A qualitative study to understand staff and patient perceptions of remote monitoring in the perioperative setting

A hospital patient wears a wireless patch that tracks their heart rate and oxygen levels after surgery, but no one has systematically asked whether patients and nurses actually find this useful or trustworthy. The study will conduct interviews and observations with staff and patients across five NHS Trusts to understand how acceptable wireless wearable devices are for monitoring people after operations. Currently, hospitals introduce remote monitoring technology without knowing whether the people who wear it and the people who act on its data find it practical, reassuring, or intrusive. This qualitative work fills that gap by capturing real-world perceptions before wider rollout. If the research succeeds, it will give NHS decision-makers evidence on what makes remote monitoring work—or fail—from the perspectives of those who use it daily. This could shape how hospitals deploy wearable sensors, potentially reducing the need for frequent in-person checks while keeping patients safe. The findings may also influence procurement decisions, ward protocols, and training for nursing staff, quietly improving how post-surgical care is delivered without patients necessarily noticing the change.