Innovation
"We aim at keeping our finger on the pulse of the technology and business trends. Thus, together with universities and industrial partners, we shape the future through various partially government funded projects. Among the healthcare-related topics, civil security is one of our favorites."
During mass casualty incidents, there is an acute demand for medical resources. In these cases, the initial personnel deficit might hamper the individual treatment of the victims. One of the aims of FALKE is to generate an overview of the situation and to strategically define priorities for assistances. For this purpose, we are developing a drone capable of identifying and triaging victims. The latter (triage) should be carried out by means of camera-based techniques and telemedicine. Website: https://projekt-falke.org/ (only in German).
Civil defense emergencies of national importance such as terror attacks, military conflicts, fires and natural disasters as well as local disaster situations are challenging for emergency personnel and executives. Initially, there is a lack of overview, resources for medical treatment are missing and new dangers for both the comrades’ and the own life are omnipresent. Available human and material resources are primarily used for basic life support. Depending on the severity resource balancing might take several days only then allowing individual medical treatment. Aside from the patient care CBRN incidents and terror attacks pose further challenges demanding the immediate support from special forces.
This feasibility study aims at assessing the employment of telemedicine in civil defense emergencies following the example of the telemedicine system established in Aachen. After an evaluation the emergency personnel will be equipped with technical devices allowing them to connect with the tele-senior EMS physician (TeleLNA) as well as other tele-EMS physicians by use of a Tele-SAN app. They are immediately available and able to consult the on-site emergency personnel from afar without losing time about triage, first-aid and individual medical treatment such as the analgesia in cases of thermal traumas. Further specialists like Chemists or Policemen are also able to log on to the system in order to give advice without needing to be on-site. Not least, the TeleSAN-App should be available for the own smartphone providing professionals as well as first responders with treatment guidelines and instructions allowing them to take action within their means and to the best of their knowledge.
Funding
Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK)
Project duration: 05/2020 - 04/2023
In the AUDIME project, the use of smart glasses and augmented reality as assistance for mass incidents of injuries was investigated.
Mass casualty incidents are extreme challenges for all persons involved. The AUDIME smart glasses with integrated guideline visualization for reliable patient triage help here.
If further support is needed for the assessment or treatment of injured persons, the helper can directly contact a leading tele-physician. The tele-expert becomes part of the situation via the camera of the smart glasses and can support quickly.
A further problem in major emergencies is the organisation. Multiple triages, wrong dispositions and accidentially skipped patients are not uncommon. Therefore, all patients examined with AUDIME-glasses are automatically digitized and synchronized with the MedCast Cloud system.
Work Packages
The Audime project concluded with an exercise simulating a railway accident. Patients in one train section were inspected using conventional guidelines, whereas in the other one they were inspected using data goggles with an assisting Emergency TeleDoc. The simulation showed that patient inspection using data goggles proceeded at a slightly slower rate but improved data reliability and quality significantly.
Because of the simultaneous occurence of a demographic change and a shortage of skilled workers in the fields of medicine and nursing, providing medical care in nursing homes will become more challenging.
The project AIDA introduces an application of telemedical devices (TeleDoc Mobile Mount) in elderly care. The attending physicians will get a telemedical connection for routine visits and emergency consultations. Furthermore a telemedical emergency service will be installed for 24/7 availability in case the attending physicians are unobtainable. The goals of AIDA are a more efficient use of the capacities of medical and nursing home staff, an ergonomical evaluation of changes in elderly care and ensuring holistic care for patients. The model project AIDA prepares a broad practical introduction of telemedical visits in nursing homes as a standard.
Goals of the PriMed project are the development of concepts and the execution of initial feasibility studies for optimization measures of perioperative processes through a manufacturer-independent, open network. This will happen in the sense of hospital 4.0 developments. Part of this are integrated workstations for OR management, surgery and anaesthesia as well as OR care. Methods and interfaces for safe human-machine interaction will be used. Through combination and preparation of patient-, process- and device-specific individual data a situation-adaptive presentation of information will get reached.
