Accuracy Comparisons between Manual and Automated Respiratory Rate for Detecting Clinical Deterioration in Ward Patients

espiratory rate is the most accurate vital sign for predicting adverse outcomes in ward patients. Though other vital signs are typically collected by using machines, respiratory rate is collected manually by caregivers counting the breathing rate. However, studies have shown significant discrepancies between a patient's respiratory rate documented in the medical record, which is often 18 or 20, and the value measured by counting the rate over a full minute. 3 Thus, despite the high accuracy of respiratory rate, it is possible that these values do not represent true patient physiology. It is unknown whether a valid automated measurement of respiratory rate would be more predictive than a manually collected respiratory rate for identifying patients who develop deterioration. The aim of this study was to compare the distribution and predictive accuracy of manually and automatically recorded respiratory rates.