Active monitoring of hospitalised adults, using handheld electronic physiological surveillance systems, is associated with reduced in-patient mortality in the UK. Potential also exists to improve the recognition and response to deterioration in hospitalised children. | Dynamic Electronic Tracking and Escalation to reduce Critical care Transfers (DETECT): The protocol for a stepped wedge mixed method study to explore the clinical effectiveness, clinical utility and costeffectiveness of an electronic physiological surveillance system for use in children