A Robot-Administered ICU Confusion Assessment with Brain-Computer Interface Control

Abstract

Evaluation of patient delirium in hospital Intensive Care Units (ICU) is a crucial and challenging task, with conventional assessments like CAM-ICU relying largely on verbal and physical communication, making it difficult for patients with limited physical abilities. To address this, we propose a system that integrates Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology and a Socially Assistive Robot (SAR) through brain-controlled mental commands. In a pilot user study, we demonstrate how our system could successfully administer a version of the CAM-ICU to 13 medical professionals and students roleplaying various level of delirium severity. Our work reveals early usability and workload insights, and next steps to improve upon assessment classification accuracy and interaction design.