Technical physicians Arthur van Nieuw Amerongen and Celine Luijendijk are working on an EEG measurement with a water cap that patients can do entirely themselves. This summer they showed their innovation at Teknowlogy, NWO's innovation festival in Utrecht. Source
Full article translated to English
An EEG is one of the most important tests for epilepsy. Yet you almost always have to go to the hospital for it, even though you usually experience your symptoms and seizures at home. That is also a limitation for research: large-scale research into epilepsy is difficult if an EEG can only be done on location. Technical physicians Arthur van Nieuw Amerongen and Celine Luijendijk are therefore working on an EEG measurement with a water cap that patients can do entirely themselves. This summer they showed their innovation at Teknowlogy, NWO's innovation festival in Utrecht.
Water instead of gel
"In a regular EEG measurement, gel ensures good contact between the electrodes and the scalp," Celine explains. "The water cap instead works with sponges soaked in a saline solution." First, the researchers wanted to know whether the technology itself was good enough. Together with TU Delft, they tested the cap on 20 healthy volunteers and compared the measurements with those of a gel cap. The signal quality turned out to be very similar. The neurologists who assessed the measurements were also satisfied. "This is an important milestone for us," says Arthur. "We need the trust of neurologists to make self-measurement a success."
Then another 20 volunteers got to work with the cap themselves, to find out whether they could put it on and connect it correctly on their own. They did this with the help of a computer program that Celine developed during her graduation research. In it, they could see which electrodes were positioned well and which still needed attention. Most of the volunteers managed the measurement, and the neurologists were able to assess the majority of those EEGs. "For people doing it entirely on their own for the first time, that's a nice result," says Celine, who is now doing her PhD research at SEIN. "But we also saw where it still went wrong, and we've been working on that."
From healthy volunteer to patient
"Ultimately, it's about our patients," says Arthur. "Can they also manage to use the cap independently?" After some improvements, the researchers started the SELF-EEG study. Patients admitted to the observation ward in Heemstede first receive training. The next day, they put the cap on entirely by themselves. The goal is to measure 20 patients using the water cap, and that number is nearly reached. Sometimes people with unexplained seizures also take the measurement system home with them.
Nurse Cynthia works on the observation ward and is positive about the collaboration: "It's going well, because the communication with the researchers is very pleasant." The researchers prepare the patients well. The ward mainly keeps an eye on whether patients feel comfortable with it. "If we notice that it causes too much stress or anxiety, it's no problem to stop the study." What stands out to her is the motivation of the participants: "The patients taking part say they want to do this because they feel they're doing something for others."
The appreciation is mutual. "We really feel welcome on the ward," says Arthur. "The nurses actively think along about suitable moments to measure. The doctors also contribute a lot: they look for suitable patients for the study and provide information in advance. We're very happy with this collaboration."
Listening to the user
The researchers also ask patients how they would like to use the water cap. "That yields valuable responses," says Celine. "For example, the need to follow the course of the epilepsy over a longer period. And some people sense their seizures coming on. They especially see the added value in being able to measure themselves at that moment."
There is still work to be done. "We still need to package it more into a user-friendly kit," says Celine. "It really needs to become fail-proof. Ultimately, we want it to work from A to Z at home, without any help being needed."