Using a wearable-based animated patient avatar to improve patients’ perception of vital signs: A multicenter computer-based study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Visual Patient Avatar (VPA) is an innovative patient monitoring technology that translates numerical and waveform data into intuitive, avatar-based representations of patient conditions. Previous research indicates that this technology improves healthcare providers’ situation awareness compared to conventional monitoring methods. As patient-worn continuous vital sign monitoring continues to be developed, we introduce Visual Patient Wearable (VPW) to provide avatar-based visualization tailored to this application. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a wearable-based animated patient avatar (VPW) can improve patients’ perception and recall of vital sign deviations compared to conventional monitoring methods, and to assess the usability and acceptance of this avatar-based visualization. METHODS This computer-based study included 67 patients from three academic hospitals in Central Europe. Participants were randomly assigned to the Visual Patient Wearable (VPW) or conventional monitoring group and viewed a standardized instructional video for their allocated method. They then completed four randomized clinical scenarios, each displayed for six seconds to simulate glance-based assessment. Accuracy in recalling vital sign deviations was measured, and VPW participants additionally rated the visualization using Likert scales. RESULTS VPW significantly improved the detection accuracy of vital sign deviations compared to standard monitoring layouts, from 47% [43, 50] to 63% [60, 67] p<0.001, with a risk ratio of 1.34 (95% confidence interval, 1.23, 1.47). Qualitative assessments indicated high levels of patient satisfaction across all six vital sign categories (4.04 [3.9 4.2] max. of 5 points) and strong positive notions in patients who had experienced VPA in their own anaesthetic care. CONCLUSIONS This study showed VPW’s potential to enhance the early detection of vital sign deviations and to be well-received by potential users. The findings advocate for integrating avatar-based visualizations in continuous patient monitoring as adjunct tools. Patients considered the VPW as suitable for improving their awareness and strongly associated positive emotions with the avatar. CLINICALTRIAL Cantonal Ethics Commission of Zurich, Switzerland (Req-2024-00286), Bonn (2024-209-BO) and Frankfurt (2024-1759)