Computer vision monitoring solution deployed in Brussels hospital to support elderly patients
Care technology specialist Kepler Vision Technologies has partnered with Belgian medical device company Innomediq, which will see UZ Brussel (University Hospital Brussels) use Kepler’s Night Nurse technology to monitor the wellbeing of elderly patients.
The Kepler Night Nurse (KNN) solution is a computer vision-based body language detection system able to detect falls, patient discomfort, and when patients have entered areas they are not supposed to.
In response, it instantly notifies care staff so that they can respond quickly, minimising the chance of harm for clients. For example, if an elderly person falls in the night, the AI-powered KNN image analysis program will immediately identify when they are on the ground and send an automated message to staff member alerting them to assist.
This technology cuts down false alarms by 99.9 percent, Kepler Vision Technologies says, reducing the unnecessary workload on care staff while empowering them to more effectively look after the wellbeing of patients.
Dr Harro Stokman, CEO and Founder of Kepler Vision Technologies, said: “This is an extraordinarily exciting period for us at Kepler Vision as we see our cutting-edge patient monitor solution employed in a hospital for the first time.
“Since the first successful application in a care home environment, we were aware of the wider applications and benefits our technology could provide other medical and healthcare adjacent facilities and organizations, so to see this in practice marks an important next step for us as a business.
“Our work with UZ Brussel is also an important component of our international expansion, as we continue to bring the benefits of the Kepler Night Nurse solution to care staff and patients around the world in 2023.”
Kepler’s deployment with UZ Brussel marks the first time the solution has been used in a hospital setting, which has been made possible by Innomediq. At present, KNN is in use monitoring nine one-person rooms with ongoing tests to determine the optimal work procedure for two double rooms within the hospital.
Jan van den Bergh from Innomediq added: “The Kepler technology brings a unique and innovative expansion of the possibilities for monitoring the well-being and safety of patients.
“Within that framework, the Kepler Night Nurse is a wonderful technology which enables us to take patient follow-ups to the next level, and in this way improve the quality of care and patient safety.
“Within hospitals and beyond, understanding and managing medical alerts is critical to making such a technology successful for both users and patients. Innomediq is specialises in this and is therefore extremely suitable as a partner for all healthcare institutions for such technology.”
According to the manufacturer, KNN is the world’s first computer vision-based fall detector to be awarded medical device status. Its computer vision powered software officially registered as a medical device in compliance with the European council directive 93/42/EEC.
Dr Harro Stokman, CEO and Founder of Kepler Vision Technologies, recently wrote an exclusive article for AT Today exploring whether the right people are being involved when implementing new assistive technology solutions. He explains why placing health and care staff at the heart of technology creation for patients is crucial for making solutions that genuinely improve patient outcomes and empower overstretched staff to stay in their roles. Read the article here.