Remote Patient Monitoring: Advantages and Applications

Nowadays, the popularity of digital services is constantly growing. More and more industries respond to the present-day demands and transfer certain services online. The healthcare sector is not an exception, especially with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. One of the most efficient solutions in this sphere is remote patient monitoring (RPM) which significantly enhances modern medicine. As medical institutions worldwide are trying to introduce this technology, healthcare software development companies regard RPM software as one of their top priorities. In this article, we’ll outline the peculiarities and benefits of remote patient monitoring.

What is remote patient monitoring?

RPM allows healthcare facilities to control a patient’s state of health and vital signs from a distance. Heart rate, oxygen level, blood pressure, pulse rate, and other important data are collected automatically with the help of wearables and smart devices and sent to a hospital for further analysis. This technology helps doctors to detect serious health issues at an early stage. RPM is especially important when treating the elderly, patients with chronic diseases or disabilities, post-surgical patients, or people from rural areas.

RPM is an important part of e-health.

Typical RPM components are a smart device/wearable, a mobile application, hospital software, and a cloud repository. Cardiac monitors, blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters, electrocardiographs, audiometers, spirometers, glucose monitors – these and similar devices must be able to transmit the patient’s data to a healthcare institution for professional assessment and analysis.

Meaningful examples of RPM use

• Monitoring patients with diabetes

Diabetics need special care and constant monitoring as severe complications may result in a diabetic coma or limb loss. They must be aware of their blood sugar level to avoid hyper- or hypoglycemia and need to constantly control their weight, eyesight, or current state of feet. Therefore, such inventions as Podimetrics SmartMat are very helpful. Daily monitoring of the feet temperature helps to detect the symptoms of a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) which is extremely dangerous and may lead to amputation.

• Taking care of patients with heart conditions

RPM applications are helpful for patients prone to heart attacks. Pacemakers and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices control their heart rate, heartbeat, arrhythmias, or murmurs and send the information to a repository. Such a device as DUO allows a patient to monitor his/her state at home. A physician has access to the data and can improve the treatment plan if necessary.

RPM advantages

There are numerous benefits of RPM for both doctors and patients. Let’s mention just a few:

• Timely diagnosis and intervention

As vital data are controlled continuously, RPM allows doctors to trace significant changes in their patients’ state of health. Thus, healthcare professionals will set diagnoses in good time and make necessary adjustments to treatment regimens. In case of serious deterioration, prompt surgical intervention can save the patient’s life.

• Accessibility of services

Patients from rural or remote areas don’t enjoy the same level of availability of medical services as those living in big cities. RPM applications give them equal access to high-quality healthcare.

• Convenience

Certain conditions, serious as they are, don’t demand a patient’s constant physical presence at a healthcare institution. For example, chronic diseases can be easily and effectively monitored remotely. A diabetic can control his/her blood sugar level independently. However, a doctor can access the data and decide on further treatment.

• Efficient time management

For nurses, RPM cuts time spent on moving between hospital wards checking vital signs. Patients, in their turn, no longer need to waste time going to clinics and waiting in queues.

• Reducing readmissions

Some patients need much time to recover, whereas not every healthcare facility can ensure longer stays. It is reasonable to discharge them from hospitals and keep monitoring their data with the help of RPM software. Staying in touch with doctors and getting professional guidance reduces the risk of readmission for patients who undergo treatment and rehabilitation at home.

• Cost reduction

RPM allows healthcare institutions to cut expenses on certain services. When staying at home, a patient doesn’t need a spare hospital bed, meals, and other facilities. Thus, clinics can invest more money in necessary equipment or medicaments.

Conclusion

RPM software and devices allow healthcare professionals to trace all the critical changes in the state of health of their patients. Thus, this cutting-edge technology helps to prevent serious complications and even saves lives. It also improves the doctor-patient relationship. Patients begin to understand their conditions much better when they constantly keep track of their vital signs. Doctors may improve the quality of inpatient care by dedicating more time to those who urgently need medical assistance. Undoubtedly, hospitals and clinics will continue using RPM, therefore they need to cooperate with IT companies developing custom medical software.