Validation of a Multi-Channel Ambient Sensor to Measure Vital Signs in Patients Within the Ward and at Home

Hospitalised, unwell patients have vital signs such as heart rate (HR), oxygen saturation (SpO₂) and temperature measured multiple times a day to detect clinical deterioration and monitor health trajectories. Advancements in contact-free (ambient) sensors (AS) to measure vital signs can help mitigate risks due to skin injury and infection transmission seen in conventional hospital equipment. This prospective, observational clinical study aims to validate vital sign measurements from a multi-channel AS compared to conventional equipment in three cohorts: patients in a hospital ward, patients at home within a Hospital-at-Home service, and healthy volunteers. Data analysis of 571 paired measurements from 29 participants indicates that heart rate measurements via AS were accurate, though they lacked precision, with the clinical agreement range between 6.38 and 6.49 beats per minute. Temperature and oxygen saturation measurements showed less agreement when compared with the reference standard. In conclusion, ambient sensors show promising utility in measuring vital signs, with this study amongst the first of its kind to utilise this in measuring vital signs in hospitalised patient cohorts in both ward and home environments.