mike Just as technology has always had its way of impacting people’s lives, the innovation of remote patient monitoring (RPM) through digital technologies helps to easily collect and transmit medical information from one medical provider to another in a different location for assessment and recommendations. There are many remote patient monitoring vendors today providing services to health centers. Some of the health data collected include through the program includes;
- Blood sugar
- Heart rate
- Blood oxygen levels
- Electrocardiograms
- Weight
According to research, this technology is specifically important for individuals who are chronically ill, the elderly, and others who are unable to access traditional sites for medical care.
Importance of Remote Patient Monitoring
As evident from the definition, this technology helps the medical providers to track the patient’s health data when released to either another care facility or home hence reducing readmission rates. Given that social distancing is another way of curbing the spread of COVID-19 during this pandemic, personal interactions between medical personnel and patients are hazardous. However, thanks to this technology have made it easier and safe for patients to share and measure their vital signs with the physicians remotely by using apps together with medical devices like thermometers and pulse oximeters. Note, all the medical data of all patients can be aggregated and displayed on electronic dashboards as they are monitored by the professional.
More so, remote patient monitoring companies have also helped to improve the quality of medical care. That is because the clinicians can connect more directly and virtually with their respective patient data. Because of that, the caregivers are more efficient during their service and can reduce the burnout possibilities hence resulting in the best patient care. Although this program cannot entirely replace in-person care, it reduces the tension for both patients and health providers. Patients are limited to frequent hospital visits while the clinicians can review the relevant medical information at their convenient time while keeping track of the high-risk patients.
Apart from helping to keep people healthy, this monitoring program also reduces the stress of older and disabled individuals from having to move into nursing facilities. Due to this, the number of readmissions, hospitalization, and period of staying at the hospital are reduced, resulting in reduced costs and improved health. Furthermore, that helps to create room for other new patients and also increases the number of patients attended to by a medical practitioner.
Further, the RPM programs also ensure that the patient is regularly and efficiently monitored by their health provider. In so doing, the patient also develops confidence knowing someone is following up on his/her wellbeing. Moreover, do you know the impact of lying in a hospital bed and having to look at your heartbeat on the monitor for days or months? For a cardiac patient, it could be a frightening place to be. So, this program helps to keep the patient at peace and in his/her comfort zone. Patients enjoy access to virtual patient portal health data and caregivers are able to optimize their health conditions by offering deeper visibility into patient success and issues. It’s a victory for everybody.
