Remote patient monitoring (RPM), also known as remote observation or electronic monitoring, is a method for medical practitioners to closely monitor a particular patient’s health conditions from a distance without having the patient visit a particular medical facility. To bring about RPM, medical practitioners usually select one or more wireless devices that their certain qualifying patients can use outside of their office daily to gather health data and then transfer that data securely back.
The benefits of remote observation are obvious to healthcare providers as these individuals directly oversee their care. For example, a family practitioner may be able to directly supervise a child’s care with the use of a laptop and remote patient monitoring. This will help the doctor to quickly identify any problems and take quick and appropriate action, which in turn can prevent long-term or even fatal consequences for a child.
Even though the benefits have been identified by medical professionals, many physicians are wary of using these types of software. Although there are some hesitations, most practitioners are willing to make the transition and use remote patient monitoring daily. One of the primary reasons that practitioners are hesitant to use this technology is because they are unfamiliar with it. Fortunately, once a physician becomes more comfortable with the process, remote patient monitoring will become much more common in the United States.
When it comes to remote patient monitoring, one of the main concerns that many people have relates to readmissions. As mentioned above, one of the main benefits of RPM is that it allows doctors to take preventative measures, which in turn can prevent readmissions. To determine whether a patient has upcoming readmission, a physician will need to readmissions a history.
With remote monitoring, this doctor can also look at other vital signs of the patient, such as temperature and blood pressure. By doing so, it is possible to prevent readmissions altogether.
The third main concern that many have relates to the security of remote patient monitoring. In light of the recent global health crisis that occurred in the United States and elsewhere around the world, it is important to remember that even the most secure systems can be exploited.
For this reason, many healthcare organizations have tightened their security requirements and are implementing more advanced technologies to protect their data. Advances in remote patient monitoring have made it possible to identify all the various networks a physician’s computer is connected to, allowing for easy identification of any compromises that may occur. Implementing these technologies is going a long way toward reducing vulnerabilities and ensuring the security of the entire healthcare organization.
In addition to preventing any compromise of patient data, another reason why physicians are making the switch to remote patient monitoring is the improved productivity of their staff. As previously mentioned, remote patient data is extremely useful in helping physicians detect any potential problems before they become major issues, and can even point out ways to treat patients who are already sicker or with a weaker immune system. Because of this, it can often save a physician thousands of dollars per year by improving the productivity of their staff.