Our project is a real time monitor meant to be deployed into the homes of patients for long-term health monitoring. By nature, this entails that the greatest ethical consideration in the design of such a device is privacy. Since the system continuously records data and streams it outside of the patient’s home, it is important that the device not be invasive to the privacy of the user. This would be a major issue if the design of the device were to include things such as cameras and microphones. Our current design, however, is not equipped with any sensors that are particularly intrusive, monitoring only heart rate, weight and breathing rate through load cells and piezoelectric sensors. Nevertheless, it is still of utmost importance to keep the patient informed of all the nuances of the data that the monitoring system will be collecting within their homes.
As the amount of data in the world accelerates each year, anonymity in data becomes increasingly important. To respect patient’s privacy and the potential of harm to the patient through the leak of the data collected through the monitoring system, patient data should be able to remain anonymous while being analyzed. The data collected contains important information on biomarkers of the patient and could furthermore be used to identify them. Therefore, it is imperative that the software associated with the device be built with proper security to prevent data leaks and invasion of privacy on the users.
It is important to consider the potential environmental impacts that the design of our device may have. Given the plastic material the device is composed of, it is important that these monitoring systems do not have to be frequently replaced and/or discarded, as the continual creation of these plastics can have drastic negative effect on the environment. Therefore, it is important that standards be upheld in the design and material choices of the build, to ensure the quality and durable of the device in order to reduce environmental impact.
Due to the monitoring system having no direct interaction or contact with the patient, there are relatively few mechanical or electrical safety concerns in the development and use of the device. One minor concern, however, is the weight limit and durability of the device. Made from a plastic material, the plates are prone to breaking when subject to a sudden increase in load. This, however, does not pose significant risk to the patent due to the slim form factor of the device. Each plate measures in at less than an inch in thickness, making the trauma a patient would suffer given a plate breakage extremely minimal. Slippage is another similarly related safety issue. The original device was designed with an aluminum frame, making it slippery against a wood or metal surface. This has been improved by the addition of a rubber covering atop the sensor, giving the surface improved traction.
Improper wire management may also prove to be a safety hazard to the patient. Currently, wires extend from each plate underneath the four legs of the bed. This introduces a risk of the patient tripping when attempting to enter or exit the bed space, which will need to be improved on in the future with better wire management or wireless feature.
Finally, it’s important to acknowledge the impacts the monitoring system could have on the patient’s health. Specifically, this relates to the placement of the sensors. If the sensors consist of a significant form factor and are placed beneath the mattress, this may lead to patient discomfort and an overall reduction in sleep quality. This was one of the reasons the system was designed to sit underneath the legs of the bed, rather than beneath the mattress like many prior heart failure monitoring systems attempted to do.