At the Swiss Cantonal Hospital of Baden (KSB), artificial intelligence is to anticipate whether the risk of respiratory infections is increasing. From now on, a study will use Resmonics’ AI to acoustically analyse respiratory symptom activity in KSB rooms and use this to create a risk assessment. KSB's infectiology department wants to use the devices developed by Resmonics to detect an increased incidence of respiratory diseases in order to take measures at an early stage.
The goal of the innovation project: Better infection protection for patients and staff
We all know it: In a waiting room at the doctor or in the hospital, people cough. Sometimes more, sometimes less. However, it is impossible to draw conclusions from this as to whether there is an increased potential for infection or whether a flu wave is on the way. So far, at least. By analysing the environment for respiratory symptoms, the device then gives a visual indication of the increased risk of respiratory diseases. The sensors light up in a different color as a warning. KSB is the first hospital in Switzerland to use these sensors.
"Infectiologists like us are always interested in innovative technologies," says Dr. Andrée Friedl, Senior Physician in Infectious Diseases and Infection Prevention at KSB: "We are looking forward to trying out whether we can detect the epidemic occurrence of respiratory infections earlier and more reliably by analysing coughing sounds than by monitoring wastewater or detecting viruses in patients." The Resmonics devices are deployed at several areas in KSB. For example, in the waiting area of the emergency practice, in a corridor in a normal medical ward, in the KSB Fitness, in a doctor's ready room and in the cafeteria.
In the first phase of the study until the end of September, the devices will run in a analysis mode at KSB. This means that the sensors work in passive mode. They collect data but don't give active feedback. The second phase of the project at KSB, will begin in autumn. Then the color change of the sensor will pose an increased risk of infection. "With this solution, we want to better protect patients and relieve the burden on staff in healthcare facilities by improving infection control and reducing illness-related downtime," says Resmonics CEO Peter Tinschert.
Artificial intelligence evaluates respiratory symptoms to detect waves of infection up to two weeks earlier
"In our pilot studies to date, direct feedback has led to a higher awareness of hygiene measures and better implementation of infection control measures," explains Resmonics co-founder Dr. Matthias Groh. What's more, by objectively measuring coughs in healthcare facilities, imminent waves of infection could be detected up to two weeks in advance. At KSB, too, this information obtained by AI is intended to help infectiologists improve preventive measures in hospitals. "Our goal is to find out at an early stage whether there is a high or low risk of respiratory infections," says Dr. Andrée Friedl, Head of KSB Infectiology: "If the risk is high, you could then put on a mask, for example."
For Resmonics, the innovation partnership with KSB, which was spearheaded by Innovation Hub Argau, is of particular importance, as it means that data from everyday hospital life will be incorporated into the studies for the first time.
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Resmonics: www.resmonics.ai
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Dr. Matthias Groh, Co-Founder
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Baden Cantonal Hospital
The Baden Cantonal Hospital, whose roots date back to 1349, has always been a place of health. In 2023, around 22,000 inpatients were treated here and over 340,000 outpatient consultations were carried out. The quality of the treatment is rated by the patients with 4.7 out of 5 possible points. In autumn 2023, KSB was included in the list of top innovators in Switzerland by the business magazine Bilanz, and it was awarded the "Digital Excellence Award" by ICT Switzerland. In addition, it received the "Best Employer" seal of approval from the Handelszeitung, LeTemps and Statista four times in a row. KSB AG, which is owned by the Canton of Aargau, employs a total of around 3500 people.
Resmonics AG
Resmonics AG is a spin-off company of ETH Zurich that was founded in 2020. Resmonics aims to address the biggest challenges in healthcare with the help of state-of-the-art technology. Resmonics develops artificial intelligence (AI) applications that focus on patient and staff health. The novel technology was made possible by extensive studies that have been carried out with leading Swiss and international universities and hospitals since 2016. Since 2021, Resmonics' CE-certified and patented cough monitoring AI has been in use in Switzerland and worldwide.
Resmonics has been named a Top 100 Swiss startup and has received numerous innovation and funding awards – including from Innosuisse, Venture Kick, the University of St. Gallen, and DayOne – for the practical use of AI for respiratory health and infection prevention.