To support University Hospital Zurich’s endeavors during the coronavirus pandemic the USZ Foundation has launched the Corona Solidarity Fund. Many thanks to the donors who are contributing to this effort! They’ve already made it possible to fund two projects.
Safer intensive care: Many COVID-19 patients require treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU). The staff who work on these units run the risk of infection. The ICU Cockpit is designed to prevent this by enabling patients to be monitored from an adjoining room. This is done by using algorithms to integrate the data from all monitoring devices and evaluating it centrally. At the same time the project increases patient safety by making it easier to identify real emergencies and preventing false alarms by means of artificial intelligence.
iPads for COVID-19 patients: Hospitalized COVID-19 patients suffer from social isolation resulting from their infection, making contact with friends and family even more important. Not all patients have a smartphone or tablet to be able to use video services such as Skype or Facetime. For this reason USZ provides patients with a free iPad, including assistance with how to use it, for the duration of their stay in hospital. The idea is to enable them to maintain social contact, which helps their recovery.
The USZ Foundation will continue to support University Hospital Zurich’s efforts by way of the Corona Solidarity Fund – to help staff stay healthy despite overlong shifts and also find time to research new treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.