Performance of continuous digital monitoring of vital signs with a wearable sensor in acute hospital settings
File(s)sensors-25-02644.pdf (2.8 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background: Continuous vital sign monitoring using wearable sensors has gained traction for the early detection of patient deterioration, particularly with the advent of virtual wards. Objective: The objective was to evaluate the reliability of a wearable sensor for monitoring heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), and temperature in acutely unwell hospital patients and to identify the optimal time window for alert generation. Methods: A prospective cohort study recruited 500 patients in a single hospital. Sensor readings were compared to standard intermittent nurse observations using Bland–Altman plots to assess the limits of agreement. Results: HR demonstrated good agreement with nurse observations (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.66, r = 0.86, p < 0.001), with a mean difference of 3.63 bpm (95% LoA: −10.87 to 18.14 bpm). RR exhibited weaker agreement (ICC = 0.20, r = 0.18, p < 0.001), with a mean difference of −2.72 breaths per minute (95% LoA: −10.91 to 5.47 bpm). Temperature showed poor to fair agreement (ICC = 0.30, r = 0.39, p < 0.001), with a mean difference of −0.57 °C (95% LoA: −1.72 to 0.58 °C). A 10 min averaging window was identified as optimal, balancing data retention and real-time alerting. Conclusions: Wearable sensors demonstrate potential for reliable continuous monitoring of vital signs, supporting their future integration into real-world clinical practice for improved patient safety.
Date Issued
2025-05-01
Date Acceptance
2025-04-11
Citation
Sensors, 2025, 25 (9)
ISSN
1424-8220
Publisher
MDPI AG
Journal / Book Title
Sensors
Volume
25
Issue
9
Copyright Statement
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
10.3390/s25092644
Subjects
Humans
Monitoring, Physiologic
Body Temperature
Prospective Studies
Reproducibility of Results
Heart Rate
Adult
Aged
Middle Aged
Hospitals
Female
Male
Vital Signs
Respiratory Rate
Wearable Electronic Devices
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
2644
Date Publish Online
2025-04-22