Abstract
Due to ICU critical environment, where seriously ill patients must be constantly monitored, it is imperative to make quick but assertive decisions. Several studies have shown that continuous monitorization of ICU patients result in large amounts of data, from which knowledge can be extracted and better decisions made. This chapter aims to analyse and visualize the data obtained by an ICU, so that conclusions can be deduced regarding patients' outcome, clinical errors, as well as healthcare service quality. To achieve the objective, initially, the data was acquired and collected from several data sources such as bedside monitors and electronic nursing records. Secondly, the raw data was transformed so that it could be used in visualization. Finally, interactive charts were built so that data could be forecasted and patterns discovered. The results allow one to draw conclusions such as the source of data gaps, the correlation between medication and vital signs, as well as the importance of SAPS regarding patient outcomes.
TopBackground
Intensive Medicine and ICUs
In the field of medicine there is one particular area, Intensive Care Medicine, whose main goal is to diagnose and treat patients with serious illnesses and restore their previous health condition (Veloso et al., 2017).
Intensive Care Medicine is recognized as a multidisciplinary field of medical sciences that deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of potentially reversible acute situations in patients with failure in one or more vital functions. These can be grouped into 6 organ systems: neurological, respiratory, hepatic, haematological, cardiovascular, and renal (Santos et al., 2009).
The process of reversing a patient's condition is conducted in qualified facilities called ICUs. These units provide specialized care for patients in complex health conditions, usually in organ failure and, consequently, in severe life-threatening conditions (Ramon et al., 2007).
In the ICU, the patient’s vital signs are continuously monitored, and its vital functions can be supported by medication or mechanical devices, until the patient is able to do it autonomously (Santos et al., 2009).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Vital Signs: Set of physiological variables that physicians analyse for the valuation of elementary organic functions.
Map: Mean Arterial Pressure throughout one cardiac cycle, systole, and diastole.
Knowledge Extraction: Consists in the process of gathering and analysing significant volumes of data and compiling it into useful information. This process of identifying valuable information can be extremely useful to organizations that are interested in improving efficiency and gain competitive advantage, due to its capacity to identify patterns and support decision making.
Data Visualization: Is the graphical representation of information and data, through charts, graphs, and maps.
Intensive Care Unit: An area where care is provided to patients with a critical health condition or who present a potential risk, requiring continuous and intensive surveillance.
Noradrenaline: Is a chemical compound involved in several important processes in the body. One of its best-known effects is vasopressor, which means, it causes an increase in blood pressure.
Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS): Disease severity classification system, with the aim of predicting patient mortality using logistic regression techniques. This indicator is estimated based on 17 variables.
Intensive Medicine: An area of medicine that is dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of potentially reversible acute illness in patients who have impending or established failure of one or more vital functions.