Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is one of the recent advancements in modern healthcare technologies. This emerging methodology of overseeing patient care is a way to adapt to the evolving needs of patients. It’s an innovative solution that allows healthcare providers to respond accordingly to average and high-risk patients, especially those who may require emergency hospital readmissions.
Functions of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)
Realistically, healthcare technology is still far away from replacing in-person care and treatments. However, RPM doesn’t aim to remove the assistance of healthcare professionals. Instead, its goal is to lessen the burden of providing immediate attention to high-risk patients. RPM allows patients to better understand their current health, eliminating the need to cover consistent hospitalization and nursing costs. Through RPM systems, healthcare delivery goes beyond the four walls of medical facilities.
Through advanced devices with heightened sensors and transmitters, it collects a wide range of biometric data. Critical information like heart rate, oxygen levels, and blood pressure go through interpretation and transmission to an assigned caretaker at a remote location. This allows professional nursing observations without having a round-the-clock nursing aide by a patient’s side.
Types of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) technology
Since people can manifest symptoms of illnesses differently, different RPM devices track specific irregularities in the human body. Listed below are three types of RPM devices that can track your general health.
- Fitness trackers: These wearable wristbands contain sensors that can analyze your physical activity and heart rate. It’s extremely beneficial for physicians who are working in rural areas where face-to-face consultations aren’t accessible.
- Smart health watches: The traditional form of health watches were the simple pedometers that could tell time and count steps. Meanwhile, its modern iteration can do anything from sending messages to monitor your heart rate. Its accessibility as a smart device allows you to use it as a communication device simultaneously as an RPM device.
- Wearable ECG monitors: As its name suggests, a wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor allows your physician to receive transmissions of your ECG for easier tracking. It can also record atrial fibrillation, distance, and elevation of your heartbeats to signal instances of arrhythmia or heart attacks. These symptoms can happen with little to no warning, so these devices are great solutions for preventative care and emergency responses.
Future developments in RPM
Outpatient care is at the pinnacle of developing major developments, due in part to COVID-19’s effects. The necessity to have a remote physician and patient interactions is a welcome advancement with current issues with hospital infrastructures. Remote healthcare devices are experiencing a technological revolution in the market.
By developing more compact and mobile patient monitoring devices, patients and healthcare practitioners can benefit greatly from its advancements. With more access to empowered health data, physicians can provide immediate preventative solutions to avoid severe medical complications. RPM technology can also reduce the number of hospital readmissions by allowing patients to stay comfortable in their homes.
Conclusion
Information and data analysis are two critical components of preventative healthcare. Although the RPM has its limits, it’s a step towards more sophisticated technology to make it easier for high-risk patients to receive the emergency attention they need. It can be a vital tool in every healthcare provider’s toolset to deliver the necessary treatments and services to their patients.
At Medistics Health, we provide our US-based clients with remote patient monitoring services to better handle their patients. We recognize the value of making life easier for you and your patient. Get in touch with our dedicated team of healthcare professionals today!