Despite the importance of closely monitoring patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), many aspects are still assessed in a limited manner due to the time constraints imposed on healthcare providers. For example, although excessive visitations during rest hours can potentially exacerbate the risk of circadian rhythm disruption and delirium, it is not captured in the ICU. Likewise, while mobility can be an important indicator of recovery or deterioration in ICU patients, it is only captured sporadically or not captured at all. In the past few years, the computer vision field has found application in many domains by reducing the human burden. Using computer vision systems in the ICU can also potentially enable non-existing assessments or enhance the frequency and accuracy of existing assessments while reducing the staff workload. In this study, we leverage a state-of-the-art noninvasive computer vision system based on depth imaging to characterize ICU visitations and patients' mobility. We then examine the relationship between visitation and several patient outcomes, such as pain, acuity, and delirium. We found an association between deteriorating patient acuity and the incidence of delirium with increased visitations. In contrast, self-reported pain, reported using the Defense and Veteran Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS), was correlated with decreased visitations. Our findings highlight the feasibility and potential of using noninvasive autonomous systems to monitor ICU patients.

翻译：尽管密切监测重症监护室（ICU）患者至关重要，但由于医护人员面临的时间限制，许多方面的评估仍较为有限。例如，休息时段的过度探视可能加剧昼夜节律紊乱和谵妄的风险，但ICU中并未系统记录此类情况。同样，患者活动能力可作为ICU患者恢复或恶化的重要指标，但目前仅能零星记录或完全缺失。过去几年中，计算机视觉领域通过减轻人力负担已在多个领域得到应用。在ICU中采用计算机视觉系统，有望实现当前缺失的评估项目，或提升现有评估的频率与准确性，同时减轻医护人员工作量。本研究采用基于深度成像的先进非侵入式计算机视觉系统，对ICU探视行为及患者活动特征进行量化分析，进而探究探视与患者疼痛程度、病情危重度和谵妄等临床结局的关联。研究发现，患者病情恶化及谵妄发生率与探视频率增加存在相关性；而采用国防与退伍军人疼痛评定量表（DVPRS）评估的自我报告疼痛程度，则与探视频率减少相关。本研究结果证实了使用非侵入式自主系统监测ICU患者的可行性与潜在价值。