Using Intelligent Video Technology to Reduce Risk

The average age of the global population is rising rapidly as the Baby Boomers generation continues to mature.
Throughout the world, this is increasing the demands on both public and private healthcare providers at a time when there is a decrease in qualified healthcare personnel. This imbalance is creating increasing strains on healthcare providers who are now turning to technology for solutions that will reduce patient risk.
United Protection provides a solution that monitors patients using smart video technology. The solution is a hardware/software system that is mounted in the patient’s room. It is essentially the closest product to artificial intelligence available on the market today. It uses video cameras to view the room and onboard software to monitor the patient. It can detect at risk behaviors such as when an Alzheimer’s patient or a restrained psychiatric patient leaves their bed and notifies nearby healthcare workers through on site equipment such including smart phones, pagers, radios or monitors at nursing stations.

The technology was developed in a real hospital setting with real hospital workers. The system uses cameras and a series of virtual trip wires and software rules to detect when a patient has fallen in their room. This then triggers and e-mail alert that is sent to the monitoring station usually located at the ward or the units nursing desk. It can also trigger notifications to other on site devices including PDAs so that the scheduled staff is notified of the event. United Protection’s system optimizes on site healthcare staff because it monitor patients 24/7.

The cameras have a series of privacy settings to protect the patient identity. This ensures that no passerby receives visual details of the patient that could create legal concerns. The cameras are also always recording what is happening in the room 24/7 and this footage can be retrieved for review and investigation. This visual evidence is critical when there are incidents between a staff member and a patient. This footage limits the legal risk of the facility since each frame is time and date stamped in a tamper-proof format so it is admissible in court. The system also has a built in tamper proof alert when a camera goes offline or the system is disconnected from its power source. When this happens, an alert will be sent within seconds to staff so they can go to the room to check the system.

The technology used for this solution is revolutionary since it detects texture changes versus most others that use frame to frame reference. It dissects the frame into a grid and identifies when a change in texture has occurred. This is why patient behavior, such as agitation, can be detected using    technology.
As the number of bed ridden patients continues to rise throughout the world, so does the risk and the costs associated with falls – especially amongst senior citizens. The Public Health Agency of Canada reported that in 1998, over $980 million was spent treating falls amongst seniors of the overall $2.4 billion direct costs spent on falls throughout the country. One hip fracture is estimated to cost between $24,400 and $28,000 in direct health costs.

The fall injury problem is amplified in the United States due to the larger population base. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports $19 billion was spent treating fall injuries for people 65 or older in 2000. That number is expected to skyrocket to $54.9 billion by 2020 (adjusted to 2007 dollars).

Patient falls generally occur either while the patient is getting into or out of bed or shortly after the patient has exited the bed. There are also a number of situations where patients are not allowed to get out of bed at all, especially when they are under intensive care or anesthetized.

Bed Exit alarms currently exist as built-in devices attached to beds or a device worn by the patient. The disadvantage with conventional bed exit technologies is that they use pressure sensing strips placed on the bed that can be misleading and generate multiple false alarms from patients adjusting their bed positions. Another shortcoming associated with sensors is their inability to accurately determine when an under or overweight patient has exited the bed. Wearable devices on the other hand cause discomfort to the patient and suffer from low compliance.

Patient trials using the United Protection technology were very successful since the system does not interfere with their bed or body at any time. All of the monitoring is done through the camera and a hardware device known as a SmrtDVR. Nothing needs to be worn on the body or attached to the bed which is required by other competing technologies. The SmrtDVR can also receive data from other monitoring devices and notify when a patient is having respiratory distress.

“Using this technology with remote monitoring stations will go a long ways towards solving problems of patient falls. Having alarms that will go off to alert healthcare workers when there is a patient waking up in the middle of the night to go to the washroom may be a key preventive strategy for this group of patients”

Dr. John Conly, M.D., Regional Clinical Department Head of Medicine, Calgary Health Region

The United Protection technology goes far beyond just a Bed Exit alarm since it can detect behavior, notify staff of a problem then allow staff to connect to the technology at the site. As a result, this solution can also be used to enhance private healthcare facilities or to support independent living. The cameras can detect when a patient in an elderly home is interacting with their medication or the stove. Using about four cameras, the patient can be monitored in their primary living areas to detect behavior and to provide alerts if they have fallen or are taking unscheduled doses of medication.

Healthcare providers can also connect to the room cameras at any time to check on the patient. A two way voice system can be installed to talk to the patient or receive information from them. Access to the cameras can also be given through a secure login to family members for peace of mind. They can then login any time of day through Internet access or their hand-helds to check on their family member. This visual access would also significantly boost the “quality” client experience for this type of private care facility.

Other benefits include:

• 24/7 patient monitoring
• Optimize nursing resources
• Incident recording • Increase patient privacy
• Enable early release of patients
• Prevention of falls and broken hips
• Detect wandering patients
• Integrates with TeleHealth
• Integrates with the existing facility infrastructure