Unloading the Information “Overload” in Intensive Care
This week, Professor Fraser presented at The University of Queensland’s AI Seminar Series, hosted by Dr Sen Wang.
Professor Fraser spoke about the importance of global collaboration and how CCRG is unloading the information overload in the intensive care arena on behalf of the COVID-19 Critical Care Consortium and the ICU of the Future project teams.
The AI Seminar Series explores relevant topics in artificial intelligence, inviting industry speakers and researchers to share their knowledge, experience and success - promoting transdisciplinary AI research and collaboration.
Artificial intelligence presents an immediate opportunity to improving ICU outcomes. While the integration of Artificial Intelligence into ICU is still in its infancy, AI presents potential to save lives and ensure that the lives saved survive with a quality survival. Survival has to be worthwhile. Approximately 150,000 patients are admitted annually to an intensive care unit (ICU) in Australia and New Zealand, with complex medical problems. They are the most critically unwell patients in the hospital with the highest risk of death. Treating their multi-organ dysfunction depends on an interdisciplinary team's smooth interdigitation. Recent medical and technological advances have facilitated more complex operations and interventions being provided safely to older, sicker patients. The complex nature of this care leads to each patient receiving close to 200 interventions and a dependency on up to 100 pieces of equipment per day.
Currently, there is limited integration of technologies and devices in the ICU. While the growing number of equipment produces vast amounts of data making ICU patients the most observed patients in the healthcare system, this lack of communication between lifesaving equipment can be associated with harm and is an "opportunity missed". After hours, the seniority of the doctor taking these decisions drops dramatically.
Following the seminar, Professor Fraser, Dr Jacky Suen, Scientific Director, CCRG; Hannah Marrinan, Manager, CCRG; Oystein Tronstad, ICU of the Future Project Manager, and Research Program Support Officer, Lauren Kelly, came together with staff from the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (ITEE) for a roundtable discussion exploring possible collaborations.
Thank you to Dr Sen Wang, Xianxian Jiang, the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering and UQ AI Collaboratory for hosting the insightful event.
Critical Care Research Group Founder and Director Professor John Fraser (left) with Dr Sen Wang, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer in computer science and data science at the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at The University of Queensland.