Potential for remote vital sign monitoring to improve hospital patient sleep: A feasibility study

Hannah Beaman; Vanja C Douglas; Kanan Patel; W John Boscardin; Joy Youn; Sara C LaHue

doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2022.104970

Potential for remote vital sign monitoring to improve hospital patient sleep: A feasibility study

Int J Med Inform. 2023 Feb:170:104970. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2022.104970. Epub 2022 Dec 20.

Authors

Hannah Beaman¹, Vanja C Douglas², Kanan Patel³, W John Boscardin⁴, Joy Youn⁵, Sara C LaHue²

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA. Electronic address: hannah.beaman@nyulangone.org.
² Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
³ Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁵ Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.

PMID: 36603390
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2022.104970

Abstract

Background: Even low-acuity patients suffer from disrupted sleep in the hospital in part due to routine overnight vital sign (VS) checks. When invasive monitoring is not needed, vital sign monitoring devices (VSMDs) similar to consumer-grade health monitors may play a role in promoting sleep, which can aid healing and recovery.

Methods: We provided one VSMD to neuroscience ward patients during their hospital stays and used surveys to assess patient and nurse attitudes toward the device and the impact of the device on patient comfort. We also compared VSMD-streamed vS data to nurse-recorded vS data in the chart to evaluate the consistency of data streaming and data concordance between the device and nurse-collected vital sign values.

Findings: 21 patients and 15 nurses enrolled. Overall, patients and nurses responded positively to the device and patients preferred wearing the device to receiving manual vital checks overnight. The most common device-related cause of sleep disruption per patients was device weight (29%). Device vS were concordant with nurse vS on average but there was significant variance in agreement between nurse and device values.

Interpretation: Patients and nurses feel positively about the use of VSMDs and their use in the hospital. The device we tested may be limited in its sleep promotion by its weight and patient comfort assessment. Further research is needed to assess the precision of the device in measuring vital signs when used in a clinical setting. Future studies should compare VSMD models and assess their impacts on patient sleep in the absence of manual vS checks overnight.

Funding: Funding provided by the Sara & Evan Williams Foundation Endowed Neurohospitalist Chair at UCSF.

Keywords: Health monitoring devices; Hospitalization; Sleep; Vital signs.

MeSH terms

Feasibility Studies
Hospitals
Humans
Monitoring, Physiologic
Sleep*
Vital Signs*