Hart, TA;
(2016)
Diagnostic data gathering from incontinence pad-mounted sensors.
Masters thesis , UCL (University College London).
Abstract
In nursing homes the majority of residents have some form of incontinence, and this is mainly managed with the use of incontinence pads (diapers). In order to better manage incontinence, several commercial and academic groups have developed or made use of sensors that are placed in pads, which aim to detect when a urine leakage (void) has occurred, and/or estimate the volume of urine that has leaked into the pad (void volume). Designing sensors that can achieve this, is not straight forward because there any many factors that affect the distribution of urine in pads (such as the flow rate of the void or the posture of the wearer), and therefore readings from the sensors. The main aim of this project was to investigate the impact of some of these factors on the sensor readings from a commercial sensor that was placed in pads, and on fluid distribution in pads. This knowledge should be useful for those interested in designing sensors in pads in the future. Experiments were conducted, whereby fluid was delivered (or a person voided) into pads, instrumented with a commercial sensor. The experiments were conducted under different settings, ranging from controlled lab experiments, to nursing home residents wearing and voiding in the pads. The impact of void volume, flow rate, where fluid lands in the pad (drop point) and the wearer’s posture, on the sensor readings was investigated. Most importantly, eight features of the sensor traces were identified, which were found to have been measurably affected by the void volume. These results translated to insights as to how void volume and some of the other factors affect fluid distribution in pads. The insights gained should prove useful for the future development of sensors in pads, and for designing algorithms that derive clinically useful information from the data gathered from these sensors.
| Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Title: | Diagnostic data gathering from incontinence pad-mounted sensors |
| Event: | UCL (University College London) |
| Language: | English |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Med Phys and Biomedical Eng |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1502431 |
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