# name
Development of an Ambient Intelligence Environment to improve Patient Safety in Critical Care

# metadata.dc.contributor.other[].value
Universitat de Barcelona. Facultat de Física

# metadata.dc.description.abstract[].value
[eng] In  the  late  1990's,  when  sophisticated  personal  computers  and  electronic  devices with  miniaturized  sensors  were  being  mass  produced,  the  concept  of  ambient intelligence  (AmI)  emerged.  An  environment  that  has  AmI  is  a  space  containing objects  which  includes  technologies  that  are  not  visible  to  users,  and  which generates  intelligent  responses  when  appropriate.  When  people  interact  with  an AmI  environment,  they  intuitively  use  technologies  according  to  their  own  needs and  gain  more  awareness  of  their  actions,  thereby  improving  their  quality  of  life, comfort, and empowerment.  

Currently, healthcare professionals work inside a complex adaptive system in which the  clinical  environment  and  the  health  status  of  patients  vary  dynamically,  and resources are limited. This can generate an increasing number of adverse events as well  as  medical  errors  and  consequently  patients  are  more  exposed  to  potential harm  during  a  hospital  stay.  Many  researchers  are  creating  new  AmI  tools  to overcome  these  challenges.  This  is  especially  important  in  intensive  care  units (ICUs), where there are seriously ill patients who need advanced infrastructure and equipment to receive continuous clinical monitoring and treatment in as safe a way as  possible.  Three  out  of  every  ten  patients  in  an  ICU  suffer  some  type  of  clinical safety issue, which puts their lives at risk.  

In this context, the main aim of the work I present in this thesis is to develop an AmI environment  for  improving  the  efficiency  of  processes  related  to  patient  safety  in ICUs. I have written this thesis with the collaboration of the clinical and engineering 
 
team  of  the  Smart  ICU  at  the  Hospital  Cl(n 
 
ic  in  Barcelona  (HCB).  That  AmI 
 
environment is equipped mainly with technologies related to the Internet of Things (IoT)  that  provide  an  adaptive  and  dynamic  distribution  of  clinical  information based  on  the  role  and  location  of  each  professional  as  well  as  the  clinical  health status of patients.  

I divided the development of this thesis into three phases. Firstly, I designed, built, and  tested  a  prototype  to  simulate  the  AmI  environment  in  a  laboratory  setting, considering the main patient safety issues which arise in ICUs. I considered 5 patient safety issues: a code blue, a code red, a code pink, control of nosocomial infections and drug-related errors. Secondly, that prototype was adapted and implemented in a Smart ICU at HCB. Thirdly, I collected and analysed data generated by the AmI. It is important to highlight that part of the data collection and analysis related to the AmI environment took place during the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic (Covid- 19).  

To summarize, my thesis evaluates the efficiency of the use of new technologies to improve patient safety processes in critical care. It improves clinical and educational standards  in  terms  of  patient  safety  processes  at  the  unit  concerned.  Moreover,  it enables  quantification  of  events  related  to  patient  safety  as  well  as  heightening awareness of them.

# metadata.dc.description.abstract[].value
[spa] A finales de la década de 1990, cuando las computadoras personales y los dispositivos electrónicos se producían en masa, el concepto de inteligencia en el entorno (AmI – Ambient Intelligence en inglés) surgió. Un entorno que contiene AmI es un espacio con objetos que incluyen tecnologías, invisibles para los usuarios, y que les generan respuestas inteligentes cuando sea necesario.
 
Actualmente, los profesionales sanitarios están trabajando dentro de un sistema complejo adaptativo en el que el entorno clínico y el estado de salud del paciente varían dinámicamente. Esto es especialmente importante en las Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos (UCIs), donde hay pacientes gravemente enfermos que necesitan infraestructuras y equipos avanzados para recibir monitorización de la forma más segura posible. 
 
En este contexto, el objetivo principal del trabajo que presento en esta tesis es desarrollar un entorno AmI para mejorar la eficiencia en los procesos relacionados con la seguridad del paciente en las UCIs. He elaborado esta tesis con la colaboración del equipo de la UCI inteligente del Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (HCB). El desarrollo de esta tesis se ha dividido en tres fases. En primer lugar, he diseñado, construido y probado un prototipo para simular el entorno AmI en un escenario de laboratorio considerando los principales problemas de seguridad clínica que ocurren en las UCIs. En segundo lugar, este prototipo ha sido adaptado e implementado en una UCI inteligente del HCB. En tercer lugar, he recogido y analizado los datos generados por el entorno inteligente. 
   
En conclusión, mi tesis evalúa la eficiencia del uso de nuevas tecnologías para mejorar los procesos de seguridad clínica en cuidados críticos, mejora los estándares clínicos y educativos sobre los procesos de seguridad del paciente en esta unidad y, finalmente, permite cuantificar los eventos relacionados con la seguridad clínica, así como ganar más conciencia sobre ellos.

# metadata.dc.rights[].value
cc by-nc-sa (c) Corrêa Volpini, Bruna, 2022

# metadata.dc.title[].value
Development of an Ambient Intelligence Environment to improve Patient Safety in Critical Care