The contents of the PPMS box which consist of a patient monitoring device, a mini-computer, and a mini thermal printer

ITS Campus, ITS News – During the Covid-19 pandemic, hospitals in Indonesia were often overwhelmed in treating patients whose numbers continued to increase significantly. As a result, there was a long queue at the Emergency Unit (ER). Departing from this, six academics from Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) designed a Portable Patient Monitoring System (PPMS) installed on ambulances to speed up patient assistance and cut queues in the emergency room or ER.

The team, named Imelda (short for Integration Semarang, Malang and Surabaya which is the origin of the team members, ed) consists of Prof. Dr. Ir Mauridhi Hery Purnomo MEng as chairman, Wiwik Anggraeni SSi MKom, Diah Risqiwati, Lailatul Husniah ST MT, Sugiyanto, and Hanugra Aulia Sidharta.

Prototype packaging of the Portable Patient Monitoring System (PPMS) by the ITS academic community with UMM

All members of the Imelda team are currently still completing their doctoral program at ITS under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Ir Mauridhi Hery Purnomo, MEng. In addition, the ITS team also involved Dr. Lailis Syafa’ah MT, a lecturer in Electrical Engineering from the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), as the team’s communication coordinator with related partners.

Wiwik Anggraeni revealed that the PPMS consists of three main components, namely a patient monitoring device, a mini-computer, and a mini thermal printer. All three are packed in a suitcase of the same size weighing less than 3 kilograms for easy transportation. “With this size, PPMS becomes a portable device that can be moved from the ambulance to a temporary bed before entering the emergency room,” she explained.

Prof. Dr. Ir Mauridhi Hery Purnomo MEng (right) when handing over the PPMS tool to the UMM. Hospital

In more detail, Wiwik added that PPMS functions as a vital sign monitoring tool during the journey from the patient’s home to the ER. These vital signs include SpO2, systole, diastole, body temperature, respiratory rate, and heart rate. “The six of them will be observed during the trip, and paramedics can print a summary of the data to be submitted to the ER,” said the ITS Information Systems Department lecturer.

Wiwik admitted that Imelda’s team used the direct observation method in conducting this research. By involving the UMM Hospital as a working partner, the team conducted a survey in the field to look for innovative ideas that matched the theme of IEEE SIGHT Funding, a service program related to the Covid-19 response. “Then, we proposed the idea to be implemented in the ambulance belonging to the UMM Hospital,” she explained.

The research team from ITS, together with the management of UMM Hospital and UMM representatives, after handing over the tools on January 13, 2022

After receiving approval and funding, the Imelda team assembled the PPMS and conducted limited and field simulations. “During the test, we got positive feedback, the paramedic team said that this tool was needed because it was portable and multifunctional,” explained the lecturer who finished his master’s degree in Informatics Engineering ITS.

After several tests and simulations, he continued, PPMS was ready to operate and was successfully awarded at UMM Hospital on January 13, 2022. In addition, the tool which is in the process of submitting copyright will also be distributed to two other places, namely the Bhayangkara Pusdik Sabhara Porong Hospital and the ITS Medical Center. “However, the equipment grant activities in the two places will only be carried out in the next one to two weeks,” said Wiwik.

Example of a printed summary of patient data on a mini thermal printer on the PPMS designed by the ITS team that is ready to be submitted to the ER

No ivory is not cracked; the PPMS made by the Imelda team still has shortcomings, considering that this tool is the prototype of the series. Things that need to be highlighted for future development include connectivity to the internet, which is still limited, additional monitoring tools in the ER that have not been designed yet, to requests from hospitals for patient monitoring devices with specific brands.

Prototype packaging of the Portable Patient Monitoring System (PPMS) by the ITS academic community with UMM (2)

Designed for two years since the Covid outbreak hit, this project is assessed by Wiwik as experiencing many obstacles. Starting from the limited types and models of monitoring tools due to limited imports to technical difficulties in collecting monitoring tool data, there are no official manuals and protocols from the manufacturer. “We hope to continue to participate in developing tools in the medical field that is appropriate and beneficial for the people of Indonesia,” she said. (far/ITS Public Relation)

The paramedic team monitors the patient’s condition by connecting the PPMS designed by the ITS team on a smartphone.

Reporter: Erchi Ad’ha Loyensya