Improving Peritoneal Dialysis Management Through Applied Learning and Technology

<p dir="ltr">Introduction: Interdisciplinary learning promotes teamwork and professional collaboration but requires careful planning and significant resources (Cooper, Carlisle, Gibbs & Watkins, 2001). This paper presents the collaborative and interdisciplinary learning process of different models of student (HSS+ICT; ICT) and faculty (ICT+CPC+HSS) teams using the case example of, addressing challenges faced by peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, and proposes recommendations to promote interdisciplinary learning.</p><p dir="ltr">Method: The initiative began with two student teams participating in the Social Innovation Project under the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) Community Leadership And Social Innovation Centre (CLASIC) program. Teams collaborated with SGH Nursing to study workflows of peritoneal dialysis, identifying inefficiencies in manual record-keeping and highlighting the need for an automated solution. Building on this, Integrative Team Projects (ITP1 and ITP2) involved ICT students for two four-month trimesters. In ITP1, students surveyed 44 PD patients to identify challenges such as manual record-keeping, supply management, and travel logistics. Insights informed the design of a prototype prioritizing accessibility and usability, leveraging human-computer interaction principles. Iterative usability testing refined the app to address the needs of PD patients and care team. In ITP2, students enhanced the prototype using software engineering and artificial intelligence (AI). They implemented GPT-4 API to analyze PD fluid images and patient vital signs for abnormalities and created a clinician web portal for prioritizing critical cases, visualizing patient trends, and generating AI-powered summaries. Collaboration with SGH nurses provided practical experience in adapting solutions to clinical workflows.</p><p dir="ltr">Results: The development process over three trimesters highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. In the Social Innovation Project, HSS and ICT students contributed insights to each other with limited faculty intervention. For ITP1 and ITP2, ICT students worked with interdisciplinary faculty guidance. The ICT faculty guided the software development process and challenged the team to incorporate AI into their solution. The CPC (communication skills) faculty encouraged the students to strengthen their literature review section to prove that the large language model they had initially chosen was the best for the project and to reorganize their report following the Software Development Life Cycle. The HSS faculty guided the students in the clinical processes, clinical key focus of App functions and PD literature.</p><p dir="ltr">Conclusion: Throughout this journey, collaboration with industry clinical partners from SGH was instrumental in shaping the app's development, reinforcing the importance of communication and real-world problem-solving. Two interdisciplinary models were presented with students and faculty gaining richer perspectives on professional socialization and outcomes. This project highlights the value of interdisciplinary applied learning, where students translated knowledge into practical solutions that address healthcare challenges. The resulting mobile application demonstrates how technology can improve patient care while offering students a meaningful opportunity to develop interdisciplinary skills and foster innovation.</p>