Staphylococcus aureus (staph) is a germ found on people’s skin. Staph can cause serious infections if it gets into the blood and can lead to sepsis or death.

Background: Remote vital sign monitoring of acute hospital at home (aHAH) patients is recommended in policy without clear guidance on implementation. While such monitoring has the potential to improve patient care, there is limited evidence for its #feasibility and acceptability. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the #feasibility and acceptability of using a remote, community-based monitoring system using a vital sign wearable patch and pulse oximeter in aHAH patients. Methods: In this nonrandomized #feasibility study, we recruited patients from an aHAH service in Oxford, United Kingdom, between January and October 2024. Eligible patients were aged 18 years and older with an acute illness (lower respiratory tract infection, cellulitis, urinary tract infection, systemic evidence of acute infection, acute kidney injury, or heart failure with acute fluid overload) requiring aHAH care. Pregnant women and those with contraindications to monitoring were excluded. Participants were asked to wear a chest patch to estimate their heart rate and respiratory rate (passive monitoring), and to intermittently check their oxygen saturations, blood pressure, and temperature (active monitoring). Participants were asked to complete a Technology Acceptance Questionnaire. All aHAH patients were screened. Recruitment was nonconsecutive due to the availability of the research team. Participants were monitored for 7 days or until discharge from the aHAH service, whichever was shorter. Fixed time windows were used to assess real-time vital sign data coverage during each participant’s monitoring period. The primary outcomes were the proportion of 4-hour monitoring windows with a recorded heart rate and 12-hour daytime windows with a recorded oxygen saturation level. Time-series analyses and descriptive statistics were used for quantitative data. Content analysis was used to analyze the open-ended comments in the questionnaire. Results: In total, 29 participants were recruited and 3 immediately withdrew from the study. Participants were monitored for 4.8 (IQR 2.9-6.2) days on average. Overall, 89% (600/674) of the 4-hour monitoring windows had a heart rate and 75.4% (508/674) had a respiratory rate recorded in real-time. For the 12-hour daytime windows, 58.1% (75/129) had an oxygen saturation, 54.3% (70/129) had a blood pressure, and 51.2% (66/129) had a temperature recorded. Data coverage was higher for passive monitoring compared to active monitoring. Most participants who had capacity found the combined monitoring system easy to use and thought it was useful for their health care. Conclusions: Remote monitoring of vital signs in aHAH patients is feasible. Good data coverage was achieved for the passive monitoring, which did not require specific actions by the participants or their caregivers. Further work is required to ascertain which patients would benefit most from this monitoring.

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Background: Long-term remote patient monitoring of weight, pulse, and blood pressure has been shown to significantly reduce mortality and hospitalization rates among patients with heart failure. Despite its proven effectiveness, maintaining patient engagement in remote monitoring programs remains challenging. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of 2-way text-based communication on prompting patients to record key vital signs and to compare it with unprompted patient reporting through electronic medical records in terms of engagement and clinical outcomes. Methods: We analyzed data from patients participating in the University of Michigan Advanced Heart Failure Program who reported daily weight, blood pressure, and pulse using either the MiChart Patient Outreach Texting Application (MPOTA) or patient enrolled flowsheets (PEFs). The study’s primary metric was the consistency of patient-reported vital signs, with secondary descriptive metrics including variations in hospitalization and emergency room visits pre-enrollment and postenrollment in the programs. Results: A total of 890 patients were included, with 301 enrolled in the MPOTA group and 589 in the PEF group. The engagement rate for the PEF group had a median of 2.29% (IQR 0%‐23.93%). In contrast, the MPOTA group showed a significantly higher median engagement rate of 66.67% (IQR 30.67%‐88.24%). There were no significant differences in hospitalization or emergency room visit rates across engagement categories (none, low, medium, and high) or between programs. Mean hospitalizations declined by 21% in the MPOTA group (from mean 0.53, SD 0.90 to mean 0.42, SD 0.88; =.06) and 18% in the PEF group (from mean 0.50, SD 0.86 to mean 0.41, SD 0.80; =.03) after the initiation of each program. This reduction was small and statistically significant only for the PEF group. Mean emergency room visits did not significantly change in either group. Regression analyses showed no significant association between engagement level and hospitalization or emergency room utilization, although medium engagement was associated with a nonsignificant trend toward fewer events. Despite improved engagement with MPOTA, this did not translate into significant reductions in hospitalizations or emergency room visits. All analyses of clinical outcomes were exploratory and underpowered, and no significant associations were found between engagement level and utilization. Conclusions: Although MPOTA was associated with substantially higher patient engagement levels compared to unprompted patient reporting, neither demonstrated significant differences in hospitalization or emergency room visits across engagement levels or between programs. Small reductions in hospitalizations were observed, but these were significant only in PEF, not in MPOTA. Observed changes in utilization were exploratory, small in magnitude, and underpowered to detect clinically meaningful effects. These findings suggest that mobile text-based communication may be a useful tool for improving engagement in remote monitoring programs for patients with advanced heart failure; however, further research is needed to assess its impact on clinical outcomes.

Enforcement requires the State to find bad behaviour whereas incentives give people a reason to demonstrate good behaviour

Background: Monitoring of vital signs is a critical component of #nursing care, facilitating the early detection of complications, enabling the observation of the progression of health status, and providing a foundation for diagnosis and therapeutic decision-making. It is instrumental in ensuring quality of care. Contactless measurement methods, such as radar-based sensors, have the potential to enable continuous monitoring of respiration, heart rate, and bed activity without disturbing or stressing vulnerable patients. Objective: The study investigates the feasibility, usability, acceptance, and implementation of a contactless digital vital-signs monitoring system. The objective is to ascertain the suitability of the device for incorporation into the workflow of #nursing personnel and to assess implementation factors in an inpatient setting. Additionally, the study examines user acceptance and satisfaction among #nursing staff. Methods: A total of 13 #nursing staff members from geriatric and dialysis departments participated in this mixed methods pilot study. Following the installation of the technology, the participants underwent a 30-minute training period to become acquainted with its operation. Thereafter, the system was subjected to a 4-week trial period. Quantitative data were collected at 3 points in time using the Technology Usage Inventory and the System Usability Scale. Furthermore, measurement protocols were evaluated to compare the time required for the standard and contactless measurement methods. Qualitative data were collected subsequent to the conclusion of the trial through the implementation of focus group interviews. Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained. Results: The study results suggest that the average intention to use among the study participants (n=13) reached a relatively high level after 4 weeks (mean 85.5, SD 107.7). However, variation was observed when the 2 #nursing wards were considered separately (geriatrics: 28.4 vs dialysis 199.8). The monitoring system was evaluated based on the System Usability Scale, which yielded a mean score of 74.5 (SD 10.5), indicating good usability. The #nurses reported a perceived enhancement in their sense of security and monitoring oversight during routine care. Additionally, potential time savings were observed due to a reduction in disruptions to established processes. However, compared with conventional real-time monitoring, disadvantages were identified and technical requirements were defined. Conclusions: The use of contactless measurement in the assessment of vital signs holds considerable promise for enhancing the efficacy of #nursing care, particularly in contexts where manual measurements have been the prevailing standard. In order to further explore technical capabilities in a #nursing context, additional research needs to be conducted. Trial Registration: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00036910; https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00036910/details

If India is to claim a share of the AI race data centers are likely to be the first foray in. But this should be preceded by a clear set of easy-to-follow rules

Smartphone Based Pediatric Vitals Signs Screening

Smartphone Based Pediatric Vitals Signs Screening

Staphylococcus aureus (staph) is a germ found on people’s skin. Staph can cause serious infections if it gets into the blood and can lead to sepsis or death.