IBM is teaming up with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology to develop monitoring software that would closely observe and predict the health status of premature babies during their most critical time.
From a press release:
Monitoring “preemies” as a patient group is especially important as certain life-threatening conditions such as infection can be detected up to 24 hours in advance by observing changes in physiological data streams.
The type of information that will come out of the research project is not available today. Currently, physicians monitoring preemies rely on a paper-based process that involves manually looking at the readings from various monitors and getting feedback from the nurses providing care.
“This research has the potential to reatly impact neonatal care through reduced mortality and morbidity rates and overall health-care costs,” said Dr. McGregor [Dr. Carolyn McGregor, a University of Ontario Institute of Technology associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Health Informatics –ed.]. “By merging our research and technology, we are able to collect more detailed patient data in a systematic manner, do online health analysis and decision support, and get advanced early warning of emerging patterns that could predict a medical event.”
When fully developed, IBM’s software will be capable of processing the 512 readings per second generated by some of these medical devices, and UOIT researchers will further test and develop its ability to analyze these vast quantities of data in real time.
Initially researchers will use NICU medical devices in UOIT’s state-of-the-art Health Informatics Laboratory to test IBM’s software using simulated patient mirroring data. Then the software will be tested using de-identified actual patient data. The de-identified data is recorded in a way that enables researchers to alter some variables, play it back and run simulations for further study.
Press release: First-of-a-Kind Technology to Help Doctors Care for Premature Babies….
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