Real-time Adaptive & Predictive Indicator of Deterioration (RAPID) A collaborative development by Birmingham Children’s Hospital, McLaren Applied Technologies Limited, Aston University, Isansys Lifecare Ltd & University of Birmingham
Abstract 1.5 million UK children are admitted to hospital every year. Approximately 650 suffer cardiac arrest and 2,900 will die in hospital. Early warning systems are recommended to reduce avoidable complications and death. To reduce or eliminate avoidable life-threatening illness developing in hospital, patients need to be identified reliably and quickly to people who can treat them effectively. We are combining the clinical expertise of a Specialist Children’s Hospital with the technology expertise of Formula One racing to monitor and care for children more effectively. This project will build upon prior work in Intensive Care where we have used McLaren Formula One technology to accentuate changes in monitored physiology and develop smart patient specific alarms (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18997318). We will have children in the cardiac wards continuously monitored with small wireless sensors. We will combine their vital sign information with other risks related to their general health and display this combined early warning to doctors and nurses. When children are deteriorating they can quickly be identified, the required expert can be called to the bedside and, if necessary, the child could be moved to High Dependency or Intensive Care.This study is to establish that we can collect continuous remote monitoring and act on it to improve patient outcomes. The benefits to patients participating in this study will be reduced duration of stay in hospital and Intensive Care, reduced acute life-threatening events, and less anxiety about intermittent observations or deterioration.Beyond this project, we will take the technology to the rest of the hospital patients and then out of the hospital to patients at home and paramedics at the roadside.