Lumenix provides a quantum leap in AI-powered monitoring to support patient safety at The Ottawa Hospital

A collaboration between The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) and Canadian technology firm Lumenix is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle some of healthcare’s most persistent challenges, such as hand hygiene compliance and the detection and prevention of falls – and the collaboration is proving to be a game-changer in infection control and patient safety.

It is well known that hand hygiene is the most important defence against hospital-acquired infections, which can lead to significant illness, mortality and increased length of stay for patients. According to the World Health Organization, 70 percent of these infections are preventable through proper hand hygiene compliance, but achieving this remains difficult.

In Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that hospital-acquired infections affect more than 200,000 patients annually, leading to 8,000 deaths each year, further highlighting the need for more effective solutions.

Recognizing the urgent need to tackle this problem in a new way, TOH and The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) turned to Lumenix. In 2023, following the completion of a highly successful federal government clinical validation of Lumenix’s Artificially Intelligent Monitoring System (AIMS), TOH, OHRI and Lumenix implemented AIMS on TOH’s 36-bed E5 Transitional Care Unit.

“The Ottawa Hospital knows there is a need for innovative solutions to address healthcare’s challenges, and we have been actively integrating AI into various aspects of our work to enhance patient care and operational efficiency,” said Suzanne Madore, chief operating officer and chief nursing executive of TOH. “We recognized the multi-faceted potential of AIMS for hand hygiene during the COVID-19 pandemic and remain impressed with the improvements we continue to achieve together since we began this purpose-driven collaboration.”

Historically, hospitals have attempted to improve hand hygiene compliance through a variety of methods, including staff education programs, visual reminders such as posters, and even incentive-based compliance initiatives.

Currently, hospitals monitor hand hygiene compliance using manual audits that capture only a fraction of daily hand hygiene events, and data collection is often subject to bias or human error. The challenge has always been to implement a solution to promote and monitor hand hygiene that is both effective and non-intrusive – which is where AI-driven systems like AIMS present a major breakthrough.

AIMS doesn’t rely on cameras or capture personal information. Instead, AIMS uses advanced 3D sensor technology and artificial intelligence to anonymously perceive, understand and make predictions about 3D movements (tasks, activities, people, proximity, asset tracking and related risk events) among healthcare professionals, patients, and visitors. AIMS preserves privacy while supporting compliance.

The system leverages machine learning models to analyze complex clinical environments and subtle human behaviours, resulting in unbiased and reliable data.

Using unobtrusive, ceiling-mounted devices that are strategically installed throughout the patient environment to provide ubiquitous coverage, its IR lasers provide a 360-degree, three-dimensional understanding of the clinical operational environment through depth measurements.

This allows AIMS to understand the environment and recognize actions, monitoring spaces 24/7 in the light or dark.

For example, it recognizes 100 percent of hand hygiene opportunities for all staff, visitors, and clinicians on the unit, observes if hand washing technique and duration has met protocol, determines if hands remain sanitized prior to coming into contact with a patient, and prevents hand hygiene violations before they happen with real-time notifications.

AIMS uses audio and visual alerts – termed nudges – to provide helpful reminders in real-time that support behaviours or actions that could potentially lead to a reduction in adverse events.

AIMS provides the equivalent of seven years of hand hygiene data daily compared with traditional human auditors. AIMS generates complete data on hand hygiene compliance within a clinical unit 24/7, which is available to unit management and staff to support each other on a user-friendly dashboard. Teams can review the data at the start of each shift as they work to reduce the spread of infections, or prevent adverse events such as falls, and improve overall safety within the hospital environment.

“We have positive feedback from our staff, our patients, and our family members,” said Sybile Delice-Charlemagne, clinical manager at TOH. “When they understand what it does, they’re like, ‘Wow, that’s great that the hospital is taking a step to keep my loved one safe.”

The E5 Unit at TOH saw a 27 percent sustained, relative increase in daily hand hygiene events. Most importantly, there wasn’t a single outbreak in the 12 months following implementation of AIMS.

“AIMS provides a completely new way, based on implementation science, to tackle challenging patient quality and safety issues that can directly translate into better patient outcomes,” said Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw, MBChB, PhD, medical director at Lumenix. “Our innovative use of technology and AI helps create a culture of continuous improvement. What’s important is that AIMS integrates into the hospital environment, providing real-time feedback without disrupting workflows.”

The technology has been embraced by patients and visitors with zero complaints. Frontline healthcare workers have also provided positive feedback regarding the integration of AIMS into their daily routines. Nurses say AIMS has become an essential tool in promoting patient safety and reducing the risk of infections.

“It’s really been helpful,” said Colleen Menary, a clinical care leader with TOH. “It’s like having a colleague that’s there to just give you a gentle nudge when you need a reminder on some things.”

Experts in infection control and prevention worldwide have been taking notice of the AIMS technology and its results.

“As we navigate the future of healthcare, perceptual-action AI platform technologies like AIMS are revolutionizing patient safety by bridging the gap between individual patient needs and systemic efficiency,” said Scott Delaney, chairman and CEO of Lumenix. “This ability to evolve and expand its applications makes AIMS a powerful tool for transforming healthcare, setting a new standard for patient safety and operational efficiency. As a visionary in this space, we see AIMS as a catalyst for a broader shift towards more intelligent, responsive healthcare systems – ones that seamlessly integrate technology and human expertise to deliver better outcomes for all.”

AIMS is more than just a solution for hand hygiene; it’s a versatile platform technology that not only provides real-time improvements but also has the capacity to identify and address adjacent challenges, such as predicting and detecting falls, pressure ulcers, and patient wandering, to name just a few.

Future developments include automated bedside monitoring, staff duress recognition, and enhanced operational insights, all aimed at supporting healthcare professionals and improving patient outcomes.

“AIMS automates human-level attention, meaning that monitoring tasks which were once only the purview of human beings can now be offloaded to AIMS,” said Gregory Loan, chief technology officer with Lumenix. “Anything that can be observed by AIMS can be learned by AIMS, and we are engaged in continuous training to improve existing models and build new capabilities to meet the needs of our clinical partners.”

For more information about Lumenix and AIMS visit www.aimsplatform.io. For more information about The Ottawa Hospital, visit OttawaHospital.on.ca.