Unlocking opportunities to transform patient care: an expert insight on limitations and opportunities in patient monitoring.

Abstract

Background: Current patient monitoring technologies are crucial for delivering personalised and timely care and are critical in achieving the best health outcomes while maintaining high care standards. However, these technologies also present several challenges affecting patients and healthcare professionals.

Information overload: Healthcare providers often deal with excess data, making it challenging to identify the most critical patient information quickly. This may lead to delays in necessary interventions and potentially poorer patient outcomes.

Alarm fatigue: Many patient monitoring systems trigger frequent false alarms. This high incidence can cause healthcare providers to become desensitised, potentially leading to slower response times or overlooked important alerts.

Integration challenges: Current systems often need more seamless integration with other healthcare technologies, making it difficult for healthcare providers to have a cohesive view of the patient's health. This lack of integration can impair care coordination and increase workloads. This paper presents the findings from a group of experts who described the state of the art of patient monitoring and discussed potential solutions and new pathways for developing these technologies.