Novel pressure relieving and sensing mattress and an intelligent control system that predicts and prevents pressure ulcers in bedridden patients

Project Information

Qone

Grant agreement ID: 735302

DOI

10.3030/735302

Project closed

EC signature date 11 July 2016

Start date 1 August 2016

End date 31 December 2016

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Health, demographic change and well-being

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

REQBO APS
Denmark

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Qone (Novel pressure relieving and sensing mattress and an intelligent control system that predicts andprevents pressure ulcers in bedridden patients)

Reporting period: 2016-08-01 to 2016-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Pressure ulcers (PU) are a worldwide problem, and PU occur both among patients admitted to hospitals and patients connected care, such as home care, assisted living facilities, social housing offer. Despite prolonged focus and efforts in the prevention of PU, the number of serious wounds is still unacceptably high, despite the use of products as pressure relieving mattresses, sensor sheets, special massage mattresses etc. Once the damage is done it requires prolonged, painful, time consuming and very on-site intensive treatment and care. On average, hospitalizations are extended by 37% and require up to 25% of the nurses' time. A total solution for elimination of pressure ulcers is not available on the market today.
reQbo is working on a modular solution called Qone which reveals healthcare personnel need for attention and their workload, save cost for the health care sector, minimize or eliminate PU for the benefit of the Hospital, the healthcare sector, the society and the individual patients. With a point of care solution unified in the Q-App or Q-EDR module we can integrate the new Q-Scale, a patented algorithm-screening tool able to predict PU risk assessment with an 80% precision.
To confirm our assumptions, ideas and market potential of the Qone solution, reQbo conducted field research, focus groups, market surveys by quantitative user questionnaires, client and user involvement and clinical studies with 2-3 hospitals and 1 nursing home. In Phase 1 we have conducted interviews and an online questionnaire and landed agreements with 3 hospitals and 1 nursing home to conduct clinical demonstrations. These clinical demonstrations shall be conducted in Phase 2.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the feasibility study, we:
- Developed a viable business plan for Qone, with detailed investigation (and market analysis) of the targeted segments (hospitals and long-term care facilities), and validated our initial commercialisation strategy;
- Reinforced the IPR position of the company, by analysing the best protection options for our algorithm decision processes alongside a “Freedom to Operate” study - no IPR roadblocks were found;
- Documented the CE marking requirements, to implement certification during the Phase 2 project - our solution requires only CE-marking Class 1, since it does not have a measuring function;
- Documented the data storage, communication and encryption requirements for integrating our system with Electronic Patient Records - we decided to develop only one-directional sync to minimize data privacy issues;
- Performed an end-user involvement study to document how system features should integrate with current clinical workflow to treat high-risk PU patients - substantial interest was shown by potential end-users.
- Signed 4 partners in DK and SE for the Phase 2 demonstration activities.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Our patented Qone system is a pressure relieving mattress, with integrated temperature and pressure mapping sensors, that synchronizes data with a highly accurate screening algorithm. This algorithm assesses a PU risk score based on individual patient parameters and a long-term record of how pressure and temperature have been distributed in the patient’s body. This system allows a reduction of approximately 75% on the overall number of new pressure ulcers in bedridden patients. Qone will be the first solution focusing on accurately predicting ulcers, even before they appear, while competitors have curative or non-personalized
approaches to this challenge. The healthcare savings of this solution can exceed 30M€ annually in a 1000-bed hospital.

Patient Workflow with the elements of the Qone system (screening and continuous monitoring)