THE INCREASING AGE OF THE POPULATION AND CHANGING POLICIES ON REIMBURSEMENT FOR HOSPITALIZATION HAVE SHIFTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF CLINICAL CARE TO PATIENTS AND FAMILIES.

THE INCREASING AGE OF THE POPULATION AND CHANGING POLICIES ON REIMBURSEMENT FOR HOSPITALIZATION HAVE SHIFTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF CLINICAL CARE TO PATIENTS AND FAMILIES. THESE CHANGES ARE CREATING A NEED FOR INEXPENSIVE, EASILY USED PRODUCTS TO SUPPORT THE DELIVERY OF NURSING SERVICES INTO HOME ENVIRONMENTS. THIS PROPOSAL INVOLVES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MONITORING SYSTEM TO ACQUIRE BASIC PHYSIOLOGICAL DATA, SUCH AS PULSE, RESPIRATION RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, BODY TEMPERATURE, AND CIRCULATORY STATUS FROM PATIENTS AT HOME. THE SYSTEM WILL DETECT DANGEROUS CLINICAL STATES AND WILL MAKE EXTENSIVE USE OF REDUNDANT SENSING TO COMPENSATE FOR POOR SENSOR APPLICATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE. THIS PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS MONITOR WILL BE USED IN MANY CLINICAL AREAS AS A STAND-ALONE DEVICE AND WILL LATER BECOME A MODULE OF A MORE COMPREHENSIVE HOME CARE SYSTEM. PHASE I WILL INCLUDE A STUDY TO SELECT THE PARAMETERS TO BE MONITORED AND THE MODALITIES TO BE USED IN THE MEASUREMENT, CONSTRUCTION, AND TESTING OF PROTOTYPE DEVICES, AND A CLINICAL EVALUATION PROGRAM. THE RESULTS OF PHASE I WILL PROVIDE THE DATA NECESSARY TO EVALUATE THE USE OF REDUNDANT SENSING MODALITIES TO INCREASE MEASUREMENT RELIABILITY AND ALSO TO DEVELOP SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE DESIGN OF A MARKETABLE PRODUCT.