Continuous Vital Sign Monitoring in a Surgical Ward

Unsafe patient care remains a major contributor to global morbidity and mortality. In surgical wards, postoperative patients are typically monitored intermittently using the National Early Warning Score (NEWS-2), leaving periods during which clinical deterioration may go undetected. Continuous vital sign monitoring (CVSM) using wearable sensors offers the potential for earlier identification of deterioration compared with intermittent assessments. CVSM was introduced in a hospital ward as part of a hospital-initiated pilot implementation and is used alongside standard monitoring with NEWS-2. The purpose of the study is to evaluate this implementation. This observational study uses a pragmatic, quasi-experimental, multi-method, longitudinal design. The overall aims of the study are to evaluate the impact of CVSM implementation on patient outcomes, to explore healthcare professionals' perceptions of patient safety culture, turnover intention and pleasure of work, and to describe their experiences with implementation.