This text is part of the special Health Innovation section
As healthcare systems around the world are under more pressure than ever before due to the COVID-19 pandemic, technological innovations can make a difference on the ground. Here are two developed in Quebec that integrate the Internet of Things to face day-to-day management challenges.
Better patient management thanks to Bluetooth
Winding corridors in which several very contagious COVID-19 patients must be transported in the midst of pandemic turmoil: this was the reality at Charles-Le Moyne hospital, in Longueuil, as in many other hospitals, in the spring of 2020.
To improve the management of the circulation of infected patients, Humanitas Solutions has installed a Bluetooth system there. “By putting trackers on the stretchers of COVID-19 patients, we always know where they are located and we have installed a system of smart lamps that light up red in the corridors where we transport a COVID-19 patient to manage the travel more easily and more safely, ”explains Dr Abdo Shabah, founder of Humanitas Solutions.
Staff can also wear a tracker on their uniform, or use their cell phone by connecting to wifi to be recognized by the system. Trackers communicate with small terminals that are plugged into sockets that do not require you to run electrical wires or be connected to the Internet.
After the deployment of this technology at Charles-Le Moyne hospital in the midst of a pandemic, Humanitas Solutions is preparing to install it at Haut-Richelieu hospital, which is also part of the Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS ) of Montérégie-Center.
The company will soon extend the use of the system to time-dependent clinical processes, such as those of acute cerebrovascular accidents (strokes), myocardial infarctions or traumas. “Every minute saved can save lives in these cases, so our Bluetooth tracker system can help improve organization and coordination between professionals and different sectors of the hospital in order to improve the quality of care offered” , says Dr Shabah.
It was during a humanitarian mission in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake that he observed that working conditions in the field were greatly affected by the lack of technological means. He therefore created Humanitas Solutions in 2013 in order to develop technological tools for the humanitarian sector without suspecting that they could be adapted for use in a hospital in the Montreal region in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company’s tools make it possible to collect and process large amounts of data in real time, in particular using the Internet of Things. As these tools were designed to be deployed in times of crisis, they can be used easily without complex training.
Intelligent uniform management
Smart cabinets equipped with RFID (radiofrequency identification) technologies to manage the uniforms of medical staff in hospitals: this is one of the research projects carried out by Internet of Things specialist Ygal Bendavid and simulation specialist Yasmina Maïzi , both professors in the Department of Analytics, Operations and Information Technologies of the School of Management Sciences (ESG) at UQAM.
The project, carried out in partnership with the CIUSSS du Center-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, which includes the Jewish General Hospital, began before the pandemic.
“But, when the COVID-19 crisis hit, the need for uniforms jumped in hospitals, and it became very difficult to order them, so all of a sudden our research project generated a lot of interest. , explains Ygal Bendavid. We had just realized that we had a lot to gain from better management of uniforms in hospitals. “
Traditionally, uniforms are stored in a cupboard where employees help themselves. However, in addition to thefts and losses, it can be common to see “squirrel syndrome” where the employee takes more than what they need, just in case. The chips, placed on the uniforms, make it possible to know where the clothes are and to prevent them from leaving the hospital.
In addition, smart dispensers prevent employees from handling stock, thus reducing the risk of contamination.
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