The invention of Professor Samira A. Rahimi was selected among the 11 winning projects of Roche Canada’s Innovating Challenge to Counter COVID-19 competition. It will be tested next month with around sixty patients in Quebec and Ontario, for a period of three to six months.
In the two provinces, between 70 and 80% of deaths attributable to the coronavirus have occurred in care centers for the elderly, recalled Ms. Rahimi.
“We wanted to find a way to very quickly identify people who have COVID-19 in these establishments,” she explained. With artificial intelligence, we can monitor vital signs in real time. ”
Ms. Rahimi’s “AiCoV19: AI-empowered Real-time COVID-19 Symptom Monitoring and Prediction among Senior Residents” program harnesses artificial intelligence and what is called the “Internet of Medical Things”. Wearable technologies, such as bracelets and other sensors, and computer networks are linked through the internet to generate real-time interaction between beneficiaries and caregivers.
The project therefore makes it possible to follow, monitor and predict symptoms and asymptomatic changes in the elderly. The device alerts caregivers when symptoms of COVID-19 are detected and / or predicted, and stays on the lookout for any signs of decompensation.
For example, if the data shows a change or deterioration in vital signs, such as fever or shortness of breath, the smart system will notify those responsible.
“The data collected is automatically transmitted to the platform. Everything is done in real time, Ms. Rahimi said. In the platform, we analyze the data (…) with artificial intelligence and we can send an alarm to the nursing staff to tell them that something is wrong. “
Home care for seniors
The usefulness of the device is not limited to the fight against the coronavirus, however, since Ms. Rahimi believes that the technology could be exploited to promote the maintenance of seniors at home.
“We could also use that to monitor the health of people at home,” she said. It would be very useful in telemedicine. (…) With artificial intelligence, we can predict whether something is likely to go wrong, for example the next day or the following week. “
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