Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is a rapidly evolving technology that enables healthcare providers to monitor patients’ health remotely, away from traditional clinical settings. But what conditions can remote patient monitoring be used for? RPM has a wide range of applications, allowing healthcare professionals to monitor and manage various conditions without requiring patients to be physically present in a clinical setting.
With its versatility and potential to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs, RPM has garnered significant attention from researchers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers. The wealth of information available on RPM, ranging from research studies to case studies and industry reports, can be overwhelming. Navigating this vast landscape and identifying the most relevant and valuable information that aligns with your specific needs and interests can be challenging.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the diverse range of conditions that can be effectively monitored through RPM. Additionally, it explores the various types of devices employed in RPM and presents evidence-based research on its efficacy for each condition. By consolidating this information, we hope to help you understand RPM’s practical applications and potential benefits, enabling you to make informed decisions about its implementation and utilization.
What is Remote Patient Monitoring?
As more patients seek to manage their health conditions from home, RPM is an increasingly important tool for healthcare teams. RPM helps teams monitor patients remotely, collect and analyze health data, and intervene when necessary to prevent health issues from escalating. RPM uses FDA-cleared remote patient monitoring medical devices, such as wearables, sensors, and mobile apps, that collect health data and transmit it to healthcare providers for review and analysis. As a result, RPM enables healthcare providers to monitor patients’ health status and manage chronic conditions remotely between office visits.
What is Remote Patient Monitoring Used for?
Remote patient monitoring can improve patient engagement, reduce hospital readmissions, and lower healthcare costs by providing more efficient and effective care. In addition, RPM can monitor various health conditions in patients from their homes.
Here are just 7 conditions that can be remotely monitored, the types of devices utilized, and evidence-based research concerning the efficacy of RPM for each condition.
1) Chronic Conditions
Remote Patient Monitoring is used for and is particularly effective in chronic disease management. Patients can monitor their symptoms and vital signs from home, allowing healthcare providers to track their condition remotely. Patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and kidney disease can benefit from remote monitoring of vital signs, such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and weight, as symptoms and medication adherence.
RPM can help manage chronic conditions. Overall, RPM helps improve patient engagement, personalize treatment plans, detect health issues early, reduce hospital readmissions, and enable better communication between patients and healthcare providers.
2) Post-Surgical Care
Second, remote patient monitoring is used to monitor patients after surgery. This includes monitoring vital signs, checking for signs of infection, checking pain levels, and ensuring proper wound healing. Even when away from the hospital, physicians can remotely monitor patients’ recovery progress and intervene quickly if necessary.
Physicians can track patients’ vital signs, such as blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation, to ensure they are stable and within normal ranges. Regular monitoring of vital signs detects potential complications early, such as infection or wound healing issues. In addition, digital pill boxes can send reminders to help monitor and track patients’ medication adherence and ensure they take their medications as prescribed.
Healthcare providers easily tailor treatment plans to individual patients based on their recovery progress and health data. In addition, RPM facilitates better communication between patients and healthcare providers. Patients and physicians can exchange health data and communicate through virtual visits, email, or text messaging. Ultimately, consistent monitoring can help improve patient outcomes, reduce hospital readmissions, and lower healthcare costs.
3) Mental Health Conditions
Remote patient monitoring can detect and track many signs and symptoms of mental health conditions. It uses sensors and wearable devices to measure patients’ physiological data. The RPM transmits these data to a cloud database, which providers can access anytime and anywhere.
Thus, providers can continuously and remotely monitor their patients and adjust their treatment plans if needed. In addition, patients with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders can benefit from RPM, which includes remote counseling, medication and treatment adherence monitoring, and tracking of symptoms.
4) Pregnancy
Maternal mortality has been rising in the United States. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) counted 1,205 U.S. women who died of maternal causes in 2021, compared with 861 in 2020 and 754 in 2019. Fortunately, RPM can monitor pregnant women for pregnancy complications such as hypertension, gestational diabetes, and preterm labor. The leading cause of death during and after pregnancy is heart disease and stroke.
Using digital devices at home can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of obstetricians in remote pregnancy monitoring of their patients. Additionally, it helps reduce stress levels for at-risk patients. Devices for remote monitoring during pregnancy may comprise:
- Weight scale: Assists clinicians in detecting early signs of heart failure and enables prompt management.
- Blood pressure monitor: Ensures that blood pressure remains within a healthy range.
- Blood glucose meter: Evaluates the effectiveness of the treatment plan and enables adjustments to optimize care.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a pilot study on outpatient postpartum blood pressure monitoring demonstrated that continuing patient education and outpatient monitoring were crucial for managing outpatient postpartum hypertension care.
In addition, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has recommended the expansion of remote patient monitoring for pregnant and postpartum patients. ACOG suggests that access to remote patient monitoring before, during, and after pregnancy should be considered for widespread and long-term implementation beyond the pandemic.
5) Elderly Care
Elderly patients can benefit from RPM to monitor chronic conditions, falls, and medication adherence. Many may be concerned that geriatric telemedicine may not be suitable for older adults due to their limited technological skills. However, top remote patient monitoring devices are often straightforward and require minimal setup, making them easy to use immediately.
When RPM devices are designed with user-friendliness in mind, elderly patients are less likely to feel intimidated or discouraged while using them. Moreover, companies specializing in remote patient monitoring, such as Tenovi, offer technical support and RPM onboarding, including teaching patients how to use these devices.
Several studies on remote patient monitoring in senior care suggest that RPM can be a valuable tool in managing conditions from rheumatoid arthritis to Alzheimer’s disease by improving clinical outcomes, reducing hospitalizations, and increasing patient satisfaction. Here are 2 examples:
- A study published in the Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare showed improved mortality, hospital readmissions and compliance with treatment, lower cholesterol levels, and better-reported health perception among elderly patients with heart failure using remote patient monitoring.
- Another study found that remote patient monitoring of elderly patients with COPD and heart failure significantly lowered the number of hospitalizations and significantly reduced hospital costs.
6) Respiratory Diseases
Patients with respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD can benefit from RPM to monitor breathing patterns and oxygen levels.
Remote patient monitoring for COPD requires using FDA-cleared medical devices to measure vital signs such as lung capacity and blood-oxygen levels from the comfort of a patient’s home. The patient is responsible for taking the necessary measurements regularly, for at least 16 days every month.
Studies in clinical care have identified that measuring FEV1 is the most reliable method for monitoring lung function. Recently, various studies have been conducted on remote monitoring techniques for both PEF and FEV1. For instance, a recent pilot study revealed that 70% of the participants completed their twice-daily measurements, whereas 85% performed at least one measurement daily.
A remote peak expiratory flow meter is a device that can help monitor respiratory illnesses such as asthma by measuring the maximum airflow (FEV1) out of the lungs. Consistent monitoring of peak flow measurements in asthma patients can help detect early signs of asthma flare-ups and allow patients to seek timely medical intervention.
7) Covid
Remote patient monitoring has emerged as an effective tool in managing COVID-19 patients, especially those with mild to moderate symptoms who can self-quarantine at home.
Moreover, positive outcomes were observed for COVID-19 patients, including reduced hospitalizations, intensive care unit utilization, and duration of stay due to implementing a remote patient monitoring program, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.
What is remote patient monitoring used for in COVID-19 Care? Various RPM devices monitor a patient’s vital signs, such as temperature, blood pressure, and oxygen levels, and transmit the data to healthcare providers for analysis and follow-up.
Using RPM, healthcare providers can remotely monitor COVID-19 patients and quickly identify any signs of worsening symptoms, such as a drop in oxygen levels, and intervene promptly to prevent complications. RPM can also help reduce the burden on healthcare systems by minimizing hospital admissions and allowing for early detection and treatment of COVID-19 patients.
This article listed just a few conditions remote patient monitoring manages. In addition, RPM is a flexible technology that can be tailored to the needs of individual patients and healthcare providers. Furthermore, RPM can help patients better manage their symptoms with real-time health status feedback. Physicians can use RPM to educate patients about COVID-19 and ensure timely medical intervention when necessary.
If you want to learn more about RPM, consult your healthcare provider or a technology specialist who can help guide you through the various options and considerations. Additionally, many online resources are available, such as industry associations, patient advocacy groups, and online forums, where you can connect with others with RPM experience and learn more about its benefits and limitations.
Tenovi Remote Patient Monitoring
Tenovi is an excellent option for RPM service or software, chronic care management, or telehealth companies interested in providing remote patient monitoring solutions to healthcare providers. We are built for enterprise software integration and offer a comprehensive API integration solution for data transfers, observation, activation, and fulfillment. Additionally, Tenovi provides access to billing, device management, fulfillment, and API integration dashboards, making it a convenient and efficient solution for healthcare providers.
Schedule your free demo and consultation today.
