Changi General Hospital in Singapore is currently developing and validating AI algorithms to predict the likelihood of a patient’s deterioration as part of its intelligent remote health monitoring system.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The hospital has partnered with A*STAR medtech spinoff Respiree to develop a remote patient monitoring (RPM) system. This is one of the projects that CGH, Respiree and A*STAR are working on with the support of S$1.35 million (over $950,000) from the National Research Foundation of Singapore.
The RPM system has a wearable sensor to monitor the patient’s vital signs. It consists of a sensor patch and a finger oximeter linked to a central system or control panel at the nurse’s workstation, where they can view and check the status of any patient. any time. The system now measures breathing, oxygen saturation and heart rate, and is capable of flagging any unusual changes in vital parameters.
The accuracy and usability of the wearable sensor was confirmed in two studies involving controlled patients with respiratory illness and COVID-19. Its performance to measure respiratory rate has met the standard of the US Food and Drug Administration; temperature sensing capabilities will be added to sensors soon after confirmation.
Besides developing predictive algorithms, CGH is also looking to track a patient’s vital signs after discharge from the hospital in their home to facilitate continuity of care in a community setting.
WHY IT IMPORTANT
Monitoring vital signs can take up to three minutes per patient in a typical 40-bed general hospital ward. CGH intends to reduce that time by introducing an intelligent monitoring system that allows nurses to spend more time providing care or focusing on other important tasks. The system, it notes, is capable of saving “up to 12 hours” of time spent monitoring vital signs daily.
Besides optimizing time, the RPM system also provides early warning of a patient’s potential deterioration, which then allows clinicians to initiate early intervention.
TREND TO BIGGER
CGH has recently collaborated to develop innovative medical technologies to improve patient care and experience. Together with the Singapore University of Technology and Design, last year the hospital announced a sensor to detect bleeding from wounds in real time. Called Continuous Hemoglobin Blood Alert Technology (BWatch sensor), which combines the properties of hemoglobin with a moisture detection sensor to distinguish blood from other body fluids to detect bleeding.
In 2020, CGH combines with Integrated Health Information System to develop The AI predictor determines the severity of pneumonia in COVID-19 patients based on chest X-ray images.
