Remote Patient Monitoring in Endocrinology

Introduction

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has become a popular telehealth option in recent times. Remote patient monitoring enables one to manage both acute and chronic (long-term) conditions. It also reduces the travel costs incurred by the patient and minimizes the infection risk. Through remote patient monitoring, healthcare professionals can monitor patients outside the hospital setting using digital medical devices like pulse oximeters, weight scales, blood glucose monitors, and blood pressure monitors. The data gathered from these devices are then transferred electronically to healthcare professionals for proper care and management.

What Are the Conditions That Can Be Tracked Through Remote Patient Monitoring?

The following are some of the conditions that can be tracked through RPM:

• Diabetes.

• High blood pressure.

• Heart conditions.

• Weight gain or loss.

• Asthma.

• Sleep apnea (a serious sleep disorder in which breathing starts and stops repeatedly).

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (a lung disease that obstructs airflow and causes difficulty breathing).

Other conditions may need more complicated devices that require patient training. These include:

• Heart monitors.

• Apnea monitors.

• Fetal monitors.

• Breathing apparatuses.

• Specialized monitors for Parkinson’s disease (a central nervous system disorder that affects one’s movements causing tremors) and dementia (a group of symptoms that affect one’s memory, thinking, and social abilities).

What Is Endocrinology Remote Patient Monitoring?

Remote patient monitoring is very useful in endocrinology and the service providers for endocrinology comprise an expert team who stay in touch with the concerned patients and provide them timely health updates. RPM is particularly useful in diabetic patients because blood glucose fluctuation is very common in these patients.

Diabetic individuals can encounter life-threatening consequences as a result of fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Through RPM, physicians can alter medications remotely without the trouble of in-person visits every week or month.

What Are the Advantages of Remote Patient Monitoring?

A few patients may require in-person consultation, diagnostics, or monitoring, and this depends on their personal preferences, condition, internet availability, and so on. However, RPM can offer various advantages, especially in those with chronic conditions, short-term illness, and pregnancy complications. Some of the advantages of remote patient monitoring are as follows:

• Fewer visits to the emergency room.

• Reduced hospitalizations.

• Shorter stays at the hospital if the patient can be discharged with a remote monitoring device to be used at home.

• Better health outcomes for patients living in rural areas.

• Reduced risk of developing illnesses in both patients and physicians.

• Improved preventive management for chronic conditions.

How Can Patients Be Helped to Get Acquainted With At-Home Health Monitors?

Remote monitoring may be something new for patients. The healthcare professional should make the patient understand how RPM works and how they will obtain data from the device. Patients can be made to understand about RPM in the following ways:

• A telehealth appointment should be fixed before they proceed with using the device.

• A follow-up telehealth appointment should be fixed after the individual uses the device for several days.

• An email or downloadable document explaining how remote patient monitoring will function for their disease condition or symptoms should be shared with the patient.

• In a telehealth appointment, the healthcare professional can guide the patient about how to operate the device.

• The patient can be referred to a nearby at-home medical equipment provider in their locality who can assist them in setting up the device and providing support.

• The patient must be encouraged to call the physician’s office or send a message regarding any doubts that they have about operating the device or they can request for a follow-up telehealth appointment.

• The staff at the hospital should let the patient know when they are obtaining information from their device correctly.

What Are the Two Common Types of Diabetes Monitoring and Management Systems That Are Used in Endocrinology Remote Patient Monitoring?

The following are the two types of diabetes monitoring and management systems:

• Blood Glucose Monitoring Devices: It is necessary that diabetic individuals regularly monitor their blood glucose levels to prevent any emergencies or complications. A few patients may be advised to monitor their blood glucose levels before and after each meal. In remote patient monitoring, physicians update through software whenever patients check their blood glucose levels using test kits or devices.

These devices work by capturing the data and transferring it to the physician’s profile. Then, physicians through the use of telehealth modes of communication, decide about the continuation or discontinuation of medicines. These glucose monitoring devices aid patients by enabling them to stay in touch with their physicians.

• Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM): Endocrinologists recommend continuous glucose monitoring devices to those with chronic diabetes. This device encompasses small digital chips and devices. In endocrinology remote patient monitoring, physicians attach small chips to the individual’s body. This chip detects and captures continuous blood glucose levels and updates it to the software. Both the device and the software have indicators that alert the patient and the physician whenever the blood sugar levels are either high or low. This is very useful in case of elevated sugar levels (hyperglycemia).

What Are the Challenges of a Remote Patient Monitoring System?

Although RPM offers numerous benefits both to patients and physicians, there are challenges in expanding and implementing this system to a broader audience which are as follows:

• Though telehealth provides healthcare services to areas where in-patient consultation may be difficult, its implementation can be affected by technological infrastructure barriers like lack of access to the internet, or cellular data to establish frequent connectivity or video-based care.

• Poor skills, knowledge, or confidence in using digital media by the patients can act as a barrier. These barriers may be common among those who already experience health inequities like those living in rural areas, people with low socioeconomic status, people with limited knowledge about health, those belonging to some racial or ethnic minorities, and so on.

• Actions are being taken to expand access to telehealth but further actions and funds are required at the state and federal levels to expand access to the internet.

• Another challenge in RPM is billing and payment. Lower reimbursement rates and lack of coverage of services prevent organizations from expanding and implementing necessary programs as a result of upfront costs.

Conclusion

With the advent of remote patient monitoring (RPM), telehealth, or the delivery of healthcare through electronic communication has greatly increased. The use of RPM has found a huge benefit in the field of endocrinology since it has offered numerous benefits to diabetic patients. Diabetic individuals can encounter life-threatening consequences as a result of fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Through RPM, timely modifications in the dosage can be made without the need for in-patient consultations every week or month. However, there are certain challenges associated with RPM. Actions are being taken to overcome these challenges and to offer better healthcare services to all remotely.