The coronavirus pandemic has caused a lot of issues in the healthcare industry. So, it is clear to us that healthcare providers are not able to get or do everything they want to. The pandemic has caused all kinds of demand problems and one of the biggest is - patient information exchange.
The pandemic has ruined the traditional modes of patient monitoring, that is through in-patient visits and long-term care facilities. With the growing infections around hospitals, many hospitals do not have space left to keep patients under observation. Many patients are themselves choosing to stay in their homes to avoid the risk of catching the virus. This means the healthcare industry will have to find new ways to deliver care to patients.
In this blog, we will be giving you a quick view of why remote patient monitoring is considered useful for healthcare organizations and why it is the best option for healthcare to keep social distancing intact. read this blog : Sony Play Station 5 Pro can knock in April
What is Remote Patient Monitoring? -
Remote patient monitoring is a part of telehealth. In this, the main focus is on tracking the long-term effects and numbers of patient health. This also includes monitoring patients using the latest tools and conducting virtual consultations to keep full knowledge of patients. There are different modes for connecting with patients, video calls, phone calls, or text messaging.
Remote patient monitoring integration into hospital systems is used for mainly two reasons,
1. Patients who suffer from chronic illnesses, like diabetes, heart failure, etc.
2. Patients who had a sudden deterioration in their health, patients who have had major surgeries or suffered accidents.
Patients who suffer from these problems require constant managing in their health, due to their fragile health conditions they are not advised long hospital stays.
Why is it so? Because patients are more likely to catch the virus, patients who do qualify for monitoring can sometimes have mobility concerns, which makes it difficult for them to attend in-person visits with doctors. Due to the problems of traveling to hospitals, many people skip consultations. Sometimes, patients who do not go to the doctor’s office, are in more need of medical facilities.
According to many surveys, patients are more interested in wearing health monitors because it reduces the chances of going to hospitals. Patients are not against healthcare services, they just do not want to go through a difficult process to obtain them.
Remote patient monitoring vendors give you access to programs that provide patients with easier medical service options, this improves the satisfaction numbers in patients. But before you offer remote patient monitoring to your patients, you need to make sure your organization is well prepared for it.
How to set up the remote patient monitoring program?
Remote patient monitoring comes with a lot of legal regulations, tools, techs, and online service modes. Due to the rise in the services of remote patient monitoring, the health market costs can reach up to more than 250 billion dollars by the year 2025.
But how does one choose the right service for their organization? There are a lot of things that need to be ensured before giving patients access to remote patient monitoring programs in the USA. You will need to make sure that the system is HIPAA compliant. With this, you will be obligated to protect the medical data of your patients. This act restricts the access of unauthorized personnel to the sensitive information of patients.
HIPAA has control over a lot of different aspects of the healthcare sector. This is why it can sometimes become difficult to understand why exactly you need remote patient monitoring.
We have listed some of the main reasons for why and how you can make full use of remote patient monitoring.
1. Invest in security - More new healthcare organizations require electronic devices. This is because these devices help you find out the right logistics for your patients. These technologies allow you to collect medical data of patients, outreach on patients, schedule appointments easily, etc. Since the applications and devices have access to such sensitive patient data, they need to be safe.
Make sure to keep your devices aligned with the latest security trans, if not then anyone will be able to access the patient information. It does not matter if the device is for your organization or you, it needs to be safe. Some of the best ways to keep security in all devices are by implementing passwords, making encryption channels for communications, and installing tools for remote data wiping safeguard (This is for when the laptop or device is stolen or lost)
2. Using HIPAA compliant tools - The best Remote patient monitoring systems can only be used with wireless tools, specially built for healthcare applications. These help in sending and receiving patient’s medical data to providers. There are a lot of other things that need to be considered other than just the functions of the device.
When it comes to sending or receiving medical data, it needs to do with the HIPAA complaint system, or else complications can be faced. With right remote patient monitoring tools meets all the requirements of HIPAA.
These tools play an important role in the exchange of medical information, such as vital signs, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, etc. By customizing these tools as per your requirements, you can easily receive the right medical data to monitor their conditions.
3. Creating tool kits for patients - Why toolkits? This is because if you want your patients to collect the right health data through remote modes, you will need to use the right telehealth equipment. And patients can not have a clue where to buy such tools from. This is why many healthcare providers are creating their toolkits and designing them as per the patient’s needs.
With the help of these toolkits, healthcare providers can ensure that patients have everything they need to monitor their health. Medical toolkits have blood pressure monitoring handcuffs, virtual stethoscopes, scales, thermometers, etc to deliver the required amount of information to doctors.
4. Training - Training patients on how to use remote patient monitoring tools is very important. Because these tools are the main part of remote monitoring. Learning how to use a whole new technology can be difficult for some patients. But that doesn't mean they do not want to. Also read this blog : Many Microsoft Services Down
Thankfully, patients in most parts of the world are willing to learn how to use the tools in the right way. Remote patient monitoring providers have bright virtual training sessions that not only save time, but it is also easily available. Once your patients know how to use the RPM platforms, the healthcare provider can begin monitoring patients.
Reasons why Remote Patient Monitoring is the best option for healthcare providers to maintain Social Distancing -
1. Helps keep patients safe and reduces new cases of covid-19 infection.
2. Reimbursements with the use of remote patient monitoring.
3. Helps patients deal with social anxiety and reduced stress.
4. More comfortable options because it helps keep patients and providers in their homes.
5. Gives more user-friendly advice.
6. Easy availability of medical services.