Augmenting Critical Care Patient Monitoring Using Wearable Technology: Review of Usability and Human Factors (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND The continuous monitoring of vital signs of critical care patients is extremely important to ensure the patient’s safety. For this, clinicians use a Patient Monitor (PM) device which conveys the patient vital sign data through a screen and an auditory alarm system. These devices have been in use for decades. However, some limitations with PMs have been identified in the literature, for example the need for visual contact with the PM screen, which could cause decreased focus on the patient in certain scenarios, and the amount of noise generated by the alarm system. With the advance of technology, wearable devices have emerged as a potential solution for these problems. This review presents the findings of a number of studies which focus on the usability and human factors of prototype wearable devices to be used in critical care patient monitoring. OBJECTIVE The objective of this work was to review the use of prototype wearable devices by clinicians to monitor vital signs of critical care patients in hospital settings with a focus on the usability and human factors of the devices. METHODS A comprehensive literature search of relevant databases was carried out and this identified 15 relevant studies which were fully analysed by the authors. RESULTS Two types of wearable devices were identified: tactile and head-mounted/smart glasses displays. In most cases, these devices were intended for use by anaesthesiologists, but nurses and surgeons were also identified as potential users of wearable technology. Although the studies with tactile displays revealed a potential to improve clinical monitoring, usability problems related to comfort need to be overcome before they can be considered for use in clinical practice. The studies of head-mounted displays and smart glasses revealed that these devices can be useful from an ergonomics point of view in reducing the number of times the user has to avert their gaze from the patient to a separate screen, thereby increasing focus and reducing potential repetitive strain. CONCLUSIONS Researchers and designers of new wearable prototypes for critical care should strive not only for the enhanced performance of their users, but should also design for the satisfaction of the user, especially in terms of comfort and ease of use. It was found that wearable displays would serve as an accompaniment to the main PM display, and not as replacement.