Becker's Hospital Review

13 EXECUTIVE BRIEFING 2 EXECUTIVE BRIEFING EXECUTIVE BRIEFING Wearables are here to stay Within six months of implementing hospital-grade wearables at an Ardent Health facility in Amarillo, Texas, units using the technology saw an 18% reduction in mortality and a nine-hour decrease in average length of stay. Dr. Campbell noted that while Ardent doesn't frame length of stay as a financial metric, the impact is still significant. "Length of stay is a clinical outcome," Dr. Campbell said. "If a patient is ready for discharge, they go home." By enabling earlier detection of deterioration and supporting timely, safe discharges, wearables are helping save lives and reducing unnecessary hospital days. Clinicians have taken notice. Nurses told Ardent leaders the technology makes their jobs easier and have been clear: "Don't take this away." Many also reported feeling more confident in their ability to monitor patients, knowing that wearables continuously track and analyze vital signs, often catching issues before they would be visible at the bedside. "The hospital metrics we continue to focus on are mortality, length of stay, patient satisfaction and staff satisfaction," Dr. Campbell said. Scaling success New technologies often risk becoming "just one more thing" for clinicians, Mr. Brewer noted. To make wearables truly valuable, a broader shift in mindset was needed and at Ardent Health, several factors helped drive that change. First, clinicians had to trust the technology. That meant confirming the BioButton's®*† FDA clearance and presenting the underlying science. From there, storytelling played a critical role. Dr. Campbell emphasized the power of real accounts from early adopters, how wearables eased workflows and improved patient care. Just as important were the results. Early data from Ardent's pilot site in Amarillo, TX showed improved outcomes, including reductions in mortality and length of stay. These first-hand experiences helped overcome skepticism and build momentum for broader adoption. Now, the shift is happening systemwide. "I have chief nursing officers asking, 'When do we get wearables?'" Dr. Campbell said. The future of wearables Dr. Campbell sees wearable technology rapidly advancing, with the ability to track more metrics, detect more conditions and make earlier predictions that can improve patient outcomes. At Ardent Health, the current focus is on hospitalized patients who, with continuous monitoring at home, can be safely discharged earlier. "The clock has been moved up because of wearable technology, where I can now safely monitor your vital signs and see if you are deteriorating at home," Dr. Campbell said. To support this care model, Ardent has hospital-based nurses monitor patients remotely after discharge. The system has already resulted in multiple "saves," with wearables detecting signs of deterioration and prompting timely interventions before patients reached a crisis point. Ardent's strategy began with a pragmatic goal: reduce the burden on nurses while improving the frequency and quality of vital sign collection. The team identified HealthCast wearables and intelligent monitoring as a strong fit, launched the solution at one hospital, and saw clear success. Those early results, including better clinical outcomes, strong clinician feedback and measurable operational improvements, laid the groundwork for expansion. "I would suggest starting in the hospital because that is the easiest way to produce a clear return on investment," Dr. Campbell said. "There are so many specific use cases in the hospital." Looking ahead, Dr. Campbell envisions wearables detecting or even predicting acute events like heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia or sepsis. He also sees potential in using them to flag readmission risk, identify sedentary behavior, and intervene earlier with patients at risk for chronic disease. He remains optimistic that Ardent's results, including earlier identification of deterioration, reduced mortality and length of stay, and improved satisfaction among patients and staff, can be replicated across other organizations. "The only way of getting ahead of chronic diseases that lead to significant expenditures is to identify patients who would be at higher risk and get them wearing this technology," Dr. Campbell said. 1 Weller GB et al. Continuous vital sign monitoring via medical grade wearable device in hospitalized patients. J Clin Med. 2024; † The BioButton®* multi-parameter wearable device is not intended for critical care monitoring. Patient monitoring products should not be used as the sole basis for diagnosis or therapy and are intended only as an adjunct in patient assessment.

• Cover