The COVID-19 pandemic made managing patient care from home possible with the use of impressive remote patient monitoring tools. From apps on your tablet to patches monitoring vitals, it’s incredible what modern technology is doing for the healthcare industry. Being a medical professional means staying educated with industry trends and understanding remote patient monitoring tools will only continue to benefit you and your patients as their popularity grows.
Bedside Patient Monitoring vs. Remote Patient Monitoring
There is often confusion regarding the true definition of remote patient monitoring and how it differs from bedside patient monitoring.
Bedside patient monitoring is the typical care received from inside a medical office or hospital. This care is where patients receive in-person care from a professional and patients are often connected to cords and tubes that monitor their vitals and levels.
Remote patient monitoring is when patient care is managed outside the walls of an office or hospital and within a home setting.. Many of the systems used to manage and monitor this kind of care are user-friendly devices that allow the practitioner to easily connect with their patient.
Types of Home Health Monitoring Devices
Smartphone Apps
Smartphones and smart technology have truly taken over the medical field, especially in this post-COVID world. Remote patient monitoring apps have become a huge resource for medical professionals and patients when managing care between hospital and home. With most patients being connected to their smart devices on a continuous basis, apps allow practitioners to easily check in on their patients’ vitals and counts without interrupting their patients’ at-home routines. Apps can also be a great way to do some simpler care management alongside monitoring personal health details.
Wearable Technology
Along with utilizing smartphones, tablets and other smart devices, wearable technology has become a growing trend when it comes to home health monitoring systems. Some of the more popular forms of wearable monitoring devices include watches, patches, wristbands and there are even thin necklaces available for use. These wearable devices can monitor vital signs and arterial movement, blood oxygen level, cardiac output, blood pressure, glucose counts and other medical details that help with care management.
Care Management Software
Communication between caregivers and their patients is happening more and more often through digital outlets. Phone calls have become a thing of the past and now apps and software are available where patient information is input into digital forms and folders. Through specific care management software, many medical teams always have a practitioner “on call” via messenger in case their patients need support. Patients can often add some of the simpler medical details into the software so patients and practitioners can stay connected.