SBIR Phase I: Automated Medical Supply Dispenser to Decrease Spread of COVID-19 to Healthcare Professionals

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是通过自动化药物输送保护医疗工作者和保存个人防护设备（PPE）。在COVID-19危机期间，医疗保健系统面临着前所未有的紧急情况。美国每1000人只有3.3张病床，而在意大利，医护人员占COVID-19病例的10%。该项目将通过与电子健康记录（EHR）集成的药物分发器减少与患者直接接触的频率。在短期内，这将降低新型冠状病毒传播的机会，节省有限的个人防护用品供应，并有可能缓解医疗系统日益增加的压力。从长期来看，它可以用于其他医疗条件；例如，它可以使患者在为电子病历和医生提供报告的设备中自我管理止痛药，可能解决全国阿片类药物流行的问题。这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在设计和开发一种由安全软件管理的医疗设备，并通过FHIR（快速医院互操作资源）与电子健康记录（EHR）集成，FHIR是HL7（健康级别7）的新兴协议和演进，旨在从根本上简化EHR系统中的数据接口。该项目的结果是通过FHIR进一步加强设备与医院电子病历之间的接口。SBIR第一阶段项目的重点是确定EHR-FHIR集成的挑战，包括潜在的网络安全风险。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to protect healthcare workers and conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) through automated medication delivery. The healthcare system is facing an unprecedented emergency during the COVID-19 crisis. The US has just 3.3 hospital beds available per 1,000 people, and healthcare workers have accounted for 10% of COVID-19 cases in Italy. This project will decrease the frequency of direct contact with patients through a medication dispenser integrated with the Electronic Health Record (EHR). In the near term, it will lower the chance of transmission of the novel coronavirus, saving limited PPE supplies, and potentially alleviating mounting pressure on the healthcare system. In the longer term, it can be used for other medical conditions; for instance, it can enable a patient to self-administer pain medication in a device that provides reporting for EHR and the physician, potentially addressing the national opioid epidemic.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is for the design and development of a medical device managed by secure software and integrated with the Electronic Health Record (EHR) via FHIR (Fast Hospital Interoperability Resources), an emerging protocol and evolution of HL7 (Health Level 7) intended to radically simplify the data interface in the EHR system. The outcome of the project is to further the interface between the device and the hospital EHR through FHIR. The SBIR Phase 1 project is focused on defining challenges for this EHR-FHIR integration, including potential cybersecurity risks.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.