Connected Care and Remote Patient Monitoring in India | MedTel Healthcare

With the world gripped in the clutches of COVID-19, countries have been compelled to reassess their healthcare infrastructures. Even those that lead the world in healthcare are grappling with a crisis that has had numerous ramifications for society and the economy.

The increasing cases in this COVID-19 pandemic have caused several patients, especially those suffering from chronic illnesses, to avoid seeking care. While many healthcare workers shut down and pooled their resources to fight the pandemic, others have a list of cancelled appointments from the fear of the virus.

Remote Patient Monitoring or RPM saw a steady rise due to these unfortunate circumstances. In India, the rise of innovative startups creating products that use disruptive technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) is enabling more patients to be remotely monitored at home.

According to a report by Reportlinker.com –

• The global Remote Patient Monitoring market is expected to hit $117.1 billion by the year 2025. This is up from just $23.2 billion in 2020.
• This rise is due to an ageing population, the need to expand access to healthcare, and the need to reduce healthcare costs.

Remote Patient Monitoring is enabled by connected care, which is the real-time communication between patients and healthcare providers through electronic means. Using cloud technology, telemedicine is made available to those in need and at a fraction of the cost.

Here are some of the ways that this technology can make delivering and receiving healthcare possible and more affordable.

1. Manage Chronic Patients Efficiently

Patients suffering from chronic illnesses need regular check-ups to ensure their condition doesn’t worsen. Due to the pandemic, chronic patients have been neglected or have skipped their appointments.

Remote Patient Monitoring can help collect patient-generated information through various devices. These include but aren’t limited to:

• Blood pressure monitors
• Blood sugar monitors
• Wearable ECG monitors
• Biosensors

Without direct interactions, healthcare providers can manage chronic conditions with data from these tools. At the same time, patients can find relief knowing their numbers.

2. Help Make Patients more Responsible

Patients tend to rely on doctors and don’t always take responsibility for their own health. With RPM, patients can become actively involved in monitoring their conditions, becoming more accountable for their health. As providers give timely feedback, patients will be more conscious of the data they collect and can work on themselves at home. Doctors will also be able to track the changes in their patient’s health and determine if they are following instructions or not.

3. Improved Quality of Care

Patients may not always follow their healthcare provider’s advice, or they might forget the feedback by the time they get back home from the clinic. With Remote Patient Monitoring, doctors can now get the daily data of their patients. This information will help them understand and mould their treatment methods according to their patient’s routine and lifestyle. Overall, RPM can significantly improve the quality of care provided and expect better recovery rates.

4. Reduced Risk of Infections in Waiting Rooms

COVID-19 is making people more aware of how quickly a deadly virus can spread. Patients tend to transfer their diseases to each other more in a waiting room at the doctor’s clinic than elsewhere. Remote Patient Monitoring is a boon for keeping healthy people away from such infections. Moreover, doctors can also monitor patients who have tested positive for COVID via telehealth devices. They can keep track of their patients’ oxygen levels and take suitable action if their patients have any respiratory distress or if their vitals fluctuate.

Source URL:- https://medtel.io/blog/connected-care-and-remote-patient-monitoring/