Continuous Monitoring of Patients in and After the Acute Admission Ward to Optimize Clinical Pathways

Hospitals aim to hospitalize patients when necessary and discharge patients when possible. However, the triage process and discharge management of patients in e.g. the Acute Admission Ward, is not a trivial task. The upcoming technology of wearable monitoring devices, whereby patients can be continuously monitored with an unobtrusive vital signs device, might help getting more insight into patients' health condition and thus help facilitate efficient and effective triaging. Therefore, the primary objective is to assess the effects of continuous monitoring of patients in the acute admission ward (AAW) on the percentage of patients who can be discharged home. Secondary objectives are to assess the length of stay in the acute admission ward and in the in-hospital wards, as well as the effect on admission to the intensive care unit, rapid response team calls and hospital readmission. The predictive value of algorithms applied to the monitoring data combined with other parameters to detect timely deterioration and predict discharge will be assessed. Facilitators and barriers for implementing such a system will be investigated.