Continuous Wireless Vital Sign Sensors for Detecting Severe Deviations at a Transitional Care Facility-An...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Geriatric Care
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Transitional care facilities serve patients unable to return home post-hospitalization.
• Low staffing levels in these facilities pose challenges for continuous patient monitoring.
• Wearable vital sign monitoring offers a potential solution for enhanced patient surveillance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of continuous wearable vital sign monitoring (CVSM) in a low-staffed transitional care facility.
• To evaluate the duration of monitoring and capture of abnormal vital signs using CVSM.
• To explore the incidence of medical complications and hospital readmissions during the monitoring period.

Main Methods:

• A feasibility study involving 20 patients discharged to a transitional care facility.
• Continuous wearable vital sign monitoring (CVSM) was implemented for up to 96 hours, blinded to staff.
• Feasibility was determined by monitoring duration; abnormal vital signs were recorded and analyzed.

Main Results:

• Continuous monitoring was achieved for a median of 80 hours (83% of the intended period).
• Abnormal vital signs were recorded for a median cumulative duration of 620 minutes.
• Forty percent of patients experienced medical complications requiring hospital readmission; facility staff did not perform manual vital sign assessments during monitoring.

Conclusions:

• Continuous wearable vital sign monitoring is a feasible technology for transitional care settings.
• CVSM can detect abnormal vital signs, highlighting its potential for early detection of patient deterioration.
• Further research is warranted to integrate CVSM into clinical workflows for improved patient outcomes in transitional care.