Programme Type: NATIONAL PROGRAMMES
Programme Acronym:
Contract Type: NO CONTRACT TYPE
Contract No: 377003
Start Date: 2012-01-01
End Date: 2015-09-30
Project Status: execution
Budget for TUC: N/A
Role for TUC: contractor
Principal Investigator for TUC: Euripides G.Μ. Petrakis

Biomedical Technology has contributed decisively to the impressive progress of modern healthcare over the past fifty years. Although recent technological advancements have led to much more reliable and safer Medical Devices (MDs), potential risks of failure and the associated adverse incidents cannot be neglected. In fact adverse incidents, due to MDs, have recently increased in absolute terms, because of the exponential increase in the number of devices used today. Patient safety is a fundamental cornerstone of care and a critical component of all healthcare systems. To create a safer environment in terms of technology, it is necessary to provide rapid and accurate information for adverse events, in order to avoid their repetition at another time, in another place.

The traditional approach of MD Vigilance based only on official user reports of adverse incidents has been proven inadequate today. A modern approach to the problem, subject of this proposal, is based on the introduction of additional means, such as data mining, extraction, standardization and codification of the information, from different direct and indirect sources worldwide, and its systematic classification and archiving in dedicated databases.

The aim is to timely extract the information on potentially hazardous MDs and make it available where appropriate.

The work will be organized in five work packages (WP):

1. Analysis, Design and Methodology;
2. Information Collection and Data Mining;
3. Research and Development of a prototype e-MD Vigilance System;
4. Evaluation and Analysis of the Results;
5. Project Management.

It is expected that the proposed project through the design, development and implementation of modern ICT tools for MDs vigilance, will create a prototype system, which will provide critical, on time and customised information to health care institutions, in addition to the existing traditional Systems and consequently will considerably improve patient safety.

Funding Agency: Ministry of Development, Greek Secretariat for Research and Technology

Official Project Web Site: http://excellence.minedu.gov.gr/thales/en/thalesprojects/377003