Wireless monitor 'relieves pressure' on nursing staff

[maureenho]

22 July 2014 Last updated at 06:01

Wireless monitor 'relieves pressure' on nursing staff

By Adam Brimelow Health Correspondent, BBC News

The NHS is starting to test a sticking-plaster-sized patient-monitoring patch.

Placed on the chest, it wirelessly transmits data on heart rate, breathing and body-temperature while the patient is free to move around.

Independent experts say the system, developed in Britain, could ease pressure on wards and has the potential to monitor patients in their own home.

But the Royal College of Nursing says there is no substitute for having enough staff.

Routine checks for vital signs - including temperature, blood pressure and heart rate - are a key part of care and safety in hospitals.

Typically they may be carried out every four hours, depending on the patient's condition.

But patients can deteriorate between checks, putting them at risk.
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    It gives us a bit more time with some patients when we know some patients do need that bit more time. ”

Victoria Howard Nurse

A hospital in Brighton run by the private healthcare firm Spire has been testing the battery-powered patch, which updates information on some of the vital signs every couple of minutes.

The wireless device, developed by the Oxford-based firm Sensium Healthcare, then issues an alert if the readings fall outside pre-set levels, indicating a potential problem.

The patch is placed on the chest just above the heart when the patient is admitted. There are no cables to any monitors. Instead, readings are recorded and transmitted to a box in each room that works like a wi-fi router, passing on data to the hospital IT system.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-28317509

[annie]

As RCN warned, I would worry that it is an excuse to cut down even further on staff, & hospitals are already lacking in the human touch