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Details of Grant
 
EPSRC Reference: GR/M54889/01
Title: A COMMUNICATION AID FOR PATIENTS IN INTENSIVE CARE UNITS (ICU-TALK)
Principal Investigator: Professor IW Ricketts
Other Investigators:
Dr N Alm Mrs J Brodie Ms F Dennis
Mr B Gordon Dr A Shearer Dr A Waller
Dr A Warden
Researcher Co-investigator:
Project Partner:
Department: School of Computing
Organisation: University of Dundee
Scheme: Standard Research
Starts: 15 July 1999 Ends: 14 October 2002 Value (£): 251,765
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Human-Computer Interactions
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary
This proposal outlines a user-centred research project within the EPSRC research programme in Information to Support Patient Care under the theme of Healthcare Informatics.

The project aims to develop an augmentative and alternative communication system which will meet the needs of patients who find themselves in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and who because of their condition or treatment are temporarily unable to speak. The system will be based on TalksBac an augmentative communication system designed specifically for adults with acquired dysphasia. Several features of TalksBac, e.g. reduced cognitive load and easy personalisation of data, suggest that this approach will benefit temporarily non-speaking patients in an ICU setting.

This will be a multi-disciplinary project involving staff from Dundees Speech and language Therapy service, Ninewells Hospital and Medical Schools Intensive Care Unit and Dundee University's Applied Computing and Nursing Departments.

This project will be staffed by a software engineer, an intensive care nurse (40% full time), a speech and language therapist (40% full time) and a doctoral student. In 3 years it will deliver an operational system which will have been evaluated in an intensive care unit for a period of 12 months.

Final Report Summary
This proposal outlines a user-centred research project within the EPSRC research programme in Information to Support Patient Care under the theme of Healthcare Informatics.

The project aims to develop an augmentative and alternative communication system which will meet the needs of patients who find themselves in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and who because of their condition or treatment are temporarily unable to speak. The system will be based on TalksBac an augmentative communication system designed specifically for adults with acquired dysphasia. Several features of TalksBac, e.g. reduced cognitive load and easy personalisation of data, suggest that this approach will benefit temporarily non-speaking patients in an ICU setting.

This will be a multi-disciplinary project involving staff from Dundees Speech and language Therapy service, Ninewells Hospital and Medical Schools Intensive Care Unit and Dundee University's Applied Computing and Nursing Departments.

This project will be staffed by a software engineer, an intensive care nurse (40% full time), a speech and language therapist (40% full time) and a doctoral student. In 3 years it will deliver an operational system which will have been evaluated in an intensive care unit for a period of 12 months.

Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.dundee.ac.uk
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