Remote Patient Monitoring and Its Impact in the Healthcare Field

Remote Patient Monitoring and Its Impact in Healthcare

Technological innovation has steadily changed the face of modern medicine over the years. One of the major shifts is the rise of remote patient monitoring to improve health outcomes and increase access to medical care.

Many Americans have relied on the technology on their smartphones, fitness trackers or smart watches to provide health data in their day-to-day lives. Using technology to collect and analyze diet, exercise, and basic vital signs has been a part of many people’s personal efforts to improve their health and wellness. Healthcare providers have also incorporated these technologies to provide better care based on a larger and more accurate portrait of a patient’s health.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further influenced healthcare providers’ use of remote patient monitoring. As traditional healthcare sites such as clinics and hospitals become potentially dangerous vectors of transmission, healthcare providers increasingly rely on telehealth services (healthcare services provided remotely) to give medical care—and remote patient monitoring is a powerful tool for healthcare providers practicing telemedicine.

What is remote patient monitoring?

So what is remote patient monitoring? On the most basic level, remote patient monitoring is any method of recording a patient’s health data outside of a traditional clinical or hospital setting and sending that data to qualified healthcare providers.

The origin of remote patient monitoring as practiced today is—surprisingly—the space program. In the 1960s, NASA doctors and scientists needed to monitor and study astronauts as they went into outer space.1 The technology used to remotely monitor astronaut health was then put to use below the clouds—starting a slow but steady march.

By the 1980s collecting x-rays and EKG data and transmitting them through telephone wires had become routine practice for Earth-bound patients as well. In the 1990s, the internet opened up an entirely new avenue for collecting and transmitting health data. 

What are the most common tools in remote patient monitoring?

Most Americans already own one of the most high-tech and popular tools for remote patient monitoring, a smart phone. Devices such as a blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters, and glucometers can all be used to collect health data which is then stored, analyzed, and transmitted to healthcare providers through a smartphone. Other technology can be used such as tablets, smart watches, and other devices.

You may already use a health and wellness app on your phone. The rising accessibility of complex technology allows people interested in managing and improving their health more tools to accurately measure and analyze their progress. These personal applications use the same tools as remote patient monitoring, the key difference being that they do not typically send your data to a healthcare provider for analysis and treatment.

Who uses remote patient monitoring?

Many methods of remote patient monitoring are designed to address chronic conditions. Individuals with chronic heart conditions can anticipate changes in their health using remote patient monitoring. Patients managing diabetes also rely on remote patient monitoring to keep track of blood pressure, weight, and blood glucose levels.

Remote patient monitoring is also an important tool for providing care and ensuring the safety of individuals dealing with dementia or high fall risk. Sensors on mobility devices can detect dangerous falls and movement changes and alert healthcare providers and caretakers.

During times of pandemic, remote patient monitoring technology can help providers keep up with regular patient check-ups while minimizing the risk of exposure. But even beyond extreme circumstances, these tools can be a boon for those without easy access to transportation or live in areas that are far away from healthcare provider.

What are the actual impacts of remote patient monitoring?

There is some debate around the impact of remote patient monitoring, though a review of research conducted between 2000-2018 suggests remote patient monitoring and other telemedicine initiatives have been generally positive.2 That finding makes sense at face value—increasing patient access and making it easier for healthcare questions and concerns to be addressed is a clear positive. That said, telemedicine and remote patient monitoring do rely on patients taking an active role in their healthcare. Patients need instruction on how to properly utilize these tools and, like with traditional visits, need to follow through with the advice or orders of their care teams to be effective.

There’s also the potential for saving on healthcare costs through early detection and preventative treatments. Instead of waiting for an unchecked health issue to progress to something more serious that could require an emergency room visit, providers may have the opportunity to intervene with earlier, less expensive treatments. 

What is the future of remote patient monitoring?

For researchers, healthcare providers, and patients, remote patient monitoring has been an exciting area of development within medicine. Remote patient monitoring has the potential to increase the quality of healthcare patients receive and allow them to spend more time in their homes rather than in a clinic or hospital setting.

Continued technological innovation and increased access to technology indicates a bright future of remote patient monitoring. Telemedicine is an important tool for providing care to patients in rural areas, with disabilities, and other limitations that keep them from having access to in person health services. Remote patient monitoring is an essential tool to providing effective telemedicine.

Embracing healthcare technology 

Medicine is a dynamic and ever evolving field. The role of technology in modern medicine has allowed for breakthroughs in the quality of care healthcare workers are able to provide. Take a look at 5 Ways Technology in Healthcare Is Transforming the Way We Approach Medical Treatment

1National Aeronautics and Space Administration, A Brief History of NASA’s Contributions to Telemedicine [accessed June, 2020] https://www.nasa.gov/content/a-brief-history-of-nasa-s-contributions-to-telemedicine
2American Telemedicine Association, Remote Patient Monitoring: A Systematic Review, [accessed June, 2020] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31314689/

About the author

Anjali Stenquist

Anjali Stenquist is a content writer for Collegis Education who writes student focused articles on behalf of Rasmussen University. She is passionate about helping students of all backgrounds navigate higher education.

Rasmussen blog author

Related Content

Related Content

This piece of ad content was created by Rasmussen University to support its educational programs. Rasmussen University may not prepare students for all positions featured within this content. Please visit www.rasmussen.edu/degrees for a list of programs offered. External links provided on rasmussen.edu are for reference only. Rasmussen University does not guarantee, approve, control, or specifically endorse the information or products available on websites linked to, and is not endorsed by website owners, authors and/or organizations referenced. Rasmussen University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

logo-accreditation-acen logo-accreditation-ccne chart-credential-laddering-associates-bachelors-masters 0 Credits 90 Credits 180 Credits 48 Credits Start Here HIGH SCHOOL GRADS Start Here TRANSFER STUDENTS Start Here SECOND DEGREE PURSUERS End Here ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE Start Here MASTER'S DEGREE PURSUERS End Here BACHELOR'S DEGREE End Here MASTER'S DEGREE chart-credential-laddering-associates-bachelors 0 Credits Start Here HIGH SCHOOL GRADS Start Here TRANSFER STUDENTS 90 Credits Start Here SECOND DEGREE PURSUERS End Here ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE 180 Credits End Here BACHELOR'S DEGREE chart-credential-laddering-msn chart-credential-laddering-nursing-programs chart-credential-laddering-post-grad-np chart-credential-laddering-nursing DNP MSN RN to BSN LPN to RN Bridge Accelerated BSN Professional Nursing ADN Practical Nursing Diploma Pre-Licensure Post-Licensure icon-colored-outline-bank icon-colored-outline-certificate icon-colored-outline-circle-dollar-sign icon-colored-outline-folder-search icon-colored-outline-hand-heart icon-colored-outline-head-blocks icon-colored-outline-head-cog icon-colored-outline-head-heart icon-colored-outline-health-plus-leaves icon-colored-outline-hospital icon-colored-outline-lifelong-learning icon-colored-outline-light-bulb-analytics icon-colored-outline-location-pin icon-colored-outline-magnifying-glass icon-colored-outline-monitor-healthcare icon-colored-outline-monitor-paper-search icon-colored-outline-nurse-rays icon-colored-outline-padlock-shield icon-colored-outline-person-presenter-screen icon-colored-outline-scales ras-logo-flame ras-logo-horizontal ras-logo-stacked icon-colored-advance icon-colored-arrows-cross-curve icon-colored-briefcase-star icon-colored-build icon-colored-bulb-analytics icon-colored-certificate icon-colored-continual-development icon-colored-duo-chatbox icon-colored-folder-mortarboard icon-colored-forward-ribbon icon-colored-gears-clock icon-colored-globe-pen icon-colored-growth icon-colored-hand-bubble icon-colored-hand-stars icon-colored-hands-gear icon-colored-head-blocks icon-colored-head-cog icon-colored-health-plus-leaves icon-colored-hospital-building icon-colored-laptop-cbe-skyscraper icon-colored-laptop-checkmark icon-colored-laptop-webpage icon-colored-location-map icon-colored-location-pin icon-colored-monitor-paper-scan icon-colored-mortarboard-dollar icon-colored-national icon-colored-people-chat-bubbles icon-colored-person-cheer-star icon-colored-person-laptop-checkboxes icon-colored-person-screen-instructor icon-colored-person-whiteboard icon-colored-phone-chatbox icon-colored-police-light icon-colored-prep icon-colored-presenter icon-colored-regional icon-colored-save-time icon-colored-shirt-hat icon-colored-skyscraper icon-colored-state icon-colored-student-centered icon-colored-support icon-colored-world-experience icon-triangle-arrow-up-plant icon-triangle-calendar-pencil icon-triangle-clock-rotating-arrows icon-triangle-display-gears icon-triangle-hand-right-speech-bubble icon-triangle-laptop-coding-brackets icon-triangle-mortarboard icon-triangle-paper-ribbon icon-triangle-person-cheer-star icon-triangle-person-juggle icon-triangle-triple-people-chat-bubble icon-modality-campus icon-modality-field icon-modality-online icon-modality-residential icon-arrow icon-bank icon-camera icon-filter icon-general-chart icon-general-connect icon-general-degree icon-general-discuss icon-general-email icon-general-find icon-general-hat icon-general-heart icon-general-laptop-building icon-general-laptop icon-general-leader icon-general-map icon-general-money icon-general-paperwork icon-general-people icon-general-phone icon-general-speak-out icon-head-heart icon-info-circle icon-mail-forward icon-mglass icon-play-solid icon-quote-mark-left icon-quote-mark-right icon-scales icon-share-square-o icon-simple-chat icon-simple-desktop icon-simple-find icon-simple-hamburger icon-simple-phone icon-spinner icon-tag icon-testimonial-quotes icon-util-checkbox-white icon-util-checkbox icon-util-checked-white icon-util-checked icon-util-chevron-down icon-util-chevron-left icon-util-chevron-right icon-util-chevron-up icon-util-circle-arrow-down icon-util-circle-dot icon-util-language-switch icon-util-loading icon-util-open-window-link icon-util-pdf-link icon-util-refresh icon-util-x rebrand-arrows icon-social-facebook-colored icon-social-facebook-square-colored icon-social-facebook-square icon-social-facebook icon-social-google-plus-square icon-social-google-plus icon-social-instagram-colored icon-social-instagram icon-social-linkedin-square-colored icon-social-linkedin-square icon-social-linkedin icon-social-pinterest-p-colored icon-social-pinterest-p icon-social-twitter-colored icon-social-twitter-square icon-social-twitter icon-social-youtube-play-colored icon-social-youtube-play graduate-cap-star-coin hand-coin hand-heart nurse-stethoscope-rays card-send-smile person-yoga-pose suitcase-star