My Amego – Assistive Technology on inpatient wards Baswich and Milford

Introduction to My Amego My Amego can be used both as a stand alone ‘passive’ system generating automatic alerts and messages or linked to nurse call systems within a care home or ward environment. It can be used for maintaining and enabling lifestyle choices such as mobility, independence and enhancing dignity, whilst potentially safeguarding care/nursing staff and residents.

The aims for the pilot The initial aims were consistent for both wards; to enable service user independence, to provide regular alerts to staff regarding routines and risks, to encourage and support reduction in 1:1’s and to utilise the system to manage the risks where possible.

What does the system look like? My Amego Fob (middle pic) – The fob is for service users to wear (usually on a cord around their neck) and will inform staff of their whereabouts if there are any highlighted risks for an individual on the system. The buttons do have similar functions to the pager however, they were disabled for the purpose of the pilot. My Amego Pager (right pic) – The red button has an emergency function that communicates between staff pagers. It also has a blue button which can be used to communicate non emergencies i.e. extra staff member for moving and handling between staff.

How does the system function? Alert system through staff pagers Personal alarm Fobs that service users wear

Examples of the fob on the inpatient wards Fobs were given to service users to assess their level of mobility due to high levels of pacing within the ward environment. A service user was given a fob so that he could stay in the art room unsupervised as the main ward was often noisy and he was experiencing conflict with another service user. Fobs were worn by service users to enable staff to be alerted if they went to a different room and the pagers alerted the staff to encourage regular checks.

Benefits and Limitations of it use within the inpatient settings Benefits of the system: Provides a mobile support call system for staff which can work alongside the nurse call system in place. Can give more independence to service users Provides additional support to staff as it can be utilised as a personal alarm. Can provide staff with further evidence to support with documentation such as decision support tool System is easy to use. Utilising staff time for more direct patient contact. Can support staff through use of reminder alerts to assist and support service users with specific elements of care.

Continued… Limitations of the system: -Pagers can be difficult to wear due to staff uniforms -Instances where fobs have fell off when in the middle of supporting personal care. -Some staff have had difficulty understanding and being motivated how to use and apply the system on a regular and consistent basis. - Do not want to use it without purpose. -Training has been difficult to implement -The need for constant reminders and alerts to encourage use of the system as it is not embedded into the ethos of the ward as yet. -(Positive and Negative) Slow and steady approach has allowed the basics to be more engrained but it is now how we move the system forward to suit the service users and ward more throughout the remaining duration of the pilot. -Inputting data on both the My Amego system and Rio (duplication) can be time consuming. -Perception of being ‘tracked’

Summaryof My Amego The My Amego pilot on Baswich and Milford has shown the potential for using the system on in patient wards. There is a need for prolonged use of the system to embed it into the ward culture before definitive conclusions regarding its efficacy can be made. The system also needs to be trialled in different clinical areas to ascertain whether it is as effective as it was on Baswich and Milford.