A research team at Taipei Medical University (TMU) has begun using a “smart” wearable device that monitors patients’ health condition and helps stop violent acts by patients against hospital staff.
Two hundred and ninety-four cases of emergency room (ER) violence were reported last year, one-third of which were caused by people who were drunk, according to Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics.
Providing medical care to people who were drunk is often difficult, as they tend to exhibit emotional problems, said Li Yu-chuan (李友專), dean of the university’s College of Medical Science and Technology.
Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
Healthcare workers are also exposed to violent behavior from such patients, Li added.
Fighting among drunk patients occurs more often in the nation’s south, E-Da Hospital physician Lin Kuo-hsuan (林國軒) said.
Drunk people found on the streets are also taken to emergency rooms, further adding to the problem, Lin said.
Drunk people are often restless and might damage medical equipment or hurt healthcare workers, he said, adding that the patients need to be monitored until they sober up, as they might suffocate from vomiting or lose consciousness.
A collaborated clinical experiment involving TMU Hospital and E-da Hospital used a “smart” wearable device on drunk patients in the emergency room to monitor their heartbeat and make sure they were not in critical condition.
The device also allowed healthcare professionals to keep a safe distance from such patients.
Simulated “smart wards” are included in the college’s curriculum, allowing students to learn as if they are in an actual emergency room performing medical treatment, Chou Kuei-ru (周桂如) said, TMU College of Nursing dean.
“Smart” wearable devices are utilized in the simulations where patients’ vital signs can be checked without disturbing them, Chou said.
Li said the College of Medical Science and Technology also established a Healthcare Internet of Things (IoT) medical research alliance earlier this year, promoting “IoT in acute care” and “IoT in chronic care” using “smart” wearable devices.
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