Best Practices for Vital Signs Monitoring in SNF Settings

Let's be honest, most skilled nursing facilities haven't changed their vital signs routine in twenty years. Staff walk around a couple of times a shift and pop a blood pressure cuff or grab a pulse ox probe and get numbers down on paper. Vital signs monitoring in SNF settings often relies on these periodic checks, which can miss hours, sometimes days, of critical information about residents in their care. With more acutely ill patients coming into your facility and a nursing shortage across the country, this isn't sustainable or safe. 

How does contactless vital sign monitoring fill in the gaps of what we know?

The sensor technology uses radar to track heart rate, breathing patterns and subtle movements through the fabric of their bedsheets or clothing without coming in contact with the patient. There are no wearable devices for residents to deal with and nothing is seen through the room as cameras aren't used in this process. It runs twenty four seven and learns the baseline of each individual resident so it can identify significant changes to their pattern.

What is the real-world gap in between rounds that costs facilities?

A majority of declines in residents' conditions don't happen loudly in the middle of rounds. Often times it's a gradual increase in resting heart rate or rise in respiratory rate that signals an impending decline. Studies done in SNFs with this technology have shown it was able to predict a large portion of hospitalizations that happened days later. On average this is five or six days out for cardia and respiratory issues. That gives the clinical team enough time to treat the issue on site before calling for an ambulance.

What advantages does continuous data have over spot checks done manually?

We get a visual of a trend rather than seeing just one number. An increase overnight in respiratory rate could be a sign of infection or fluid build up if combined with decreased physical activity that same day. These subtle changes would be caught automatically by the system compared to manual checks performed sporadically throughout the day. The staff receives a heads up about the change rather than finding out the resident is in crisis.

Can this kind of constant monitoring of a resident be invasive?

There isn't a camera or microphone on this device, only movement tracking sensors for heart rate and breathing. Residents don't have to put on a wearable or do anything special for the technology to do its job. It's unobtrusive and non threatening while still getting the information the facility needs about their condition.

Does this process take valuable time away from staff?

Nursing staff members are incredibly busy and don't have bandwidth for another responsibility. Spot checking vitals takes a decent amount of time as well if you factor in how long it takes to prep a device, take the measurement and document the results. Having to constantly make rounds and chart puts the residents' needs on hold as staff work around the clock to keep up. The continuous process frees up time spent on the manual process and allows them to focus more attention on the hands on work that's needed. Alert notifications go through the system to be filtered by staff to determine if the patient needs immediate help.

How does this monitoring reduce preventable hospital transfers?

Transferring a resident is disruptive, dangerous, and extremely costly. Facilities that implement this in their SNFs are able to catch changes before a patient goes into decline and needs to be taken to the ER. Subtle increases in respiratory rate are flagged so the resident can be seen by the care team and provider before the situation escalates. Less ambulance rides translates into lower costs and safer day to day operations. The data has shown promising results in how accurately this can detect the most common reasons for transfer.

Is the technology able to create a baseline specific to each resident?

Every one of your residents is unique, so should their baseline. With the right software a skilled nursing facility can take advantage of the data being produced by the sensor and learn the patterns of each individual resident. Alerts are sent out when their vitals deviate from an expected range, giving the staffing team valuable time to get treatment to someone in need. This reduces false alarms and builds confidence with the team on the ground as they see the value in the information being delivered.

How can I implement this kind of solution without disrupting my staff?

No one wants to have to learn an entirely new workflow just to read patient data in a new format. The system pulls data into existing processes that the SNF already has in place while reducing strain on staff. Clinical staff don't have to review the information themselves, it goes directly into the electronic health record. Combined with other remote patient monitoring solutions like telehealth visits and chronic disease management programs, the data can be used to support a stronger care plan with less risk to high needs residents. Facilities doing this see better outcomes and fewer issues with the highest needs residents.

Why are facilities choosing the move toward this solution now?

There is a lot of pressure on skilled nursing facilities to keep patients safe while dealing with higher acuity residents and slimmer profit margins. Spot checks and manual recording of vital signs misses a lot of the nuance involved. Investing in something like contactless vital sign monitoring will reduce risk while also preventing unnecessary trips to the hospital. There isn't an extra device to deal with for residents with limited mobility or dementia. The technology has evolved enough to be effective and has been tested in real world conditions. Waiting for one more crisis to occur isn't a sustainable way to manage risk.

Visit TapestryHealth to learn more about how you can gain greater visibility into your residents' health and fewer unnecessary transfers.

FAQs

What is contactless vital sign monitoring in a SNF?

Radar sensor technology that takes continuous vitals in the form of heart rate, breathing, and subtle movements through bedding or clothing without touching the patient or requiring a wearable. It streams data twenty four seven so the staff is able to see trends rather than single data points.

How does vital signs monitoring snf using contactless technology reduce hospitalizations?

The device is often able to flag concerning changes in residents' vitals days ahead of an ambulance ride. There have been promising results for the likelihood of cardiac and respiratory issues being predicted by this technology.

Is radar-based resident monitoring invasive or a breach of privacy?

There aren't any cameras or microphones on this device. The only information being gathered is the movement of the chest wall to track heart rate and breathing through clothing and sheets. This doesn't infringe on the privacy of residents while still getting the information needed to improve outcomes.

Does contactless vital sign monitoring require more from staff?

It should free up staff time rather than taking more. Manual vitals take less time, but alarms are filtered so the resident's needs take priority over false positives.

Can we use this technology for residents with dementia or limited mobility

This device works best on these residents as they don't have to deal with a wearable or explain how it works. It runs in the background and provides continuous data that can be reviewed by professional caregivers.