The Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre (TGHC) is taking centre stage in the development of cutting-edge monitoring technology with broad applications in advancing patient health outcomes. In 2015, Curiato Inc., a clinical-stage medical technology company based in Kitchener, Ontario, approached the TGHC with an innovative idea. Curiato Inc. suggested they work together to develop the company’s “smart bedsheet” real-time skin-monitoring data platform, which is designed to support clinical staff monitor patients more efficiently and, so, prevent the occurrence of pressure injuries.
Pressure injuries, which occur when blood flow is restricted in a part of the body by the pressure of lying in bed, immobilized, for an extended period of time, affect many patients each year. Those most at risk are patients with a medical condition that limits their ability to change positions, those who spend most of their time in a bed (e.g., patients with dementia), or those who have medical conditions that affect blood flow (e.g., diabetes sufferers).
In 2017, according to the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO), the cost of treating a single pressure injury ranged from $26,800 to $231,000. Increases in nursing care hours of up to 50 percent were required. One month of care in the community costs $9,000 on average. Besides placing a substantial financial burden on health care, for the patient, pressure injuries are extremely painful, which leads to impaired functioning and quality of life. In extreme cases, amputation may be necessary and death can even occur. Unfortunately, the condition remains one without an accurate and reliable preventative system.
Observing that the current assessment tools utilized by hospitals and health care facilities in the area of prevention of pressure injuries could be much more effective in monitoring the skin, Curiato Inc. saw an ideal area on which to focus their efforts. The TGHC, with its highly regarded wound care program, has for the last four years collaborated with Curiato Inc. to support the development of its “smart bedsheet” technology. Both Curiato Inc. and the TGHC understand that preventing pressure injuries will relieve patient suffering, greatly improving their outcomes, and will also substantially support the nurses who care for them.
In early 2018, the TGHC, in conjunction with Curiato Inc., submitted a research proposal to advance pressure-injury management systems for individuals living with dementia to the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovations (CABHI). Through its funding programs, CABHI helps global innovators gain access to key user groups in order to test, develop, validate and accelerate their solutions in the field of aging and brain health. It was announced in the spring that CABHI, in partnership with Curiato Inc., awarded the TGHC $1 million in funding for the research project. The research study was approved by the Joint Research Ethics Board (JREB).