In July 2018 brought Minebea Mitsumi in Japan the “Mimamori bed sensor System “on the market. The innovative technology was aimed particularly at care facilities. The project was launched in May 2017 and it also promises significant benefits in the health sector for the European market. The bed sensor system records movements, vital data and behavioral patterns of patients without contact and is so far unique.

 "Mimamori" is Japanese and stands for the process of paying close attention to someone or observing something attentively. Four load sensors are placed under each roll of a hospital bed. Using a data logger, different patient conditions can be recognized and sent to the desired device, such as a smartphone, tablet or PC. Nursing staff can easily see on the screen whether a patient is lying down, sitting or about to get out of bed. The nursing staff's terminal triggers an alarm in good time and can thus prevent a patient from falling out of bed, for example. The technology could bring about significant improvements, particularly in the care of patients with dementia. 

Development research in the nursing home

During the development phase, numerous interviews and tests were carried out in more than 30 care facilities in Japan in order to record and analyze the requirements and needs of both the care and the patient side as precisely as possible. At this stage it became clear that the night shifts in particular represent a personal burden. Japan is also struggling with the shortage of nurses in the health sector and night shifts are a physical and psychological challenge for employees. On the other hand, it is uncomfortable for patients to wear sensors on their bodies at night. With Mimamori, the nursing staff can monitor up to 20 beds simultaneously on an administration screen, while the patients do not even notice the sensors.

Problems caused by the shortage of skilled workers could be significantly reduced with the MinebeaMitsumi bed sensor system. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, digitalization as a whole and the new smart healthcare technologies could play an important role in the fight against the shortage of nursing staff in the near future. 

Foresighted care

In order to implement proactive, predictive care, the bed sensor system records and saves the daily activity of the user. In the event of a periodic increase in patient movements, for example always at the same time of day or night, nurses could also make predictions in addition to checking and, in the best case, prevent the cause. The use of AI is even conceivable for data analysis in the future. The measurement of vital data such as heart rate or sleep quality is also possible and is in development. 

The European market

In Europe, a development team is already working on the approval of the Sensorsystems and the validation of potential distribution partners. First field tests are planned for this year. The "University of Surrey" is a strong research partner and is currently testing the optimization potential for the European market. The sensor system will be installed in patient rooms at St. Peter's Hospital in Surrey and several private households to collect meaningful data for optimizing the system. In addition to the health information, psychological as well as ecological circumstances are taken into account. The aim of the research study is to determine the efficiency and influence of the system on the treatment of people with and without dementia. Feedback from users and patients should help to optimize the bed sensor system and the nursing dashboard.

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