Remote Monitoring of Vital Signs Using a Wearable ECG Patch in Advanced Cancer Patients Receiving End-of-Life Palliative Care

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the use of remote monitoring of vital signs through commercially available medical devices in patients with advanced cancer admitted to a hospice inpatient unit for end-of-life care. The study aims to see if this monitoring can help identify infections or other reversible problems earlier, improve estimates of how long a person has to live, and understand the relationship between pain or other symptoms and vital signs. Participants will wear a small, flexible, patch-like ECG device attached to the chest with an adhesive patch during their time in the hospice. The devices battery will be changed every 14 days by the research team, who will also check the device remotely to ensure it is working properly. The device will be worn until the patient dies, withdraws from the study, is discharged, or improves sufficiently to no longer require end-of-life care. During the study, researchers will collect information from medical notes and drug charts and will monitor the devices data remotely. The nursing team will check the patch daily to ensure it stays attached. Outcome measures include heart rate variability, heart rate, respiratory rate, and skin temperature at specific times before death, as well as the occurrence of clinical events like increased medication use or infections. Participation lasts up to 14 days or until the patients hospice stay ends.

Remote Vital Sign Monitoring in Palliative Care Patients Using a Wearable ECG Monitor