OPTIMIZE
I forsknings- og innovationsprojektet OPTIMIZE er det formålet at udvikle og teste to teknologier til sundhedsvæsnet, der kan bidrage til at reducere medicinforbruget under operationer og automatisk måle væskebalancen hos patienter.
During and after surgery, complications can arise due to medication side effects or inaccurately estimated fluid balance.
If these complications can be avoided, hospital stays can be shortened, rehabilitation periods reduced, and the patient can experience a better treatment process and overall improved experience.
This Danish-Swedish research project aims to develop and test two technologies for the healthcare sector.
Automatic fluid balance measurement
Maintaining a correct fluid balance is essential for a patient’s condition during hospitalisation.
An excess of fluid can lead to complications and prolonged hospital stays. Conversely, a fluid deficit increases the risk of constipation, urinary tract infections, and falls.
It is therefore important that nurses can monitor the patient’s fluid intake and output. However, this can often be challenging for nurses to assess accurately.
The aim of this part of the project is to develop an automatic system for measuring fluid intake and output, making fluid balance assessment more precise and less time-consuming.
If you would like to learn more about automatic fluid balance measurement, please contact Chief Physician Hans-Erik Wittendorff at hwje@regionsjaelland.dk
Virtual Reality during surgeries
During surgeries where the patient is anaesthetised in a specific part of the body but otherwise remains awake, many patients are often given sedative medication. This is usually because the experience of undergoing surgery can be unfamiliar, and losing control over one’s body can feel unsettling.
For some patients, sedative medication can cause side effects such as breathing difficulties and low blood pressure. This is particularly concerning for many elderly patients, who often suffer from other medical conditions, as sedatives can pose additional risks.
These factors can result in longer recovery times in the post-anaesthesia care unit and extended hospital stays.
The OPTIMIZE project aims to reduce the use of sedative medication in such cases. Instead of being sedated with medication, patients in the trial will be able to choose entertainment in the form of a Virtual Reality (VR) experience.
The patient will wear VR goggles and headphones, allowing the experience to distract them from the surgery.
If you would like to learn more about Virtual Reality in surgery, please contact PhD Karsten Lassen at karlas@regionsjaelland.dk.
Watch a short video about the project, produced by Khora:
The project supported by the EU
The project is supported by the EU through the Scandinavian programme for cross-regional development Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak.
The project runs from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2025.
The project is supported by Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak with €4,873,350.
Project partners
The project is a collaboration between Zealand University Hospital, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Helsingborg Lasarett, and Khora.
Read more about the project partners.