ART.I.DE. - Frailty status in hospitalized persons: artificial intelligence-based detection and technology-assisted home-based empowerment
Abstract:
This project, that lays in Health Ageing mission promoted by European Commission, aims to address the issue of frailty, a condition that poses the elderlies to increased vulnerability, deconditioning, and, ultimately, loss of independence. Frail people are exposed to a significant increase in mortality, hospitalizations and falls, with high burden for families and for the National Health Service (NHS). Nowadays, the detection of frailty is performed with more than 75 validated measures including questionnaires, scales and technologies. Moreover, frailty is usually not properly addressed, due to the limited resources in terms of personnel and programs in the NHS, and the frail patient is at high risk to be institutionalized and to definitely lose his functional independence. The project here proposed aims to address these topics, by combining clinical, rehabilitation, and engineering expertise in a unique team.
Indeed, the projects aims to fulfill three principal objectives:
1) Improve the detection of frailty by applying the properties of artificial intelligence (AI). We aim to collect in a numerous hospitalized population (n > 300) a pool of noninvasive biomarkers, (anthropometrics, vascular, functional, clinical). With the aid of AI system the critical parameters which best draw the individual’s frailty status will represent a new index, the ARTIDE score (1.0). This first released version of the ARTIDE score will be validated in relation with the long-term clinical outcomes (ARTIDE 2.0).
2) Empower the frail people with an home-based app-guided rehabilitation program. In order to easily develop a largely tested home-based walking program, we aim to design and develop an application, compatible with any device, that will enable each person to easily exercise at home just few minutes per day. Through a randomized-controlled clinical trial, we will verify the effectiveness of the rehabilitation program on frailty status, in promoting patients’ independence, quality of life and ARTIDE score.
3) Design and develop a prototypal robotic device to assist individuals to perform structured exercise at home or in nursing homes. We aim to create and test a plug-and-play device not requiring any acquaintance with modern technologies. The robot, consisting of a mobile base a sensing system and a vocal interface will demonstrate the training exercises and will track patient’s execution.
Once completed in all the three phases, the project will release a brand new AI-based score to detect frailty, an application containing an effective exercise program to be safely carried out at home by all patients, and a robotic prototypal device to assist individuals during training to favor and maintain patients’ independence. Altogether, these tools will constitute the ARTIDE platform, which will allow early detection of frailty and its effective treatment, thus improving the quality of life of frail subjects and relieving the burden of care on NHS.
Indeed, the projects aims to fulfill three principal objectives:
1) Improve the detection of frailty by applying the properties of artificial intelligence (AI). We aim to collect in a numerous hospitalized population (n > 300) a pool of noninvasive biomarkers, (anthropometrics, vascular, functional, clinical). With the aid of AI system the critical parameters which best draw the individual’s frailty status will represent a new index, the ARTIDE score (1.0). This first released version of the ARTIDE score will be validated in relation with the long-term clinical outcomes (ARTIDE 2.0).
2) Empower the frail people with an home-based app-guided rehabilitation program. In order to easily develop a largely tested home-based walking program, we aim to design and develop an application, compatible with any device, that will enable each person to easily exercise at home just few minutes per day. Through a randomized-controlled clinical trial, we will verify the effectiveness of the rehabilitation program on frailty status, in promoting patients’ independence, quality of life and ARTIDE score.
3) Design and develop a prototypal robotic device to assist individuals to perform structured exercise at home or in nursing homes. We aim to create and test a plug-and-play device not requiring any acquaintance with modern technologies. The robot, consisting of a mobile base a sensing system and a vocal interface will demonstrate the training exercises and will track patient’s execution.
Once completed in all the three phases, the project will release a brand new AI-based score to detect frailty, an application containing an effective exercise program to be safely carried out at home by all patients, and a robotic prototypal device to assist individuals during training to favor and maintain patients’ independence. Altogether, these tools will constitute the ARTIDE platform, which will allow early detection of frailty and its effective treatment, thus improving the quality of life of frail subjects and relieving the burden of care on NHS.
Dettagli progetto:
Referente scientifico: Lamberti Nicola
Fonte di finanziamento: Bando PRIN 2022 PNRR
Data di avvio: 30/11/2023
Data di fine: 30/11/2025
Contributo MUR: 140.606 €
Partner:
- Università degli Studi di FERRARA (capofila)
- Università degli Studi di MODENA e REGGIO EMILIA