Co-Founder and Ceo of FitPeo Inc. An initiative to provide better preventive care to those who need it the most.
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Now that we are in the 21st century, we are witnessing some historic changes. We can no longer rely on our age-old healthcare services. Moreover, Covid-19 has been an eye-opener and forced us to look at the advancements being made in telehealth and telemedicine. If we can order a pizza online or via a mobile app and it can get delivered to our doorstep, why can’t we have that with healthcare? Why do mothers have to go and sit two to three hours outside of an emergency room to see a provider? Why do elderly patients with ailments have to travel to see a provider?
When we talk about the advanced healthcare system, remote patient monitoring (RPM) is one term that seems to be booming and frequently used by health providers.
But, What Is Remote Physiological Monitoring/Remote Patient Monitoring?
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is the use of the latest advances in information technology to keep tabs on and record various health data from patients and electronically analyze and transmit the details to healthcare providers for assessment and clinical decision-making. RPM helps improve quality of life by being cost-effective and reducing the chance of hospitalization. It also increases the efficiency of providers. It can be used to monitor a wide range of conditions.
Evolution Of Remote Monitoring
From humble beginnings embedded in landline home telephone calls to the latest devices with immediate wireless connectivity, the evolution of technology has guided us into an era of digital medicine and remote patient care. Although RPM originated and popularized within medicine, its role in orthopedics and chronic health conditions is evolving. It can be used for monitoring weight, lung capacity, pulse, oxygen saturation in blood, blood pressure, blood glucose, temperature, blood test, pain management, pill tracker, mental health and so much more.
As witnessed by NHS England in cases of cystic fibrosis (CF), with patients dismissed from real wards into “virtual wards,” doctors could track patients’ heart rates, temperatures and blood oxygen levels almost immediately. Health providers received alerts if a patient’s condition seemed to deteriorate. Thus, the process of spotting those in urgent need of re-hospitalization was simplified. These virtual wards provided by digital innovations like RPM not only saved the lives of discharged patients but also freed up hospital beds and clinicians’ time.
Providers are now frequently leveraging mobile-enabled RPM (mRPM). It’s considered both more efficient and economical compared to standard telephonic RPM. In mRPM, notifications prompt patients to enter important details for providing nearly instant clinical and financial value. With a patient-friendly mobile app, mRPM greatly strengthens communication between doctors and patients.
Future Of Remote Patient Monitoring
RPM was already gaining popularity before the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the pandemic has certainly steered RPM into the mainstream of healthcare by accelerating the uptake of RPM as an effective way of delivering care while protecting patients from infection. Although the pandemic will eventually recede, the demand for virtual care is here to stay. McKinsey & Co. estimates that the current healthcare spending of about $250 billion can be virtualized to become cost-efficient. Remote monitoring and AI can reduce the chances of errors and reduces the gap between doctor and patient. According to The Hospitalist, “Physicians who rank poorly in their communication skills with patients were associated with reduced rates of medication adherence.”
The American Medical Association data says chronic health conditions like heart disease and diabetes are responsible for up to 75% of all deaths in the U.S. About 1 out of 3 adults suffer from multiple chronic health conditions globally.
There’s good news for people suffering from chronic health conditions. The global RPM market is en route to reaching $117.1 billion by 2025, compared to $23.2 billion in 2020. It’s more than a quintuple increase in just five years. In the coming years, RPM will be elevated by the growing popularity and availability of healthcare devices and patients’ willingness to record and share information. We are not far from when data analysis, AI and machine learning will automate most of the repetitive tasks of our front-line superheroes so that they can use their precious time where it is actually needed the most.
Wrapping Up
A healthcare service, with patient-centered models, that addresses patients’ multiple chronic conditions and communicates between different specialists while being inexpensive and promoting a better continuum of healthcare is the need of the hour. With the help of advanced technology, RPM should aim to provide reliable, authentic and full patient visibility to support patients with chronic conditions.
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