Stress sensor for seriously ill patients to provide rapid assistance
New sensor system to detect stress levels in dementia patients / Around two million euros in funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
People with severe dementia or other seriously ill patients are often unable to call for help in stressful situations. In order to recognize such stressful situations at an early stage, the "iSenDi" research consortium is developing a system that is designed to recognize and alert bedridden patients to distress in the form of pain, shortness of breath or anxiety attacks. The development of this system, led by the Department of Palliative Care at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research with 1.96 million euros for three years since April 2016. A total of eight partners from academia, medical care and industry are involved. iSenDi stands for 'Intelligent Sensor and Monitoring System for the Detection of Distress'.
A barely perceptible sensor mat placed under the bed sheet is used to record vital data such as heart rate, breathing and moisture. If stress-related changes are detected, the caregivers are to be informed immediately. "Nursing care for patients who are unable to ask for help independently requires a high level of attention from nursing staff and family carers. In many cases, however, this cannot be adequately ensured," says iSenDi Network Director Prof. Dr. Gerhild Becker, Medical Director of the Department of Palliative Care at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. "iSenDi is intended to relieve the burden on nursing care staff and relatives and provide patients with faster help in stressful situations - in clinical settings, nursing homes and at home." To ensure this, the system should be easy to use.
"The biggest challenge will be to teach the system the difference between stressful and normal situations," says project initiator Dr. Jan Gärtner, senior physician at the Department of Palliative Care at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. Project coordinator Titus Sparna points out the opportunities that arise from the collaboration between partners from industry and universities: "iSenDi opens up new ways of working together so that ideas developed at the bedside can be implemented more quickly in new products and thus benefit patients". Long-term cooperation is being sought with the project partners, most of whom are regional.
To ensure privacy and data protection, the measurement data will only be evaluated on the device's internal computer. In addition to the technical development, the project is also investigating the acceptance and ethical assessment of such a system.
The Department of Palliative Care, the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy and the Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg are involved in the consortium. The Medical Center - University of Freiburg is receiving a total of 700,000 euros in funding for the project.
Contact:
Titus Sparna
iSenDi Project Coordinator
Department of Palliative Care
Medical Center - University of Freiburg
Phone: 0761 270-34431
titus.sparna@uniklinik-freiburg.de
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