Can vital signs recorded in patients' homes aid decision making in emergency care? A Scoping Review

Wearables in Wales: Entering clinical practice through the backdoor?

The number of people using wearable technology such as smartwatches and fitness trackers is increasing. Many of these devices can alert the user to a potential arrhythmia such as atrial fibrillation. We aimed to assess potential changes to cardiology practice resulting from their use. An online questionnaire consisting of 12 questions was created and distributed to all consultant cardiologists in Wales. 25 of 102 participants replied, with 92% of these using consumer wearable technology to diagnose atrial fibrillation either 'often' or 'sometimes'. One in four cardiologists received new referrals relating to wearable technology at least weekly. The results demonstrate that cardiologists across Wales are using data from wearable technology in the diagnosis and management of cardiac conditions in the absence of formal guidance. Standardisation of guidelines and pathways is needed to support patients and clinicians and avoid the introduction of wearables through the unregulated backdoor.

Martha's rule: applying a behaviour change framework to understand the potential of complementary roles of clinicians and patients in improving safety of patients deteriorating in hospital

AIMS/BACKGROUND

Martha's rule stipulates the right of patients and their families to escalate care as a way to improve safety while in hospital. This article analyses the possible impact of the proposed policy through the lens of a behaviour change framework and explores new opportunities presented by the implementation of Martha's rule..

METHODS

A descriptive analysis was undertaken of interactions between patients, family, friends and clinicians during clinical deterioration in hospital. The capability-opportunity-motivation behaviour change framework was applied to understand reasons for failure to respond to deterioration.

RESULTS

Care of deteriorating patients requires recording of vital signs, recognition of abnormalities, reporting through escalation and response by a competent clinician. Regarding the care of patients who deteriorate in hospital, healthcare professionals have capability and motivation to provide safe, high-quality care, but often lack the physical and social opportunity to report or respond through lack of time and peer pressure. Patients and family members have motivation and might have time to support safety systems. Martha's rule or similar arrangements allow healthcare organisations to create opportunities for patients and families to report and escalate care to experts in critical care when they recognise deterioration.

CONCLUSIONS

The capability-opportunity-motivation behaviour change framework provides insights into the causes of failure to rescue in deteriorating patients and an argument for opportunities through escalation by patients and families through Martha's rule. This might reduce the number of system failures and enable safer care.

Evaluation of a Novel Contactless Electrical Impedance Device for Measuring Respiratory and Heart Rates: A Pilot Study

Although the respiratory rate is an important vital sign, it is rarely recorded in hospitals given the lack of convenient measurement devices. Posh Wellness Laboratory Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) developed a novel contactless card-type respiratory/heart rate monitoring device that measures electrical impedance variations on the human chest. This study was aimed to test and validate the accuracy of the proposed device compared with conventional medical monitors. To evaluate the card-type monitoring device, we compared the measurements from the device with those from the mechanical ventilators and electrocardiogram monitors. Patients who were hospitalized in the Emergency Department of Shimane University Hospital from April 5 to 30, 2021 were included in this study. A card-type sensor was attached to five patients who agreed to participate in this study. Four of the five patients were receiving mechanical ventilation. The respiratory rate error provided by the card-type sensor remained within 15% compared with the measurements of the conventional medical monitor. In contrast, the heart rate counts were largely different from the measurements. Thus, the proposed device can successfully measure the respiratory rate, whereas heart rate measurements require further improvement. Our small, lightweight, radiation-free, and contactless monitoring device can conveniently measure the respiratory rate of patients. With the improvement of measuring the heart rate, we would like to assess a larger number and a wider range of patients.