HAI-proactive - New workflows and IT-tools to combat healthcare-associated infections
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset - Kvalitet och Patientsäkerhet |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 8 999 000 |
| Project duration | May 2016 - August 2018 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Challenge-driven innovation - Phase 2 Collaboration |
| Call | Challenge-driven innovation - Stage 2 Collaboration 2016 (spring) |
Important results from the project
Health Associated Infections are a global challenge. In Sweden, 8-10% of patients in the hospital are affected by HAI, resulting in 750,000 extra care days, major suffering, and an annual cost of 6.5 billion SEK. Many HAIs can be prevented if risk patients are quickly identified and correct actions are taken. Currently, health care staff lack the support required for effective work performance. The project aims to develop new work routines and computer support to prevent HAI and provide better and safer care. The goal is effective tools to combat HAI that can be implemented nationally
Expected long term effects
Algorithms have been developed for two types of HAI, namely sepsis and UTI. The studies we conducted show that the algorithm for sepsis has a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 93% % and the UTI algorithm has a 75% and 99%. The result has proven to be adequate for the algorithms to be effective in clinical practice, according to professional standards. The algorithms can be seen as a model system for finding and preventing HAI, as one is based on structured data only while the other also takes text mining into account. The same model can be used to develop algorithms for other types of HAI.
Approach and implementation
The project was carried out in close collaboration with academia, clinical staff, county councils and the industry, thus enabling us to gather the required expertise and to test the tools in a clinical environment. Working with new methods and algorithms in the project, we have shown that validation of hypotheses is central. Several companies have expressed great interest in developing new products which would facilitate the validation of the hypotheses using the prototype developed through the project. Work procedures and decision support are both generic.