Originally intended to track patients with chronic and acute diseases, remote patient monitoring is also being used to monitor pregnant, elderly, postsurgical, and other kinds of patients. What follows are the most common practical applications of RPM.
Chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and asthma are increasingly tied to unplanned emergency hospital use, according to research from the Centre for Online Health at The University of Queensland, Australia. RPM can help lighten the load on the healthcare system by detecting fluctuations in a patient’s health status, enabling clinicians to intervene before a hospital visit is needed.
Complications from surgery include pain, infection, blood clots, shock, and hemorrhaging. Helping patients avoid the most serious complications is a challenge for healthcare providers. RPM devices, particularly those that require little to no patient intervention, let clinicians track relevant postoperative health indicators such as heart rate, temperature, and frequency of movement, allowing patients to recover at home.
As the average age of populations worldwide trends higher, the ability to monitor and support older adults in their homes is crucial. RPM systems designed to support older people include motion detectors, temperature sensors, and bed monitors that can alert remote caregivers and emergency responders if help is needed.
Remote maternal and fetal monitoring systems, which measure the fetus’s heart rate and response to uterine contractions, often come in the form of smartphone apps. They enable care providers to remotely monitor their pregnant patients and let patients make informed decisions about their own care. In a study published in the journal JMIR mHealth and uHealth, researchers determined that remote fetal monitoring seemed to reduce the incidence of neonatal asphyxia and lower care costs compared with routine fetal monitoring in health facilities. According to the World Health Organization, there are nearly 2 million stillbirths every year, with more than 40% taking place during labor—losses that could be avoided with improved quality of care, including routine monitoring and timely access to emergency care.
Medication management, or titration, is the practice of tweaking medicine dosages for patients based on their response to a particular dosage. RPM is ideal for this task. Patients can use wireless devices to measure health metrics, and clinicians can review the data to determine medication tolerances and adjust dosages. A study conducted by researchers at UC Davis Medical Center, in which the effectiveness of remote medication management for cardiovascular patients was measured against traditional care methods, found that remote monitoring and titration has the potential to enhance patient care for specific types of patients.
RPM for physical rehabilitation often takes place through movement- and exercise-tracking apps, Bluetooth-connected scales, and wearable devices such as smartwatches, according to the US Health Resources and Services Administration. Some rehabilitation sessions take place over video calls, allowing therapists to monitor in real time a patient’s ability to correctly perform the exercises. Remote rehabilitation is ideal for patients unable to visit a therapy clinic.
Pulse oximeters allow patients to report on their oxygen saturation levels and heart rate from home. Such regular measurements are particularly important during respiratory viral infection outbreaks such as COVID-19 and influenza, as well as for individuals with COPD and other chronic diseases. New approaches outlined in research from McGill University indicate that biometric wearables, which allow for nearly continuous data collection, will be particularly helpful in treating children, who can’t always easily use devices designed for adults.
Patients with hypertension, or high blood pressure, are using RPM devices such as weight scales and blood pressure cuffs to send vital signs directly to their care provider. A recent study by a team at Mass General Brigham’s Accelerator for Clinical Transformation found that remote monitoring can lead to significantly lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. During the study, apps allowed staff to handle a large number of patients efficiently, and researchers developed specific clinical protocols that empowered pharmacists to prescribe medications directly to patients, further streamlining the system.
