A Decision Support System Based on Augmented Reality for the Safe Preparation of Chemotherapy Drugs

The preparation of chemotherapy drugs has always presented complex issues and challenges given the nature of the demand on the one hand, and the criticality of the treatments on the other. Chemotherapy involves handling special drugs that require specific precautions. These drugs are toxic and potentially harmful for people handling them. Their preparation entails therefore particular and complex procedures including preparation and control. The relevant control methods are often limited to the double visual control. The search for optimization and safety of pharmaco-technical processes leads to the use of new technologies with the main aim of improving patient care. In this respect, Augmented Reality (AR) technology can be an effective solution to support the control of chemotherapy preparations. It can be easily adapted to the chemotherapy drugs preparation environment. This paper introduces SmartPrep, an innovative decision support system (DSS) for the monitoring of chemotherapy drugs preparation. The proposed DSS uses the AR technology, through smart glasses, to facilitate and secure the preparation of these drugs. Controlling the preparation process is done with the help of the voice since hands are busy. SmartPrep was co-developed by the research laboratory CRISTAL, GRITA research group and the software publisher Computer Engineering.