Neglect of patients by hospital staff is often unintended but can have fatal consequences. To prevent it, Inspiren, a startup, has developed a smart device that uses computer vision, deep learning and motion recognition to monitor medical environments. With a 360° view, this digital assistant watches everything that happens in a hospital room, detects whether nurses are present, indicates the patient’s clinical parameters and spots any sign of discomfort or distress. iN is connected to an analytics platform, enabling hospitals to make sure every patient gets the care they need. The system is currently running in a hospital in Queens, New York.
Tech-based management obviously raises ethical questions over surveillance. Under the trend we call Interface Zero, smaller and smaller devices are increasingly part of our homes, workplaces and public spaces. They capture multiple types of data to appraise a situation and act accordingly, with no human intervention (Decision Zero). What purpose are they serving? What criteria govern the algorithm that decides whether a healthcare professional should be penalised, for example? In addition to improving patient care, what is the hospital’s goal: staff appraisal, remote control, cost savings?
Sources :
https://www.fastcompany.com/90204532/patient-neglect-kills-this-ai-could-stop-it
https://www.technology-innovators.com/inspiren/