Background

Contract Research Organizations (CROs) like Celerion conduct drug research studies on behalf of pharmaceutical companies, using cohorts of healthy subjects, who are paid for their participation. A study can last for anything from one day to two months, sometimes longer, and during the trial, subjects’ vital signs are monitored.

This can involve collections of blood, urine or stools and in some trials, subjects will be kept bed-bound throughout. These types of studies are difficult to conduct and are often demanding on the subjects.  The more comfortable the subject experience, the lower the withdrawal rate is going to be, so CROs are always on the lookout for ways to make their trials more comfortable for their subjects.

The World Health Organization’s Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) has been planning for the next influenza pandemic for nearly 70 years, and the recent outbreaks of SARS, MERS and COVID-19 suggest that a future coronavirus pandemic is highly likely too.

Plans to mitigate against these threats focus heavily on the evolving Internet of Things (IoT) and the use of wireless electronic devices in detecting, monitoring and learning about future virus outbreaks. Central among these devices is wireless patient monitoring in a pandemic.

Amid the Covid crisis and the sincere accolades for hospital staff, it may seem like an odd time to talk about hospital performance. The suggestion that there may be room for improvement in the extraordinary efforts of those risking their lives on the clinical front line is bound to touch some very raw nerves. And yet you could argue that there has never been a more pressing need to talk about hospital performance.

Covid has highlighted the need for front line hospital workers to have improved clinical safety, better patient support, more effective equipment and more efficient methodologies and management, not just in a pandemic but in normal circumstances too. At the same time, performance-related funding means hospitals are under pressure to reduce numbers of readmissions and hospital-acquired conditions, and improve the patient experience.

Continuous, uninterrupted Patient Monitoring is a critical element in the treatment of intensive care patients. Vital signs such as temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate and blood pressure must be kept under constant surveillance, as early recognition and prompt treatment of escalating symptoms improves recovery rates and reduces the risk of prolonged hospitalization or worse.