A retrospective cross-sectional study showing wearable smartwatches enhance patient safety and efficiency in the intensive care unit.

Background: Wearable smartwatches present a novel approach to continuous patient monitoring in ICU settings, with the potential to enhance patient safety and clinical efficiency.

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study evaluated the impact of smartwatch use on alarm response rates and clinical outcomes in a 27-bed ICU. Data were collected over two periods: pre-implementation (May 12, 2023, to July 11, 2023) and post-implementation (October 22, 2023, to December 22, 2023) of smartwatches worn by healthcare workers.

Results: Our findings indicate that the adoption of smartwatches significantly improves alarm response rates from 12.58% to 14.85% (p < 0.0001). In addition, the reduction in response time, fatal and high alert, medium alert, and low alert within 30 s response rates increased from 51.51%,70.42%, and 74.03% to 60.04%, 74.02%, and 76.71%, respectively (p < 0.0001), resulting in fewer high and fatal alerts. Moreover, the use of smartwatches is associated with reduced durations of mechanical ventilation and ICU stays, signifying improved clinical outcomes.

Conclusions: Wearable technology has the potential to simplify ICU operations, reduce alarm fatigue, and ultimately improve patient care and reduce adverse events.