Remote Patient Monitoring Systems: Components, Types, Vendors & Implementation Process

In the coming years, we will see a huge increase in remote patient monitoring devices. This growth will be because of the growing old population, the effects of the covid-19 pandemic and the cost of medical care in hospital facilities. 

Medical care providers have already started using more ways of remote patient monitoring than before. These remote monitoring systems free up beds, these systems also allow doctors to track their patient’s vital signs, and check their symptoms for coronavirus. Remote patient monitoring practices are gaining more support in the health care sector. Remote patient monitoring integration in different hospital systems has increased the use of non-invasive devices for home use. 

Remote patient monitoring solutions are here to stay, even after the coronavirus pandemic is gone. In this blog, we will explain how remote patient monitoring systems work, and about their different components. We will also look at the available options in the tech market and what to do before starting a remote patient monitoring program.

What is remote patient monitoring?

Remote patient monitoring is the use of technology in health care organizations that enables real-time tracking of a patient. These software systems can easily find any sudden changes in a patient’s health and are also able to provide treatment plans. Remote patient monitoring is an important part of the e-health sector. Remote patient monitoring is also called telemonitoring. 

RPM mainly focuses on patients who have chronic illnesses, older patients, post-operative patients,  and patients who come from remote places and have limited medical care options.

A lot of studies are going on on remote monitoring and it has been found that RPM can -

1. Reduced patient readmissions in hospitals.

2. Reduced emergency visits to hospitals.

3. Lower medical care cost. 

4. Improved patient satisfaction rates. 

5. Better treatment plans.

Health care organizations around the world have started using remote monitoring software systems to enhance their patient outcomes. These RPM technologies need to be integrated into hospital systems to cover the entire RPM cycle.

Remote patient monitoring system components

Remote patient monitoring systems are loT (internet of things) systems, there are mainly four components of RPM systems.

1. Patient mobile application.

2. Cloud Repository.

3. Medical devices connected via BlueTooth.

4. Hospital software.

RPM devices

Remote patient monitoring devices can easily obtain a patient’s health data. This is from a patient’s heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, blood sugar levels, etc. All of this is done without a doctor present in the room. RPM monitors with the help of different wearable devices. All these devices are non-invasive and are FDA approved for remote use. There are many new remote patient monitoring devices in the health care sector, these are all FDA approved. 

1. Cardiac monitors. 

2. Electronic thermometers.

3. Oximeters.

4. Blood pressure monitors. 

5. EEG machines (electroencephalographs).

6. ECG machines (electrocardiographs).

7. Electric stethoscopes.

8. Audiometers, etc. 

All of these wearable devices can transfer patients' health data to their medical care providers. Remote patient monitoring devices are able to connect with different electronic devices, like mobile phones, smartwatches, etc.

Patient mobile application

This is a mobile app that collects health data from patients with the help of wearable devices. This data is sent to hospitals. Best patient monitoring systems have to fulfill certain criteria,these have to be compliant with safety standards. These should specify the requirements for the development of healthcare software systems.

Should support the exchange of medical data with devices. 

These should be HIPAA compliant.

RPM should be safeguarded from any network connectivity issues. These should be able to integrate with any software system. 

The best way to engage more patients in these applications is by providing them with informative visuals, patients should be given educational information regarding their conditions or illnesses, they should get medication reminders, and communication tools like video or audio calls for doctors and patients.

How to choose the right remote patient monitoring vendor for your organization?

Most health care organizations prefer to buy ready-made remote patient monitoring applications than to build them from scratch. This is one of the best options because building an entire application from scratch can cost a lot of money. These software systems are also complex, security concerns are also important, and following HL7 rules, this all makes them hard to build. 

There are different remote patient monitoring vendors one can choose from while developing an app. But when you are selecting one, you need to keep some things in mind,

Why and for whom are you choosing RPM?  

You need to know that an RPM system cannot be for everyone neither can it fulfil their needs. If you plan to develop a system for older people, the technologies used in it will be different from kids. Monitoring equipment is also different and depends entirely on patients. 

So, you need to decide which category is the most critical and you want remote patient monitoring software for it. 

Equipment choice.

Many remote patient monitoring software systems come with their own devices.  While others only offer equipment of your choice. And you can also bring your own device for the software, this means patients can use wearable devices of their own. This is the most convenient and cheap option, but it is not recommended for RPM. Because then the doctor does not know if a patient has properly set their device or not. 

Easy integration process or not?

It is important to integrate your hospital software with remote patient monitoring technologies and an EMT system should be the first to be integrated. Hospitals might need an organised system to plan medical activities.

Simple or not?

These systems should be simple for patients and health care providers to use, understand and set up. If not, patients will not be able to transfer their data for monitoring. 

How much can the system take? 

Many hospitals only use their RPM system with few patients in the beginning but this number can grow over time. And it is better to clear with your RPM vendor about how many users the system can handle at one time. 

Remote Patient Monitoring Implementation

Depending on your choice, you can build a system out of different components from different remote patient monitoring providers. You can also ask to get a custom-designed software system, these will have all your requirements fulfilled. But, whatever you will decide to do, it will not be easy in the beginning. This entire change of software systems will involve doctors and patients getting to know about it. This will change a hospital’s clinical workflow, integration tasks will also need to be connected with hardware and software tools. But this process can be made easier and cheaper. 

Test you system 

To avoid expensive problems in the future, you need to test your RPM software system with few patients first. And then monitor the outcomes you get from your patients. 

Focus on patient needs

You need to focus mainly on your patient’s needs. This is important to keep in ing because patients will be needing this software the most. Design software that works for them, holds any additional features or improvements for later.

Educate patients and healthcare employees

Before launching a fully built RPM application, make sure your patients and employees are well aware of it. Make sure they understand the system. Show them tutorials and conduct training webinars. 

Provide technical support

It is important to provide technical support to your clients and to patients. If your app's tech becomes a problem, no one will want to use it. Tech problems will make your users stop sending health data and eventually doctors will also stop giving out treatments. So make your tech as seamless as you can.

Build a good tech team 

The best RPM systems all have a good tech team. This is why you need to form a partnership with a good tech team from an experienced company. This will help you provide solutions for your tech problems.

Do not wait for the right moment

The covid - 19 pandemic has changed the healthcare organization. But in this crisis, it is a great opportunity to build the best remote patient monitoring system application for your organization. If an RPM app is used properly, it can prove to be a great thing for your organization. This will strengthen your organization and enhance patient outcomes.