The healthcare sector has seen some of the most significant advances in technology. From hospital-based machinery to health trackers, technology providers are innovating to help practitioners monitor patient health.
This blog explores what remote patient monitoring (RPM) is, why it is important and how both patients and healthcare providers can benefit by implementing it.
Why is remote patient monitoring important?
Despite new breakthrough technology and innovations, healthcare facilities – and particularly hospitals – remain under resourced.
Ongoing challenges such as lack of funding and a continuous tide of staff burnout and shortages are compromising the ability to deliver consistent levels of patient care.
Healthcare providers are searching for viable solutions to help improve conditions and the flow of operations at a reasonable cost.
This is where digital health and more specifically, remote patient monitoring can add value. The latest technological innovations are enabling more sophisticated telehealth capabilities and directly tackling challenges head-on.
What is remote patient monitoring?
Remote patient monitoring was included as one of the core technologies transforming healthcare in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global strategy on digital health 2020-2025.
It is the process of digitally capturing and exchanging health data from patient to healthcare practitioner as part of a patient’s electronic medical records (EMRs).
It often refers to virtual appointments and at-home health monitoring, but can also be used as a critical part of in-patient hospital care, such as virtual nursing.
Many hospitals integrate telemetry devices with other technological capabilities like video, audio and real-time AI-model analytics to help healthcare practitioners monitor patients remotely.
Remote patient monitoring can be used for:
- Telehealth
- Telesitting
- Tele-ICU (intensive care unit)
Telehealth is a broad concept that refers to delivering healthcare remotely using digital tools and communication technologies to access, monitor, and manage medical services from a distance.
Telesitting is used to observe patients, while tele-ICU is adopted as an additional form of patient monitoring alongside other health tech machines to closely track a patient’s vital signs.
Effective integration like this is made possible when using devices based on open standards which are vendor neutral.
In this expanded model of patient care, hospitals can work smarter with their available resources and avoid alarm fatigue, which not only improves operational efficiency, but quality of care.
What are the benefits of remote patient monitoring?
1. Enhance operational efficiency
Hospitals are some of the most difficult institutions to operate; the day-to-day logistics involve constant movement among staff and patients, which breed inefficiencies. Remote patient monitoring is key to tackling these challenges
By remotely monitoring multiple patients at the same time, the workload on medical personnel reduces and it also optimizes resource allocation, leading to smoother hospital operations.
The improved accuracy supported by new innovations also ensures that staff avoid alarm fatigue caused by false alerts helping healthcare providers focus on genuine patient needs, enhancing overall operational efficiency.
2. Reduce costs for patient and hospitals
Staff costs represent a significant challenge for healthcare providers.
One of the most expensive costs for hospitals is to place medical staff in a room with a patient to monitor their health, and so remote monitoring capabilities can be used to reduce costs.
For patients, remote monitoring eliminates the need for frequent hospital visits, saving both time and travel expenses.
This not only reduces the financial burden on patients but also minimizes the strain on hospital resources, leading to a more cost-effective healthcare system overall.
3. Optimize workflows
Decision makers can optimize and strategically deploy valuable in-person nursing time compared to telesitting to demonstrate the return-on-investment (ROI) for hospitals in the long-term.
This technology can also address the issue of rising staff shortages that many hospitals are facing. Video, audio, and analytics (coupled with telemetry data) can simplify processes for medical staff, enabling hospitals to better manage their resources.
4. Facilitate access to care
Patients in remote or underserved areas can significantly enhance their access to care with remote patient monitoring.
Enabling staff to monitor multiple patients – sometimes across different sites – from a central location, ensures that individuals receive timely medical attention regardless of their location.
This is crucial especially for rural facilities and healthcare teams who are asked to do more with fewer resources.
5. Prevent staff burnout
One of the main challenges hospitals are facing is the ratio of healthcare practitioners to patients. Due to a combination of understaffing, restricted budgets and tight resources, medical staff are stretched.
In some cases, this can lead to staff burnout and subsequently impact the quality of patient care.
Remote patient monitoring reduces the need for frequent in-person checks by giving clinicians real-time insight into patients’ status and alerts for those who need immediate attention.
This streamlines workflows, eases workload pressure, and helps prevent staff burnout while maintaining high-quality care.
6. Safeguard patient care
Remote patient monitoring offloads some of the responsibilities of nursing staff, providing assistive technology to help monitor patients and maintain a higher level of care.
By leveraging advanced technologies, RPM ensures that patients receive continuous and comprehensive attention, reducing the risk of oversight and enhancing overall safety.
In-room cameras with audio capabilities and built-in analytics, coupled with telemetry devices which monitor a patient’s vital signs, allows healthcare practitioners to observe patients in real-time.
7. Proactive response
Air quality sensors can also be implemented as part of the digital health solution, to monitor metrics such as humidity and temperature within the patient’s room and detect prohibited activities like vaping or smoking.
This in-room monitoring enables fast response for critical care, as the two-way audio enables health practitioners to listen for audible indicators of breathing difficulties, such as excessive coughing.
In addition, high-quality video can detect visual signs of patient distress. This, coupled with AI-driven analytical capabilities such as fall detection, enables healthcare practitioners to accurately assess the condition of patients and better manage their patient’s needs, while providing quality care.
Medical staff are alerted to an issue in real time, meaning they can take immediate action to administer care.
8. Increase patient satisfaction
In-room monitoring can also prove invaluable for telesitting. Audio enables practitioners to speak remotely with their patients as part of two-way communication, which enhances bedside care and leads to increased patient satisfaction.
Audio capabilities enable practitioners to speak remotely with their patients, facilitating two-way communication that enhances bedside care.
This interaction not only makes patients feel more connected and cared for but also ensures that their concerns are addressed in a timely manner.
9. Enable data-driven decision
Remote patient monitoring empowers healthcare providers to make informed, data-driven decisions that enhance patient outcomes and operational efficiency.
By continuously collecting and analyzing patient data, RPM systems provide real-time insights into a patient's health status, enabling timely interventions and personalized care plans.
Data storage supports the visualization of long-term health trends, aiding in the determination of personalized treatment plans. This proactive approach improves patient care and reduces hospital readmissions, leading to more efficient resource allocation.
10. Prevent spread of infectious diseases
Preventing the spread of infectious diseases is crucial, particularly in healthcare settings where vulnerable populations are at higher risk.
By enabling healthcare providers to monitor patients' health metrics and vital signs remotely, RPM reduces the need for in-person visits, thereby minimizing the risk of cross-infection between patients and healthcare staff.
During outbreaks of contagious diseases, such as flu seasons or pandemics, continuous patient monitoring without the need for physical contact helps protect patients from potential exposure to infectious agents.
It also safeguards healthcare workers, reducing the likelihood of disease transmission within healthcare facilities.
Challenges of remote patient monitoring
1. Ensure patient privacy
A core consideration for healthcare providers today is privacy. Patient confidentiality is fundamental, and these principles must be adhered to when it comes to remote patient monitoring.
Any cameras used in patients’ rooms can only show a live-feed, and footage is not stored. An LED light notification can come on when recording is in progress so that patients are informed and have better peace of mind.
All patient data and information transmitted through monitoring is considered part of a patient’s medical record, so is protected under privacy laws.
Patient privacy can also be safeguarded using edge-based analytics within cameras. These capabilities enable the dynamic masking of people’s faces and bodies in real-time, allowing the observer to see movements while protecting identities.
This type of analytics can be readily applied to the hospital setting, allowing healthcare providers to safeguard patient care while ensuring privacy policies are upheld. In some cases, it might be more appropriate to physically cover cameras to protect a patient’s dignity.
2. Protect against cyber attacks
The devices should also have cyber protection in place, to ensure that patient data is encrypted and protected.
Patient data security is particularly important now, as the adoption of digitized health records mean cybercriminals now have the potential to access patient information more easily.
Hospitals must therefore take preventative measures to minimize cyber risk and ensure patient information is safeguarded.
3. Overcome technological barriers
Healthcare providers may face challenges due to unfamiliarity with RPM solutions, which can affect accurate data collection and effective patient monitoring.
In addition, unreliable internet connections in clinical settings can compromise the seamless operation of RPM programs.
However, by providing user-friendly devices, offering technical support and training for healthcare providers, and ensuring robust and compatible IT infrastructure, these challenges can be addressed.
4. Integrate with existing systems
Seamless integration is crucial for efficient data management, enabling healthcare providers to access comprehensive patient information in one centralized location.
Ensuring that the systems can communicate effectively and share data securely is vital for maintaining the continuity and quality of patient care.
By working closely with technology vendors to develop tailored solutions that meet their specific needs, the integration process can be streamlined.
Conclusion
The use of video, audio and analytics combined with telemetry data will become an even more essential part of healthcare.
It not only enhances operational efficiency and optimizes workflows through better-allocated resourcing, but increases overall patient and staff satisfaction levels.
With more technological support available to monitor patients and support staff, healthcare practitioners are able to better safeguard their patients – and, crucially, improve the quality of patient care.
