Connected sensing technologies intertwined with technological development in smart sensors technologies to monitor environmental conditions, wearable medical technologies, intelligent building management systems and digital visualisation techniques have become increasingly amenable to gather wide range of data about patient comfort (e.g. air and radiant room temperature, relative humidity RH, CO2, VOC and resins concentration), physiological data (e.g. blood pressure, heart beat, blood sugar level, perspiration, breathing pattern) and behavioural-cognitive data/indicators (indicators based on person level function performance) which includes:
i) body posture and gait;
ii) spatial orientation, navigation and way finding;
iii) self-management and self-efficacy;
iv) clumsiness and confusion in performing Activities of Daily Living (ADLs); and
v) physical attributes-strength and balance.
Hence opening up new possibilities for built environment professionals and technologists in the way which was unimaginable 10 years ago. Whilst such a dichotomy was previously considered to be insurmountable; it does offer new possibilities by linking together building performance data, building-user data, workflow data, etc. These advances include the ever-increasing opportunities for real-time and whole-life management of a wide range of building types.
It enables increasingly complex operational systems and building performance data to be collected around the clock and in real-time as in outpatient setting and specialized health care areas such as Intensive care (ITU), oncology or orthopedics units and/or residential care homes for dementia for instance where patient health is most fragile and critical; hence allowing them to be more inventive in formulating, refining and developing new methods based on intelligent data analysis and models depicting the real/operational world which can be tied up with digital BIM 3–D model based.
By the same token the dichotomy of Digital vs Real world /Operational models open up new opportunities by providing feedback mechanism whilst monitoring and managing design in use solely based on 3-D modelling and simulation intertwined with allowing further rigorous testing and critical assessment of the health building design in use which will potentially feed into the early design proposition for future development towards creating the most optimal and therapeutically-enhance environment most suited to meet patients requirements against a pre-set and pre-defined criteria. The process follows more or less an iterative and cyclical process- moving forward and backward whilst their technological implication is fully assessed. By addressing any anomalies and mismatch between the two models this allows built environment professionals, technologist and facilities managers (FM) to work synergistically and in unison to achieve the perfect operational setting vis-a-vis meeting end users requirements and proactively addressing any deficiencies/conflict during day-to-day operational management which is intrinsically patient-focused. This might yield further benefit in improving the quality of health care, accelerating the healing process and improve patients health and well-being amongst many other benefits For instance allowing to identify hotspots and potential higher risk flaring up in critical health areas and facilities, based on Intelligent real-time monitoring and raising the alarm. By so doing sporadic outbreak of infection can be contained/mitigated with further benefits including reduction of any likely disruption, wasting clinical and health care resources to deal with an outbreak and consequential costs due of shut down implications apart from maintaining patient health to avoid any likely health deterioration.
Increasingly-complex ‘digital twins’ of physical buildings are rapidly becoming a reality- by creating Digital and Operational Models capable of representing the entirety of a building’s operation including building’s systems, environmental condition and health monitoring of its occupants. Such complete and connected models will allow us to optimise building performance based on real-time evidence. We begin to build a physical model depicting the physical world solely based on health and well-being, cognitive and behavioral indicators which is essentially patient-focused and patient-centered. For instance capturing behavioural/cognitive patterns and well-being of dementia patient towards achieving the most optimal solution which might include:
- Changes in sensory response,
- Physiological parameter and indices related to condition deterioration
- Awareness of potential environmental hazards i.e surrounding risk awareness,
- Viso-spatial awareness and spatial orientation,
- Responsiveness to lighting intensity and light contrast
- Safety and security awareness
The School of Engineering and the Built Environment at Birmingham City University (BCU) is currently leading the way into an ambitious project: Evidence-Based Digital Modelling of the Health Care Buildings focusing on connecting Digital BIM 3-D models with building performance data, building users data and workflow data in real-time based on the whole management of health care facilities. By creating a interconnected yet a holistic digital model intertwined with operational model which capture both building’s systems and multifaceted building/environmental/patients interactions data we are hoping that this will provide ever increasing opportunities enabling building operator/facilities managers to optimise performance based on real-time evidence towards maximising satisfaction, comfort and patient quality of care and ultimately cutting cost of care, reducing fatalities and saving life on the long term.
About the author:
Ghasson is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering and the Built Environment at Birmingham City University. He is an architect and technologist by profession and innovation advocate. Ghasson’s research explores inclusive environments in order to identify issues related to the design and management of the indoor and the wider built environment for those with neurodiversity problems, including Autism Spectrum Condition and Dementia with particular emphasis on incorporating Revit BIM and Virtual Realities (VR) in the way finding, navigation and orientation.
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