ASK-KI - Assisted sterile supply cycle with AI

Coordination in the sterile supply cycle is complicated on a daily basis by dynamic interactions between hospital departments and surgical disciplines. These are caused i.e. by patient-specific variations or complications in the surgical procedure, which can extend the duration of the operation and make it necessary to use additional sterile supplies. The consequences of poor planning due to a lack of transparency in the processes are delayed or inadequate provision of sterile supplies and the resulting delays in the surgical procedure, postponed or canceled operations and, in turn, the resulting bottlenecks in the sterile supply preparation process or intraoperative delays and thus potential risks for patients. Although planning systems exist, they are unable to adequately map the existing dynamics and data volume and offer insufficient support in coordinating the uncertain and changing boundary conditions in the sterile supply cycle.

The central innovation of the project is the establishment of AI-based process control at the interface between the OR team (surgery and anesthesia), OR management and Reprocessing Units for Medical Devices (RUMED). The aim of process control is to optimize the use of personnel, material and energy resources in the RUMED and OR.  Thereby, the increasing shortage of staff and the sustainable (ecological and economic) use of resources are to be achieved. Assistance cockpits are used to dynamically provide OR management and workstations in the RUMED with customized information prepared by the AI. Information on the reprocessing processes (information on the condition of trays, defects, etc.) can be provided interactively by the RUMED employees directly at the workstations of the AI-based process control. AI-based process control improves process and planning transparency throughout the entire instrument cycle, thus reducing the risk of process delays and failures for patients, users and third parties. What is new here is the development and utilization of the existing database at the interface between the OR, OR management and RUMED with the help of open networks and integration into interactive AI technology.

Funding

This project is funded by grants from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from the EFRE/JTF program NRW (NEXT.IN.NRW).

Funding reference: EFRE-20800550

(Project term: 1.10.2024 - 30.09.2027)

Source: BEGER Design

Partners

  • Chair of Medical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University
  • nextOR GmbH
  • SurgiTAIX AG
  • BEGER Design
  • Invitec GmbH & Co. KG
  • University Hospital Essen
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