Evaluating a smartwatch notification system in a simulated nursing home

This paper evaluates a high-fidelity prototype of a smartwatch-based communication system for nursing homes. The system could improve communication between residents and caregivers, thus reducing staff response time and improving residents' safety.

Across the country, nursing homes are often cited as having serious quality and safety issues. Deficiencies in the communication systems that connect residents with caregivers significantly impact the quality of care. Most nursing homes still use traditional call light systems, that give visual and auditory cues to caregivers, who may or may not be in proximity to the system. This study evaluates a smartwatch communication system developed to quickly relay a resident's requests for assistance to staff anywhere in the nursing home.

Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) employed by nursing homes were recruited to perform routine tasks using both a traditional system and a smart system. Response time to call lights, staff performance and outcomes were measured through direct and recorded observations and through the surveys of participants.

The smartwatch system reduced staff response time to call lights from bedrooms by 40%, from bathrooms by 58% and from bed exit alarms by 29%. The smartwatch system also reduced perceived workload by about 50% and was highly accepted by the CNAs.

A smartwatch-based notification system may increase staff performance and decrease workload, thus leading to greater staff and patient satisfaction, which could ultimately lead to better quality of care and patient safety.

This study provides empirical evidence for the usefulness of smartwatches in facilitating the notification and communication processes in healthcare settings and is also among the first to actually examine a smartwatch system in a healthcare setting.