How Remote Patient Monitoring Technologies Can Benefit Patients
Remote patient monitoring (RPM), a subset of telehealth, is a great tool that allows patients to be monitored. In addition, it allows for patient-generated data to be easily transferred back and forth between the patient and the care team. RPM is a technology-driven healthcare approach that uses a variety of peripheral measurement devices, both wired and wireless, such as biosensors, implantable devices, glucometers, pulse oximetry, and blood pressure cuffs to record health-related data. Sensors, such as beacons, installed in the home or care facility, are able to monitor a patient’s movements, to passively track a patient’s activity or inactivity. Remote patient monitoring is extremely useful for post-discharge monitoring of patients or for monitoring a patient’s health between in-person visits.
RPM allows patients’ health-related data to be recorded, transmitted, and stored in record retrieval systems that are easily accessible to healthcare practitioners. RPM can also alert healthcare practitioners to abnormal health readings via electronic messaging systems, allowing them to review patients’ health records and respond proactively to any emergencies.
One of the advantages of RPM is that it allows patients to self-monitor and collect their own health-related data, giving the patient a deeper understanding of their health condition and more control over managing their own health. This is particularly useful for patients with cardiovascular disease. Let’s look at how RPM can benefit patients with cardiovascular disease.
Managing Hypertension
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major contributor to heart disease. It is estimated that around 35% of the U.S. population, equating to approximately 85 million people, experience high blood pressure. This figure is expected to increase to over 42% by 2035 — that’s an additional 27 million Americans who will experience hypertension. Remote patient monitoring can play an important role in helping patients monitor and control high blood pressure to prevent costly hospital admissions.
According to the American Heart Association, studies have shown that remote patient monitoring can significantly reduce systolic blood pressure (the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart beats) and diastolic blood pressure (the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart is resting between beats) compared to normal care and self-monitoring.
Heart Failure
Heart failure is a chronic health condition that can be life-threatening. It results in a high rate of hospital admissions worldwide, often leading to readmission, and recurring outpatient visits, placing a significant burden on the health care system. It is estimated that approximately 6 million adult Americans experience heart failure, and this figure is expected to rise by 40% over the next 12 years. Although there is limited research in this regard, the few studies that have been published suggest that remote patient monitoring has the potential to improve the health outcomes of heart failure patients.
The American Heart Association suggests that future research should focus on clarifying how remote patient monitoring improves health outcomes of heart failure patients, and should investigate the effectiveness of various RPM technologies among chronic heart failure patient groups.
Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation — a type of arrhythmia, or abnormal heartbeat — is the result of an extremely fast and irregular heartbeat, usually more than 400 beats per minute, compared to a regular heartbeat where the heart muscle contracts steadily, usually beating once per second (60 beats per minute) when the body is at rest, increasing with exercise. It is estimated that between 2.7 million to 6.1 Americans have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, and this figure is expected to rise to 7.1 million over the next 12 years as the population ages. Currently, approximately 9% of adults aged 65 years or above have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, while around 2% of those under 65 years of age have atrial fibrillation. The condition can negatively affect one’s quality of life and increase the risk of stroke, heart failure, hospitalization, and death. Due to these adverse health outcomes, it is critical that this abnormal heartbeat is detected early so that an appropriate treatment plan can be followed.
Remote patient monitoring has the potential to improve health outcomes of patients with atrial fibrillation, as it allows for early detection and diagnosis, thereby reducing potential hospitalization and fatalities resulting from related adverse health events. Clinical guidelines for the management of patients with atrial fibrillation highly recommend the use of remote patient monitoring for detecting atrial fibrillation in both stroke and non-stroke patients.
Tapestry Health has a wide range of remote patient monitoring solutions to help patients monitor their health. Our Vitals Management Program is extremely useful for monitoring cardiovascular-related conditions and for detecting issues early, allowing for proactive treatment. Our contactless radar and radio wave technology allow us to continually monitor a patient’s vital signs passively in real time and track patient data over time. Should we detect an anomaly, our staff is able to act immediately, keeping our patients out of trouble. Contact Tapestry Health to learn more about our remote patient monitoring technologies and the benefits they offer.
