The proven standard: Insights from the largest-scale evaluation of ambient monitoring in mental health
For decades, mental health safety has relied on a manual ritual: staff walking hallways to check on patients at set intervals. It is a ritual born out of a deep commitment to safety, but the routine belies a much harsher reality.
Psychiatric units are high-pressure environments where staff manage profound clinical risks with very few tools to support them. While patients in these units often present with high physical medical acuity alongside psychological distress, the life-saving wired monitors found in general medicine are prohibited here due to the high risk of self-harm. This has left staff in an impossible position: managing life-critical risks in a "data-dark" environment using little more than their own eyes and ears.
Mental health has long been starved of the supportive technology that is standard in every other area of medicine, but the publication of the first large-scale, multi-site research into contactless (ambient) monitoring marks a turning point.
The results: Evidence of impact at scale
The 2026 multi-site evaluation isn't just another study; it is the largest-scale published research of ambient monitoring in mental health to date.1 By evaluating LIO across 29 units and six organisations, the research provides a definitive clinical benchmark across Acute, Older Adult, and Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit pathways.
When mental health staff are given the support they’ve been missing, the impact on safety is measurable and profound. The study observed:
- -38.9% in self-harm incidents
- -36.6% in falls
- -21.1% in assaults
As well as safety, the data also highlights how the contactless platform supports a move toward the “least restrictive environment.” When technology provides ambient safety support, it reduces the risk of escalation and unnecessary physical interventions, directly improving the therapeutic relationship between staff and patients:
- -24.2% in physical restraint
- -33.6% in rapid tranquilisation (emergency sedation)
Beyond the data: The human impact
It is estimated that more than 9,800 patients were treated on intervention and control units during the evaluation periods of the study. While the data in this study provides statistical validation of the large-scale impact of LIO, additional human feedback outside of the study proves its impact on the daily shift.
The staff perspective:
"Having been a Chief Nurse in a Trust for a long time, I've sat down with too many families to talk about when things have gone very, very wrong. There is a family at the center of every incident — we must always remember that. The emotional cost for families is a tragedy, and the burden on staff is immense. If you can prevent even one or two of those incidents, it is absolutely imperative." Executive Director of Nursing and Quality, NHS, United Kingdom2
“Patients do not deteriorate or have psychiatric behavioral issues on a schedule and we've been managing these milieus on our schedule, not on our patients. This use of technology is allowing us to be less intrusive but more accurate and really targeted in our interventions and our approaches.” AVP, Behavioral Health Services, Lakeland Regional Health, United States3
“[It] has been extremely beneficial for promoting patient privacy and dignity and also reducing disturbance at night. It’s been evident through my interactions and conversations with patients—they believe the system reduces their disturbance and have specifically expressed feeling more refreshed having slept throughout the night.” Research Nurse, NHS, United Kingdom4
The patient perspective:
“It was about three o’clock when I woke up and rushed to the bathroom…hitting my shoulder and head against the wall…a staff member came straight to my room to check on me. The system had alerted him that I had gotten out of bed and he came to check on me in case I needed any assistance…It felt very reassuring to know that they came to check on me so quickly”. Patient, Older Adult Unit, United Kingdom5
“I've been in the mental health system for a total of 7 years, since I was 18. Before, the staff would come in all the time during the night, turn on the lights, and would wake you up. It was very stressful, especially when on medication. Now, they don't disturb sleep as much and I think the system is great for that.” Patient, Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit. United Kingdom5
Conclusion: A new standard
The measurable impact demonstrated in the multi-site paper, in addition to the staff and patient perspectives collected in single-site reports, are further reinforced by independent research presented at the 2024 International Mental Health Nursing Research Conference (Nolan, 2024), which found that the majority of patients feel safer and report that therapeutic engagement with staff is preserved—or even enhanced—when contactless monitoring is in place.6
All of this research changes the conversation around mental health safety. By bridging the technology gap that has existed for decades, LIO provides staff with the support they need, while giving patients the therapeutic, non-intrusive environment they need for their mental well-being.
The research doesn't just suggest that ambient monitoring works—it establishes it as the proven standard for modern psychiatric care.
Read the full multi-site research paper.
1 Kekic, M., Rose, A., & Bayley, D. (2026). Enhancing safety in mental health hospitals: A multi-site evaluation of a contactless patient monitoring platform. Mental Health and Digital Technologies, 3(1), 32–45. https://www.emerald.com/mhdt/article/3/1/32/1336911/Enhancing-safety-in-mental-health-hospitals-a
2 Mattin, A. (2026, March 24). Closing the observation gap: Creating safer environments in inpatient mental health [Webinar]. LIO.
3 Nuttal, A. (2026, March 24). Closing the observation gap: Creating safer environments in inpatient mental health [Webinar]. LIO.
4 Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust & Oxehealth. (2019). A good night’s sleep: A new standard for night observations in mental health hospitals: Early insights.
5 Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust & Oxehealth. (2023). Investigating the impact of implementing Oxevision at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. Oxevision in practice: Brief reports.
6 Nolan, F. (2024, October 10–11). A multi-site evaluation of the use of vision based patient monitoring systems and body worn cameras in mental health inpatient wards in England [Presentation]. 29th International Mental Health Nursing Research Conference, Oxford, England.
