Remote patient monitoring is now a key application in medical spaces where cameras and AI are revolutionizing care delivery. This article will therefore discuss how the two technologies work together to make life easier for patients and caregivers.
Image Credit: e-con systems
The adoption of artificial intelligence is on the rise across all industries. Although today’s AI cannot compete with the cognitive capacity of the human brain, it has already begun to dominate when it comes to performing mundane and intelligent tasks – and the medical field is no exception to this rule. .
It has been exciting to see new and emerging applications and use cases where AI works in harmony with other technologies to enhance human experiences. One such application in the medical field is remote patient monitoring, in which AI leverages image and video data captured using camera modules to automate a series of tasks.
A closer look at these two technologies can reveal how AI has helped improve the experience of patients and caregivers. This information can also be used to see what the future of remote patient monitoring might look like with respect to the expanded use of AI and cameras.
The Old Vs The AI Enabled Remote Patient Monitoring Method
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is not a new concept and has been around for quite some time. However, the pandemic has accelerated (or rather forced) the establishment of the system in health establishments.
However, conventional RPM involves setting up a camera to broadcast video over a network to transmit to a display in another location for manual monitoring. Although it could help with patient monitoring, staff still needed to be available to view the display 24/7. These systems also lack any kind of analytical capabilities through the exploitation of data captured on the stream.
This is where AI can completely change things. The application of AI in remote patient monitoring has helped automate the process while collecting data that can then be fed into various types of ML (machine learning) based predictive models for inference.
The role of AI and cameras in improving the efficiency of remote patient monitoring devices
To effectively apply AI in remote patient monitoring scenarios, an evolution in embedded vision and camera technology was needed. From high-resolution cameras to NIR cameras and RGB-IR cameras, innovative on-board cameras have made it easy to capture high-quality images regardless of the lighting conditions in the patient room.
Remote monitoring of patients is based on one or more digital imaging solutions adapted and integrated into hospital networks. It allows healthcare workers to monitor multiple patients and clinical teams to assess patients’ status remotely.
By leveraging artificial intelligence, remote patient monitoring is advancing from basic monitoring to performing behavioral analytics such as fall detection, patient movement tracking, monitoring people in a bedroom, and more.
The patient’s behavior is then analyzed and categorized according to frameworks such as PeopleNet to prevent future falls from occurring.
Example scenario
Imagine a sedated patient trying to wake up from a hospital bed. An AI model trained to detect when patients leave a minimally conscious state can alert a caregiver or nurse for immediate attention.
This is facilitated by the continuous capture of patient behavior via video using the camera in the RPM device, thereby feeding the AI model with the appropriate image and video data.
Fully automating this process using cameras and AI provides the following benefits:
- Prevents the risk of negligence or human error during monitoring, especially in the event of a patient fall.
- Eliminates the need for 24/7 manual monitoring.
The camera selection process is a crucial part when it comes to developing an AI-based remote patient monitoring system. It is advisable to always seek the assistance of an imaging expert such as e-con Systems so they can walk you through the camera evaluation, selection and integration steps.
Cameras and AI in remote patient monitoring – what the future looks like
Although remote patient monitoring has been a key innovation in medical care applications, it still raises issues related to patient privacy. This is because patient video data will be streamed over a network and stored for analysis.
As this data is extremely sensitive and there is not much control over how it will be used, not all patients are comfortable with this method of monitoring.
This is likely to lead to the adoption of 3D depth mapping technologies in remote patient monitoring applications. By taking advantage of 3D depth cameras, including time-of-flight or stereo cameras, patient movement can be monitored by collecting depth data rather than color data or actual video via a continuous stream.
Using this depth data, the AI algorithm can still be trained to detect falls. This enhances patient privacy while providing peace of mind.
e-con Systems is already prepared for such a change by offering 3D depth cameras including:
- DepthVista – 3D Time-of-Flight Camera
- Tara – USB stereo camera
Along with advances in camera technology, AI algorithms are rapidly becoming more sophisticated. This means that an increasing number of product developers will design innovative use cases for remote patient monitoring.
With the constant improvement of cameras and artificial intelligence algorithms, rapid changes are happening in patient monitoring applications. e-con Systems is delighted to be able to be part of the new innovations by developing specialized camera solutions for RPM devices.
Having previously worked with several manufacturers of remote patient monitoring devices, e-con Systems helped oversee a smooth transition by integrating its cameras into various systems. As e-con Systems’ cameras come with a 3-year warranty, this means its customers can rest assured that their purchases are durable and will have a long life cycle.
To learn more about integrating cameras into a product, contact e-con Systems today or visit the camera selector to view e-con’s full line of cameras.
About e-con systems
e-con Systems™ is a product company focused on OEM products with the sole purpose of helping customers accelerate time to market. Founded in 2003, e-con Systems has been a pioneer in OEM cameras and computers on modular products. Camera modules include standalone MIPI camera modules and USB cameras. e-con Systems’ notable contribution was the launch of the world’s first UVC-enabled USB 3.0 camera. e-con Systems was also the world’s first supplier of stand-alone stereo cameras. The system on modules includes processors from NVIDIA, NXP (Freescale) and Texas Instruments. These computers on modules support Android and Linux.
e-con Systems™ maintains close partnerships with Cypress Semiconductor, NVIDIA, Xilinx, Sony, Omnivision, ONSemi/Aptina and Texas Instruments. e-con Systems™ ships worldwide to 83 countries worldwide including USA, Germany, Belgium, France, UK, Sweden, Netherlands, Canada, Denmark , Finland, Norway, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, etc.
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