Remote patient monitoring is not new, but technological advances in devices and data transfer have enabled many new uses and opportunities. Today, RPM and Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices can be used to continuously monitor patients’ vital signs, including weight, blood pressure, heart rate, glucose levels and blood oxygen levels, all from home or wherever they may be.
This real-time capture of a patient’s health status is much different from traditional care models, in which a patient comes to a healthcare facility and data is collected for that single point in time. For example, a visit to the doctor’s office will capture a single heart rate measurement, compared with hundreds or thousands captured with a remote heart rate sensor.
Limited data makes it difficult to pinpoint health trends. Having more data points allows care teams to create a clearer picture of a patient’s health and to understand what normal is for an individual rather than comparing it with a population average. For example, some people have a higher or lower average temperature, and a 99.5 F temperature might mean something different for that patient compared with the overall population.
This information enables personalized treatment plans and preventive care measures due to the greater potential for early detection. If providers can detect a condition at an early, treatable stage, they can reduce emergency visits, hospital admissions and readmissions, and unnecessary healthcare costs.
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