clinical evaluation of the SCS which will beconducted on Unit 36, the study will focus on: whether the system reliably and consistently detects a patient's movement of leaving their hospital bed, how easy or difficult it is to set up the system (in a real ward setting) and if the system is tolerable for privacy considerations when placed in a patient's room.
For healthcare applications, the SCS is designed for video monitoring only. For the purpose of this study, in order to gain proof of concept, video capturing is required to verify the accuracy and reliability of the system. privacy is maintained with a bedside touch screen where staff (or patients) can easily turn the video capture off and on again to allow for appropriate bedside clinical care activities.
All video images captured by the SCS are purposefully blurred to protect individual privacy. There is no audio recording or receiving capability. For the purpose of this study, the video data storage disc will be removed from the video processor at the end of each day and stored in a secure place overnight.
Outcomes from this initial assessment will inform future studies.
Questions?
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