Short-Term Wearable Sensors for In-Hospital Medical and Surgical Patients: Mixed Methods Analysis of Patient Perspectives.

Meera Joshi,Sadia Khan,Sonal Arora,Graham Cooke,Abigail Morbi,Stephanie Archer,Hutan Ashrafian,Richard Kwasnicki,Ara Darzi

doi:10.2196/18836

Abstract

BackgroundContinuous vital sign monitoring using wearable sensors may enable early detection of patient deterioration and sepsis.ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore patient experiences with wearable sensor technology and carry out continuous monitoring through questionnaire and interview studies in an acute hospital setting.MethodsPatients were recruited for a wearable sensor study and were asked to complete a 9-item questionnaire. Patients responses were evaluated using a Likert scale and with continuous variables. A subgroup of surgical patients wearing a Sensium Vital Sign Sensor was invited to participate in semistructured interviews. The Sensium wearable sensor measures the vital signs: heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature. All interview data were subjected to thematic analysis.ResultsOut of a total of 500 patients, 453 (90.6%) completed the questionnaire. Furthermore, 427 (85.4%) patients agreed that the wearable sensor was comfortable, 429 (85.8%) patients agreed to wear the patch again when in hospital, and 398 (79.6%) patients agreed to wear the patch at home. Overall, 12 surgical patients consented to the interviews. Five main themes of interest to patients emerged from the interviews: (1) centralized monitoring, (2) enhanced feelings of patient safety, (3) impact on nursing staff, (4) comfort and usability, and (5) future use and views on technology.ConclusionsOverall, the feedback from patients using wearable monitoring sensors was strongly positive with relatively few concerns raised. Patients felt that the wearable sensors would improve their sense of safety, relieve pressure on health care staff, and serve as a favorable aspect of future health care technology.

Highlights

Delayed detection of patient deterioration in hospitals is a major cause of morbidity and mortality and is mostly caused by human-related monitoring failure [1,2,3]
This study aimed to explore patient experiences with wearable sensor technology and carry out continuous monitoring through questionnaire and in-depth semistructured interviews in an acute hospital setting
Patients recruited in a wearable patch study were asked to complete a questionnaire; semistructured interviews were held for a subgroup of patients to explore their experience with the sensor in detail

Summary

Introduction

Delayed detection of patient deterioration in hospitals is a major cause of morbidity and mortality and is mostly caused by human-related monitoring failure [1,2,3]. Vital sign changes measured as part of routine clinical care for hospitalized patients may be present several hours prior to the onset of clinical events such as cardiac arrest, death, and intensive care unit admission [6]. In the United Kingdom, the National Early Warning Scoring (NEWS) System is used to detect clinical deterioration and improve patient safety. This is an aggregate scoring system that measures vital signs [3]. A score is allocated to each vital sign parameter, and high scores indicate patient deterioration [3]. Continuous vital sign monitoring using wearable sensors may enable early detection of patient deterioration and sepsis

Methods

Results

Conclusion