Effectiveness of the AI-Supporter in Reducing Urinary Tract Infections

September 23, 2024 updated by: China Medical University Hospital

Testing the Effectiveness of the AI-Supporter in Reducing Urinary Tract Infections, Incontinence-associated Dermatitis and Caregiving Costs for Incontinence Patients

The "AI Supporter," an intelligent excretion management robot, leverages artificial intelligence-based vision recognition to autonomously detect and cleanse affected areas, followed by drying and changing the diaper, thereby reducing caregiver strain and enhancing care quality. This study aims to assess the efficacy of the "AI Supporter" in decreasing the incidence of urinary tract infections and incontinence-associated dermatitis among incontinent patients, in addition to exploring its cost-effectiveness.

Adopting an experimental (two groups) and longitudinal design, this research utilizes both convenience and random sampling strategies. The study anticipates recruiting 60 female subjects who have been confined to bed for more than three months with urinary and/or fecal incontinence. Participants will intermittently use the AI Supporter over a 14-day period. Measurement tools include routine urine analysis.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Background: As Taiwan progresses medically, the aging demographic has become a significant challenge, leading to an escalation in the disabled population. The lack of caregiving manpower represents a critical bottleneck in the provision of long-term care. Diaper changing, a daily and labor-intensive task for caregivers, involves bending motions that pose a risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Consequently, the imperative development of automated caregiving technologies has emerged. The "AI Supporter," an intelligent excretion management robot, leverages artificial intelligence-based vision recognition to autonomously detect and cleanse affected areas, followed by drying and changing the diaper, thereby reducing caregiver strain and enhancing care quality.

Objective: This study aims to assess the efficacy of the "AI Supporter" in decreasing the incidence of urinary tract infections and incontinence-associated dermatitis among incontinent patients, in addition to exploring its cost-effectiveness.

Methods: Adopting an experimental (two groups) and longitudinal design, this research utilizes both convenience and random sampling strategies. Scheduled from November 2024 to October 2025 at a residential long-term care facility in Central Taiwan, the study anticipates recruiting 60 female subjects who have been confined to bed for more than three months with urinary and/or fecal incontinence. Participants will intermittently use the AI Supporter over a 14-day period. Measurement tools include routine urine analysis, incontinence-associated dermatitis rating scales, pressure sore assessments, skin pH measurements, caregiver hours, and cost analyses pertaining to diapers and the AI Supporter. The principal analytical method employed will be Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE), with statistical significance defined at p < 0.05.

Expected Outcomes: The AI Supporter is expected to significantly reduce the occurrence of urinary tract infections and incontinance-associated dermatitis in patients, concurrently alleviating caregiver workload and diminishing associated costs.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

60

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Jing-ya Fu
  • Phone Number: 7102 886422053366

Study Locations

      • Taichung, Taiwan
        • Recruiting
        • Rom A Master List, Extracted From This Organization'S Records.
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participants must have been bedridden for at least 3 months and have urinary and/or fecal incontinence.
  • Female participants aged over 20 years old.
  • Participants must be capable of wearing the AI-supporter device during the study period.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants with severe skin conditions unrelated to incontinence.
  • Participants with current urinary tract infections or incontinence-associated dermatitis at the time of enrollment.
  • Participants who are unable to provide informed consent or have a legal representative to do so.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: AI-supporter
Participants will use the AI-supporter for excretion detection, cleaning, and drying processes.
rticipants in the experimental group will use the AI-supporter, an intelligent excretion management robot. This device utilizes AI-driven visual recognition technology to automatically detect urine and feces, followed by a cleaning and drying process. When the AI-supporter detects excretion, it activates an automated sequence that washes, dries, and sanitizes the perineal area without requiring the caregiver to remove the diaper. The AI-supporter also records relevant data, such as the time, frequency, and weight of excretion, for further analysis. This intervention is designed to reduce the incidence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD), as well as lessen the workload for caregivers
Other Names:
  • tradiational diapear
No Intervention: Traditional Diapers
Participants will use theTraditional Diapers for excretion detection, cleaning, and drying processes

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
white blood cells
Time Frame: 14 days after intervention
urine analysis
14 days after intervention
Bacterial count
Time Frame: 14 days after intervention
urine analysis
14 days after intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Study Director: Kwo-Chen Lee, ph.D, 011+886+4+22053366#7102

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

July 22, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 31, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

October 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 18, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 23, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

September 26, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 26, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 23, 2024

Last Verified

September 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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