The novel coronavirus pandemic causing COVID-19 infections to rampage across the planet has caused the healthcare industry to make some major changes.
To help patients and medical staff stay socially distant as much as possible to avoid spreading disease, many organizations have adopted telehealth solutions.
A vital tool for this has been remote patient monitoring.
With an RPM solution in place, healthcare providers can monitor patients more safely, allowing them to remain at home while still tracking their progress.
Read on for information about remote patient monitoring and why it has become so important. It’s not just a tool to help us emerge from the pandemic. RPM will continue to be a vital tool for ongoing patient care that you can arrange efficiently and safely.
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About Remote Patient Monitoring
Remote Patient Monitoring is a way to deliver healthcare services to patients from remote.
It relies on technology and software to connect individuals to providers in clinical environments, from practices to hospitals to clinics and research facilities.
Information transfers between patient and provider digitally, with security measures in place to keep personal information private.
Remote patient monitoring is particularly beneficial in remote, rural locations where patients have been chronically underserved.
In the face of hospitals and clinics shutting down due to economic downturns, remote monitoring becomes a crucial life link to these patients in need.
And when you add to this situation the fact that hospitals and doctors’ offices have been inundated with a crush of patients who have fallen ill with the novel coronavirus, it makes a lot of sense to deliver services to patients from afar with RPM systems.
The statistics of RPM usage show its usage is growing. There are also researchers’ projections on its future use for you to keep in mind. Insider Intelligence explains that 30 million patients in the United States are expected to use RPM systems by 2024.
About 9.0% used RPM in 2020, with 9.9% estimated using remote patient monitoring in 2021. About 11.2% of patients will be using RPM in some format by 2024, based on statistics from eMarketer.
Misconceptions That Discourage Providers From Adopting Remote Patient Monitoring
If your practice is on the fence about launching a remote patient monitoring program, the problem might be because you are laboring under the misconception that it’s too expensive.
But they do not have to cost you an arm and a leg to get started. As mHealth Intelligence pointed out, “Creating a platform with one or two devices and a few measurable data points can give care providers information they have not had before with annual, monthly, or even weekly office visits.”
Some healthcare providers labor under the idea that it will be too hard for them to start an RPM program. But modern RPM systems can run “out of the box,” with no need for a complicated setup with a computer programmer. For example, a nurse views a customized dashboard that shows the vital signs of a particular patient at a glance.
Another misconception is that remote patient monitoring requires broadband connections between provider and patient. But RPM equipment is able to function via Wi-Fi (with security systems in place to prevent criminals from eavesdropping). Providers can also use equipment that transmits patient data from Bluetooth devices, so healthcare readings easily flow into a tablet or smartphone.
Equipment Used in Remote Patient Monitoring
When it comes to digital health and telehealth tools, their ease of use and availability makes it much more convenient for patients to stay at home while their doctors and nurses can check in on their vital signs and other information. The data transmit over the Internet from equipment the patients wear in the comfort of their homes.
Devices commonly used in remote patient monitoring include blood pressure monitors that patients wear to keep tabs on their condition.
Patients with respiratory issues (including those at high risk for COVID-19) can wear pulse oximeters to track their blood oxygen saturation levels in real-time for their providers to monitor from remote.
Diabetes patients wear continuous blood glucose monitors, which help remind them about taking insulin and sending data to the doctors overseeing their care.
In addition to such specialized instruments for keeping tabs on patients’ vital signs, telehealth systems in remote patient monitoring include the microphone and camera built into the patient’s smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. Healthcare providers can gain more insight into their patients’ status through video conferencing calls. This supplements all the continuous data being sent from devices in remote monitoring systems.
Remote Patient Monitoring Is Here to Stay
With so many benefits of remote patient monitoring, it’s a healthcare tool that many providers are expected to continue using. And as the population in general becomes more familiar with this technology, you can anticipate that more patients will want to come online with you. Remote telehealth sessions can combine with home healthcare services for added convenience.
In a clinical setting, you’re already busy enough, tending to patients who arrive in person and addressing the telehealth needs of patients you monitor from remote. You may find it challenging to carve out time in your schedule to stay on top of pressing healthcare news. To stay informed on RPM innovations and other medical issues affecting your organization, subscribe to this blog today.
Key Takeaways:
- The global coronavirus pandemic has resulted in more healthcare provides turning to remote patient monitoring to keep patients and staff safer.
- Fostering social distancing during COVID-19 infections is one example of how RPM can make a difference in how we provide patient care
- Common devices used in remote patient monitoring include blood pressure devices, pulse oximeters, and blood glucose meters.
- Some healthcare providers think RPM has high costs, but you can get started with a pilot program with a few devices taking small measurements to see how well it helps your patients and staff collect vital data.
- Providers who think RPM will be too difficult to use should know that modern systems often function right out of the box, with easy-to-use dashboards to see data at a glance.
