[SmartCare: automatizing clinical guidelines].

Area of Science:

• Critical care medicine
• Health informatics
• Biomedical engineering

Context:

• Critical care settings face challenges in balancing therapeutic quality with cost reduction.
• Clinical guidelines, essential for evidence-based medicine, are often difficult for staff to implement at the bedside.
• There is a need for systems that can effectively translate clinical guidelines into practice.

Purpose:

• To introduce SmartCare, a knowledge-based technology designed to incorporate and execute clinical guidelines on medical devices.
• To demonstrate the methodology and versatility of SmartCare for enhancing healthcare delivery.
• To report on the clinical evaluation and future perspectives of the SmartCare system.

Summary:

• SmartCare functions as a clinical guideline engine, executing computerized best practices on medical devices.
• Its initial application involved automated control of mechanical ventilators for patient weaning.
• The system's design allows for adaptation to various medical devices and guidelines.

Impact:

• SmartCare aims to improve therapeutic quality and reduce costs in critical care environments.
• The technology facilitates the practical application of clinical guidelines at the point of care.
• This approach offers a versatile solution for integrating evidence-based medicine into routine clinical practice.