The way in which health care providers are able to care for their parents has been enhanced through technology. Telemedicine is one key example of how the healthcare industry has evolved to better service their patients. One way in particular that telemedicine has changed the patient experience comes in the form of remote patient monitoring.
Remote patient monitoring has been around for some time, but never quite provided the value that it does now. This technique requires using systems that allow health care professionals to oversee a patient without them being physically present in their facility or hospital. The devices that facilitate this experience allow professionals to track the necessary vitals and information securely. This information is then transferred back to the health care providers and is stored in their electronic health records.
More and more devices continue to be added to the remote patient monitoring roster. Blood pressure cuffs, blood glucose monitors, spirometers and water retention scales and more have all gained remote patient monitoring connectivity. The patients equipped with these devices are then responsible for learning the ins-and-outs and sending their data to their health care professionals.
Recent pandemic restrictions have also caused an uptick in the amount of remote patient monitoring. Even as restrictions have diminished, the need for remote care continues to increase. In addition to this, more and more people continue to be diagnosed with chronic conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure or even diabetes. All of these things in connection with the fact that most people hate their visits to the doctor’s office, it makes sense why more and more patients are defaulting to remote patient monitoring.
It’s also worth noting just how effective remote patient monitoring has become. Research indicates that patients with high blood pressure saw a greater reduction through remote monitoring rather than patients self-monitoring. Patients have also seen an improvement in asthma control in addition to a decrease in the use of rescue medication.
However, perhaps most important of all, more and more insurers are transitioning to cover remote patient monitoring. This could aid in the seemingly endless shortage of physicians. As more and more people require care and medical attention increases, it can be difficult to meet that demand. With remote patient monitoring, it becomes a much easier task. For more information on how remote patient monitoring can improve a patient’s quality of life, be sure to review the accompanying infographic. Courtesy of Pivot Point Consulting.
