Manchester hospitals deploy remote monitoring tech for Covid patients

Hospitals in Greater Manchester have deployed remote monitoring technology to free up beds for Covid-19 patients.

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust have implemented Patient Status Engine (PSE), a remote monitoring platform that allows clinicians to monitor patients in hospital and at home.

The solution, provided by Isansys Lifecare, automatically collects data including heart rate, respiration rate, heart rate variability, ECG, oxygen saturation, blood pressure and body temperature.

It then uses these measures, together with nurse scored data such as consciousness levels, to calculate a minute by minute NEWS 2 (National Early Warning Score) to detect early signs of deterioration.

Professor John Radford, director of research at The Christie and programme lead for patients using the technology, said: “The technology offers us a way of keeping a close eye on our patients while they’re at home.

“We hope the PSE will help us detect when a cancer patient with Covid-19 is deteriorating and needs to be reviewed in hospital. This is the first time this technology has been used for patients who aren’t in hospital in the UK, so it’s truly innovative, and if successful, could be used in other areas of medicine.”

It’s hoped the wireless monitoring technology will help clinicians identify and predict deteriorating patients faster and with less nurse to patient contact.

Keith Errey, chief executive of Isansys Lifecare, said: “The PSE has the capability to expand overall critical care capacity by continuously monitoring patients and establishing higher dependency beds in lower acuity areas of the hospital.

“This allows hospitals to preserve capacity for those Covid-19 patients who need escalated care and is also enabling healthcare providers to offer the necessary care for Covid-19 patients being treated at home.”