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When most people hear “systems engineering,” they think of airplanes, satellites, or air traffic control. But a team of Systems Engineering and Operations Research (SEOR) students is applying those same analytical skills to improving health care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Their prototype smartphone application called Careable recently earned second place in the Patriot Pitch Business Plan Competition’s Social Impact Track and first place in the Andrew P. Sage Memorial Design Competition’s Human-Centered Health and Training Track.
“More than 2.2 million Americans live with IDD, lifelong conditions often accompanied by complex medical needs and medication regimens,” said Amy Mayeaux, a team member. “Many individuals require assisted living support, whether in one of Virginia’s estimated 27,000 assisted living facilities or in their own homes.”
Day-to-day care is provided by Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), whose responsibilities include monitoring residents’ health and tracking the effects of medications. That task can be especially difficult, the students found, because many individuals with IDD have limited verbal communication skills.
“As a result, subtle behaviors and early symptoms often go undocumented,“ said Britney Orellana-Ochoa. ”Those missed warning signs can escalate into serious medical emergencies such as bowel obstructions, aspiration, seizures, sepsis, or dehydration.”
The consequences are significant. Individuals with IDD experience up to four times as many preventable doctor and hospital visits as the general population. To address this gap, the students developed a systems-based model linking 73 observable behaviors and symptoms to five major severe health conditions. Using a weighted scoring system, the model identifies patterns that may indicate emerging health problems.
The concept is simple but powerful. At the end of each shift, a DSP care giver completes a checklist noting observed behaviors and symptoms. Over time and across multiple caregivers, the data builds a clearer picture of an individual’s health, allowing “hidden” conditions to be detected earlier.
The team also built a stochastic simulation model to assess the impact of the approach. The results were striking. “Our simulation showed that using the proposed operational concept reduced average preventable doctor visits from about nine per patient per year to five,” said team member William Echols.
To bring the idea into practice, the students developed Careable, which is in field trials involving DSPs, nurses, and physicians. Feedback from those users is now being used to refine usability and address technical issues.
Guping Hu, SEOR chair, said the project reflects the broader mission of the systems engineering program at George Mason. “We could not be more proud of these students. They are demonstrating how systems engineering can be applied to real-world problems with meaningful social impact. We wish them continued success on their entrepreneurial journey.”