Four new recent telemedicine studies are covered in this post. Telemedicine uses digital communication to provide clinical healthcare from a distance and aims to improve patient health. As telehealth and remote patient monitoring adoption grow, keeping up with telehealth coverage and news can be challenging. Tenovi publishes this weekly research round highlighting recent telemedicine studies in clinical settings and current and future technologies in remote patient monitoring.
Recent Telemedicine Studies
This week’s remote patient monitoring study round-up covers new recent telemedicine studies and topics, including:
- Telehealth services for opioid use disorder
- IoMT and blockchain technology for emergency response services (EMS)
- Remotely-monitored sleep in prostate cancer patients
- Blood Glucose Levels via Remote Patient Monitoring
Telehealth Services and Medications for Opioid Use Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This is the first study of four recent telemedicine studies covered in this week’s research round up. The study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that the availability of opioid use disorder-related telehealth services and medications during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a lowered likelihood of fatal drug overdose among Medicare beneficiaries. The study was led by researchers at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, the Office of the Administrator, the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Key points and conclusions of the study include:
- Medicare beneficiaries who began a new episode of telemedicine opioid treatment during the pandemic and received opioid help disorder-related telehealth services were found to have a 33% lower risk of a fatal drug overdose.
- Medicare beneficiaries who received medications for opioid use disorder from opioid treatment programs and those who received buprenorphine, one of the medications for opioid use disorder, in office-based settings also had reduced odds of a fatal drug overdose of 59% and 38%, respectively.
- Mortality rates (classified as all-cause mortality and drug overdose mortality specifically) were higher in the pandemic cohort compared to the pre-pandemic cohort; however, the percentage of deaths due to drug overdose was similar between the two cohorts.
Secure and Fast Emergency Road Healthcare Service and Blockchain Technology
Several recent telemedicine studies focus on blockchain technology. Specifically, this study focused on how technology allows emergency vehicles to arrive as soon as possible at the scene of an accident. In the proposed model, EMS first receives the location of the injured person, and with intelligent vehicular communication, road priority is gained. Second, using IoMT, the system collects patient vital signs while transmitting the data to the trauma center, facilitating advanced treatment. Finally, smart contracts are deployed in Ethereum blockchain technology to reduce the protocol using Bluetooth technology. Elements of data storage will be reviewed in future studies.
Separate from this study, state lawmakers in South Dakota approved three initiatives focused on telemedicine for emergency response systems (EMS) in rural communities. Several EMS agencies are up to an hour away from a hospital. The new program connects responders to board-certified emergency physicians and registered nurses via video or telephone inside the ambulance en route to the emergency department. The increased technology allows responders to have a qualified healthcare professional on board to review patient vitals.
Remotely-Monitored Sleep Measures In Prostate Cancer Patients
The third of the four recent telemedicine studies reports on sleep. Sleep disturbance is commonly experienced in men with prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy, leading to increased fatigue, diminished quality of life, and poor clinical outcomes. However, wearable activity monitors allow for monitoring outside the clinical setting. This study evaluated remotely-monitored patients from the Cedars-Sinai and the Durham VA. Patients wore a Fitbit Charge HR for continuous monitoring over eight weeks. Unfortunately, there is a lack of information supporting using commercially available wearables for sleep monitoring among prostate cancer patients. However, the study findings suggest that using wearables to monitor sleep remotely is feasible. In summary, sleep duration and quality were poor and worsened over time, with many awakenings and segmented sleep, which may be associated with treatment effects and other symptoms.
Remote Patient Monitoring System Helps Improve Glycemic Control
The final four of this week’s new recent telemedicine studies is a single-center study that evaluated the effectiveness of a remote diabetes platform in improving glycemic control and reducing A1C in patients with uncontrolled type II diabetes mellitus. The platform provides easy and accessible patient care for monitoring by physicians. The 12-week study assessed 78 adults accessing a smartphone-linked telehealth application and a ready-to-use glucometer. On average, over 12 weeks, the A1C in the control group reduced by 0.474%, while the remotely monitored group reduced by 1.70%. The authors concluded that using the platform may help improve glycemic control among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Recent Telemedicine Studies
If you’re eager to discover more about the fascinating world of remote patient monitoring and telehealth, head to the Tenovi blog, where you’ll find informative past summaries on the latest studies and research.
