The paper, published in the JMIR Perioperative Medicine, aimed to explore patient experiences with wearable sensors. 85.4% of the patients agreed that the Sensium patch was comfortable, one patient stating that “From about five minutes after it was on, I completely forgot it was there”. 85.8% would wear the Sensium patch again and 79.6% would wear it at home.
The researchers also conducted in-depth interviews with a smaller group of patients who commented on a variety of subjects such as the impact on nursing staff, reassurance and safety. “I felt like there was a second safety blanket around me, almost, and that I was constantly in amongst the nurses. I appreciate that the nurses do their obs as frequently as they can, but they’re very busy. So, for this to be on constantly, it’s reassuring”, said one patient. Sensium was also said to be reassuring at night when there are fewer observations.
The patients also identified the possibilities for home use. “I think it would be brilliant if we can extend early developments into the home environment,” as technology developments such as Sensium could help “flagging dangerous symptoms.”