Tuesday, November 16, 2021
The project 'Teddy' won the Young Medical Delta Hackathon last weekend. Various interdisciplinary student teams spent a weekend working on four concrete care issues from the field. The winning team came up with a solution for the so-called 'rooming-out' problem of a clinical geriatrician at the Reinier de Graaf Hospital.
The hospital regularly admits patients with cognitive disorders or patients who are confused by their illness. As a result, these often elderly patients cannot be left alone in a hospital room after an operation or treatment and have to be constantly monitored during their stay, which places a considerable burden on hospital staff. There is a need for a quick and easy way to get in touch with one or two people, for example family members, outside the hospital for reassurance and comfort.
Feasible for healthcare practice
The students devised 'Teddy', a combination of a mat and a pillow that lies in bed with the patients. Sensors can be used to activate speakers or light. The jury thought it was a beautiful and innovative idea. The jury also said they were impressed that existing technologies were integrated in this development, which makes the chance of taking this project further feasible.
Other student teams also came up with innovative care solutions. For example, one of the teams devised a way of guiding diabetes patients to adopt a healthy lifestyle from a distance. Another team came up with a plan to combine a UV lamp with reflectors in such a way that it could reach all the places to be disinfected in the room. During the weekend, the students were able to attend workshops to develop their ideas in a short period of time. Besides the Reinier de Graaf Hospital, the cases were put forward by Erasmus MC, Delft Design for End-of-Life Lab and Hospice Bardo.
The winners of the Young Medical Hackathon received a cash prize of 500 euros.
