Remote patient monitoring is revolutionizing the way physicians and healthcare facilities deliver care. RPM is the utilization of physical sensors, which are attached to a patient’s body, to collect and transmit patient data to a centralized hub or dashboard. RPM also assists care facilities and hospitals in reducing the cost of patient monitoring and data acquisition while also reducing the error margins associated with manual data collection and management.

RPM is composed of numerous technologies that operate together, such as data visualization dashboards and smart devices that allow doctors and patients to communicate via audio and video. It also incorporates the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices to collect and transmit patient data for use in medical decision-making.

The Internet of Things is swiftly gaining traction in all facets of life, including healthcare. In the healthcare industry, prospects for IoT innovation are continually emerging and evolving. The adoption of IoT in healthcare continues to accelerate, with remote patient monitoring being one of the fastest-growing sectors.

In a nutshell, the technology enables several connected devices to gather and share data with each other. While RPM was already gaining traction prior to Covid, the global pandemic has emphasized the significance of remote care. Remote Patient Monitoring improves the patient and clinical experience, leading to better outcomes and cheaper costs.

IoT in healthcare has played a significant role in the revamping of current systems with current breakthroughs in the realm of technology associated with IoT. IoT-based solutions ensure health monitoring not just in hospitals and in home, but also in the outdoor environment. IoT applications and devices are changing to meet the expanding demands of a digital world. Forward-thinking IoT businesses are creating innovative solutions to improve convenience, accessibility, and protection.

IOT and Remote Patient Monitoring

RPM allows you to do basic tests at home and submit the findings to your physician in real time using a smartphone or a variety of smart body sensors. With the proliferation of chronic illnesses in both rural and urban regions, IoT connectivity has made it possible to provide timely and cost-effective RPM services regardless of patient location or physician availability.

This method of treatment has proven to be especially beneficial in rural areas where skilled medical staff are frequently unavailable. Physical visits to the physician’s office for regular consultations are frequently impossible during the present COVID-19 pandemic.

By leveraging the remote health monitoring framework, health parameters can be self-assessed at home, and the assessed data can be shared with a skilled physician nearby. This can be especially beneficial for patients who are suffering from a serious medical condition and the physician is unable to help. These parameters can be communicated remotely to a physician who can assist the patient from anywhere.

The critical benefits of IoT implementation in healthcare are:

• Real-time remote monitoring and smart alerts using connected IoT devices to diagnose and treat diseases, as well as save lives in the event of a medical emergency.
• Disease prevention using smart sensors which will minimize the occurrence of illnesses.
• The IoT reduces the cost of medical visits and hospital admissions while also making testing more affordable.
• Enhanced medical data accessibility that assist healthcare providers in making appropriate medical decisions and eliminates complications.
• Reduces medical error and contributes to an enhanced medical treatment.
• IoT devices have a lot of potential for medical research because they handle massive amounts of data.

Advantages of RPM

The following are some of the important benefits of RPM:

• Convenience

RPM makes things simpler for both healthcare personnel and patients to receive the care they require at the time they need it. Improved convenience has also resulted in increased efficiency in healthcare delivery. With remote care’s simple, instant communication capabilities, healthcare organizations can switch to a more automated scheduling system, eliminating in-person appointments while minimizing doctor-patient face time.

• Timeliness

Healthcare providers can attend to their patients more swiftly with RPM. With RPM’s continuous monitoring of a patient’s vitals, earlier intervention is facilitated. It is a critical aspect that allows physicians to react to significant, time-sensitive medical occurrences more quickly. The extra minutes provided by continuous monitoring can make the difference between life and death in more serious, time-critical medical situations. Rapid response times can save lives by preventing delayed diagnoses.

• Accuracy

The accuracy of RPM devices can increase efficiency and collaboration between patients, doctors, and those assisting in a patient’s treatment. By integrating all of these people together on a single platform and adding features like GPS location, emergencies may be handled more swiftly and effectively.

• Safety

When it comes to healthcare, patient confidentiality and privacy are paramount. Medical data is particularly sensitive, therefore it is imperative that it is handled, transported, and accessed in a secure manner. Physical and digital security can be incorporated into your RPM system to guarantee that patient health information is only accessed as required and that EMRs and patient data comply with HIPAA regulations.

• Mobility

Mobile health service solutions can increase patient satisfaction with care. Smart health technologies like the Fitbit and other health monitoring devices have becoming increasingly prevalent, indicating that more people are accepting RPM as a viable option.

Physicians can enhance their engagement in the treatment process and give data to patients in an easy-to-understand format by allowing users to control their care remotely. This procedure promotes better satisfaction because patient complaints are resolved in real time and at a low or free cost.

Wrapping Up

Remote patient management is bringing massive changes to the healthcare industry. There is a lot of research going on in this field, especially when it comes to assuring safety and enforcing standards across the wide range of device kinds and use cases that might be used in an RPM system. Technology has the potential to transform the way we approach healthcare by redefining the challenges of providing people with the treatment they require at a reasonable cost. Despite the drawbacks, more digital transformation in healthcare is inevitable, and the Internet of Things will continue to encompass and revolutionize the healthcare landscape.