VIABLE
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Remote monitoring in virtual wards for acutely unwell patients being managed and treated on an ambulatory care pathway: feasibility study
IRAS ID
325766
Contact name
Andrew Farmer
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 0 days
Research summary
The NHS is using virtual wards to look after patients at home. When at home patients are regularly called and visited by doctors and nurses. To find out how their patients are feeling whilst at home, the NHS team might ask their patient to use devices to take certain measurements. For example, they might ask patients to measure their blood oxygen levels using a pulse oximeter and then report this over the phone. We have developed a system that uses monitoring devices (a vital-sign chest patch and a pulse oximeter finger probe) to automatically take important health measurements (such as pulse, and blood oxygen level), and report them to the NHS team. The NHS team can then use these measurements to help them decide what's best for their patient without the need for the patient to take manual readings or report results. The first step to implementing this system in an NHS care pathway is to determine that these data can be collected reliably and accurately. We will also be asking the patient cohort to attempt to use a blood pressure monitor and an in-ear thermometer regularly over the course of the monitoring period. At present these devices have not been automated as we would first like to determine whether these devices can be consistently used by patients in this demographic. This study will also make use of patient feedback to see how patients found the devices; whether they were easy to use and comfortable to wear. After this study we plan to do more research into how this system could work and how we can make it most useful for the NHS and their patients.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/LO/0559
Date of REC Opinion
11 Jul 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion