Early detection of deteriorating patients in general wards through continuous contactless vital signs monitoring

Objective: To assess the efficacy of continuous contactless vital signs monitoring with an automated Early Warning System (EWS) in detecting clinical deterioration among patients in general wards. Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted in the medical unit of a tertiary care hospital in India, involving 706 patients over 84,448 monitoring hours. The study used a contactless ballistocardiography system (Dozee system) to continuously monitor heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure. The study assessed total, mean, and median alerts at 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 h, and length of stay (LOS) before patient deterioration or discharge. It analyzed alert sensitivity and specificity, average time from initial alert to deterioration, and healthcare practitioners (HCP) activity. Study was registered with the Clinical Trials Registry-India CTRI/2022/10/046404. Results: Out of 706 patients, 33 (5%) experienced clinical deterioration, while 673 (95%) did not. The deterioration group consistently had a higher number of alerts compared to those who were discharged normally, across all time-points. On average, the time between the initial alert and clinical deterioration was 16 h within the last 24 h preceding the event. The sensitivity of the Dozee-EWS varied between 67% and 94%. HCP spend 10% of their time on vital signs check and documentation. Conclusions: This study suggests that utilizing contactless continuous vital signs monitoring with Dozee-EWS in general ward holds promise for enhancing the early detection of clinical deterioration. Further research is essential to evaluate the effectiveness across a wider range of clinical settings.