Aide technique à l'évaluation des patients crieurs alités

Abstract

Because of the rise in life expectancy and in the prevalence of age-related diseases, the population in long-term care institutions is increasing. Among them are patient who shout. These put to the test the nursing staff. A quarter of the patients in long-term care institutions shout at least 4 times a week. The shouting and screaming may be intense and represent a real burden for the staff. In spite of this, shouting remains little studied while it is recognized as a disturbing phenomenom. The quiritachronometer is a detecting system, which records the duration of the shouting and restlessness of a bed-ridden patient. On one hand, a microphonical sensor is set to detect when a sound threshold is crossed and on the other hand, a passive infrared dispositive registers the movements in the bed. The artificial intelligence of the analysing software treats the data and displays the results in the shape of a circular 24-hours'diagram. The data thus collected are transmitted to the medical staff who can then adapt the treatment to the patient's state. The quiritachronometer has been compared to the evaluation results put forward by the specialized staff of a long term-care hospital unit. Confronting results from both methods, experts have agreed and validated, unanimously, the quiritachronometer. Through the example of a medical case, we could show the praticality and medical interest of the quiritachronometer in the evaluation of the treatment and the diagnosis of the shouting in a patient with cognitive impairments and communication hindrance.