A fuzzy logic-based warning system for patients classification

Health Informatics J. 2019 Sep;25(3):1004-1024. doi: 10.1177/1460458217735674. Epub 2017 Nov 6.

Abstract

Typically acute deterioration in sick people is preceded by subtle changes in the physiological parameters such as pulse and blood pressure. The Modified Early Warning Score is a scoring system developed to assist hospital staff in gauging these physiological changes and identifying patients in need of urgent medical care to avoid catastrophic deterioration. This work discusses the design and implementation of an equivalent warning system that utilizes fuzzy logic techniques to categorize patients' status. The system is implemented and tested in Rashid Centre for Diabetes and Research in UAE. Results are compared with those obtained using the Modified Early Warning System that is currently used in practice. We demonstrate that the implemented system provides reliable results that are in agreement with the current Modified Early Warning Score system, with the added benefit of a scoring scheme that provides a better insight into the status or medical condition of each patient.

Keywords: Modified Early Warning Score; fuzzy logic; medical scoring systems; radio-frequency identification; vital signs; wireless monitoring.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Blood Pressure
  • Early Warning Score*
  • Female
  • Fuzzy Logic*
  • Health Status*
  • Heart Rate
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Monitoring, Physiologic / methods
  • Radio Frequency Identification Device / methods
  • Triage / methods
  • United Arab Emirates