Effect of a Wireless Vital Sign Monitoring System on the Rapid Response System in the General Ward

• Published in: Journal of medical systems Vol. 46; no. 10; p. 64
• Main Authors: Han, Won Ho, Sohn, Dae Kyung, Hwangbo, Yul, Park, Hee Jung, Kim, Mijung, Choi, Yoona, Shin, Il Won, Lee, Jung Min, Jeon, Heungki, Ryu, Ki Chung, Yoon, Taesik, Kim, Jee Hee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 26-08-2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Health Informatics; Health Sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mobile & Wireless Health; Monitoring; Monitoring systems; Nursing; Recording; Statistics for Life Sciences; Telemedicine; Time measurement; Working conditions; Workload; Workloads; Monitoring system; Rapid response system; Wireless system; Vital sign; Workload
• ISSN: 1573-689X; 0148-5598; 1573-689X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10916-022-01846-8

While wireless vital sign monitoring is expected to reduce the vital sign measurement time (thus reducing the nursing workload), its impact on the rapid response system is unclear. This study compared the time from vital sign measurement to recording and rapid response system activation between wireless and conventional vital sign monitoring in the general ward, to investigate the impact of wireless vital sign monitoring system on the rapid response system. The study divided 249 patients (age > 18 years; female: 47, male: 202) admitted to the general ward into non-wireless (n = 101) and wireless (n = 148) groups. Intervals from vital sign measurement to recording and from vital sign measurement to rapid response system activation were recorded. Effects of wireless system implementation for vital sign measurement on the nursing workload were surveyed in 30 nurses. The interval from vital sign measurement to recording was significantly shorter in the wireless group than in the non-wireless group (4.3 ± 2.9 vs. 44.7 ± 14.4 min,
P
 < 0.001). The interval from vital sign measurement to rapid response system activation was also significantly lesser in the wireless group than in the non-wireless group (27.5 ± 12.9 vs. 41.8 ± 19.6 min,
P
 = 0.029). The nursing workload related to vital sign measurement significantly decreased from 3 ± 0.87 to 2.4 ± 9.7 (
P
 = 0.021) with wireless system implementation. Wireless vital sign monitoring significantly reduced the time to rapid response system activation by shortening the time required to measure the vital signs. It also significantly reduced the nursing workload.