Inspired inspiration To Prevent Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia

Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is by far the most prevalent hospital-acquired infection. Occurring at a rate of up to 21 cases per 1,000 hospital admissions, HAP in US hospitals exhibits a mortality rate of ≈19% and costs hospitals over $80 million per year. Incentive spirometers, a device that teaches patients how to take slow deep breaths to keep lungs healthy, are often regarded as the gold standard in preventing HAP. Despite incentive spirometers and other prophylactic devices being administered to patients at risk, HAP remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the objective of this project is to design an improved incentive spirometer that more effectively fosters frequent and proper deep breathing exercises to prevent HAP. To identify the deficiencies of current incentive spirometers, we interviewed patients, nurses, and doctors, and documented their thoughts and experiences with the device. Additionally, a design student validated our classification of failures by dissecting the interactions between 8 subjects and the device. After determining problems with the current device, we were able to address these failures with the development of SpiroSMART, a handheld flow meter device that communicates with a user interface. Unlike modern incentive spirometers, SpiroSMART provides features like reminders, guidance, feedback, and customizability to encourage and reward slow deep breaths. By instilling motivation and independence, SpiroSMART empowers patients to perform proper deep breathing exercises for HAP prevention. Ultimately, our device has the potential to not only save hospitals millions of dollars, but also save millions of lives as well.