Initiatives to Slow the Spread of COVID-19 to Boost Adoption of Remote Patient Monitoring
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is a relatively new technology to
allow tracking of patients from remote locations, including in a remote room or
at home, that can reduce access to medical care and healthcare delivery costs.
There are some very good reasons to consider the benefits of RPM. It can save
time and money because a physician can perform more routine activities, such as
taking patients' vital signs or administering medications, than would be
possible if he had to physically visit the patients, while being away from the
patient's location. Moreover, by offering health care services to patients in
an unmonitored and out of doors setting, physicians are able to provide the
highest level of care to their patients, while also maintaining high patient
safety and security.
Emergence of Covid-19 is expected to boost demand for remote
patient monitoring. In the U.S, regulatory bodies are expanding the use of
non-invasive RPM devices to curb the spread of Covid-19. For instance, in March
2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed expanded use of
non-invasive remote
patient monitoring devices to slow the spread of COVID-19. Some of the
non-invasive remote-monitoring devices covered by the new guidance are
electronic stethoscopes, non-invasive blood pressure devices, and respiratory rate/breathing
frequency measurement devices.
As the remote patient monitoring technology continues to evolve
and advance, it is important for health care provider to understand how it
works and the benefits of remote patient tracking. A basic understanding of how
this technology works is needed to decide if it is right for the medical
setting. The first step is to ensure that the patient's electronic health
record management system (EHRMS) has enabled data access from a local site or
from any location remotely via a secure channel. Some EHRMS do not allow data
to be remotely accessed; some providers use VPN and other security measures to
protect the data. Additionally, ensure that the EHRMS has proper protection
from unauthorized access so that patients' information is protected and
confidential.
The second step involves implementing an application designed to
enable remote patient monitoring. The software should have the ability to
connect to the patient's EHRMS, allowing the physician to see vital signs, and
then alert the physician in real time when the patient requires medical
attention. In addition, the software should be capable of transmitting the data
in an encrypted manner, making it impossible for unauthorized persons to
retrieve or alter data without authorization. Third, the software should allow
for data to be stored on a secure server in a secure environment, such as a
secure area such as a cloud server, which will protect the patient's electronic
health records from unauthorized access by another person or organization. In
particular, the software should allow for data to be securely stored on remote
servers and only accessible by authorized personnel of the patient's primary
care provider.
The fourth step involves monitoring and controlling the patient's
electronic health records remotely. This step involves accessing and retrieving
these records to check for changes or discrepancies in health and ensuring they
are correct and up to date. To protect the EHRMS, data changes should be
reported to the patient's primary care provider (PCP), either immediately or as
soon as possible after they become aware of them. Fifth, and perhaps most
importantly, remote patient tracking requires having the capability to send and
receive alerts from the remote patient monitoring device or the patient's EMR
system. These alerts can help the doctor to identify potential issues early and
help prevent or detect problems before they turn into a major concern.
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