The role of app-based remote patient monitoring in reducing primary care clinician workload during the COVID pandemic: A prospective observational real world feasibility study.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin Shailendra Shah ◽  
Afsana Safa ◽  
Kuldhir Johal ◽  
Dillon Obika ◽  
Sophie Valenine
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Patient Monitoring ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Routine Care ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Remote Patient Monitoring ◽  
Full Time Equivalent ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Medium Risk ◽  
Remote Patient

Abstract Background COVID-19 has placed unprecedented strain on healthcare providers, in particular, primary care services. GP practices have to effectively manage patients remotely preserving social distancing. We aim to assess an app-based remote patient monitoring solution in reducing the workload of a clinician. Primary care COVID patients in West London deemed medium risk where recruited into the virtual ward. Patients were monitored for 14 days by telephone or by both the Huma app and telephone. Information on number of phone calls, duration of phone calls and duration of time spent reviewing the app data recorded.Results The amount of time spent reviewing one patient on the telephone only arm of the study was 490 minutes, compared with 280 minutes spent reviewing one patient who was monitored via both the Huma app and telephone. Based on employed clinicians monitoring patients, this equates to a 0.04 reduction of full-time equivalent staffing I.e. for every 100 patients, it would require 4 less personal to remotely monitor them. There was no difference in mortality or adverse events between the two groups.Conclusion App-based remote patient monitoring clearly holds large economic benefit to COVID-19 patients. In wake of further waves or future pandemics, and even in routine care, app-based remote monitoring patients could free up vital resources in terms of clinical team’s time, allowing a better reallocation of services.

scholarly journals A prospective observational real world feasibility study assessing the role of app-based remote patient monitoring in reducing primary care clinician workload during the COVID pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin Shailendra Shah ◽  
Afsana Safa ◽  
Kuldhir Johal ◽  
Dillon Obika ◽  
Sophie Valentine
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Patient Monitoring ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Routine Care ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Remote Patient Monitoring ◽  
Full Time Equivalent ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Remote Patient

Abstract Background The novel coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) has placed unprecedented strain on healthcare providers, in particular, primary care services. General practitioners (GP) have to effectively manage patients remotely preserving social distancing. We aim to assess an app-based remote patient monitoring solution in reducing the workload of a clinician and reflect this as time-saved in an economic context. Primary care COVID patients in West London deemed medium risk were recruited into the virtual ward. Patients were monitored for 14 days by telephone or by both the Huma app and telephone. Information on number of phone calls, duration of phone calls and duration of time spent reviewing the app data was recorded. Results The amount of time spent reviewing one patient in the telephone only arm of the study was 490 min, compared with 280 min spent reviewing one patient who was monitored via both the Huma app and telephone. Based on employed clinicians monitoring patients, this equates to a 0.04 reduction of full-time equivalent staffing I.e. for every 100 patients, it would require 4 less personnel to remotely monitor them. There was no difference in mortality or adverse events between the two groups. Conclusion App-based remote patient monitoring potentially holds large economic benefit to COVID-19 patients. In wake of further waves or future pandemics, and even in routine care, app-based remote monitoring patients could free up vital resources in terms of clinical team’s time, allowing a better reallocation of services.

scholarly journals Mobile app-based Remote Patient Monitoring in Acute Medical Conditions: A Prospective Feasibility Study Exploring Digital Health Solutions on Clinical Workload during the COVID Crisis. (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin Shailendra Shah ◽  
Andrew Gvozdanovic ◽  
Matthew Knight ◽  
Julien Gagnon
Keyword(s):  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Patient Monitoring ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Remote Patient Monitoring ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Clinical Scenarios ◽  
Remote Patient ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Clinical Workload

BACKGROUND Digital remote patient monitoring (RPM) can add value to virtual wards; this has become more apparent in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare providers are overwhelmed resulting in clinical teams spread more thinly. We aim to assess the impact of the introduction of an app-based RPM (Huma Therapeutics) on a clinician's workload in the context of a COVID-19 specific virtual ward. OBJECTIVE This prospective feasibility study aims to evaluate the health economic effect (in terms of clinical workload) a mobile app has on a telephone based virtual ward in the monitoring of COVID-19 patients clinically ready for discharge from hospital. METHODS A prospective feasibility study was carried out over one month where clinician workload was monitored, and full time equivalents (FTE) savings equated. An NHS hospital repurposed a telephone-based respiratory virtual ward for COVID-19. Amber status (NHS definition) COVID-19 patients were monitored for 14 days post-discharge to help identify deteriorating patients earlier. A smartphone-based app was introduced to monitor data points submitted by the patients with telephone calls used for communication. A comparison of clinical workload between those monitored by telephone only (Cohort 1) with those monitored via mobile app and telephone (Cohort 2) was undertaken. RESULTS 56 patients were enrolled in the app-based virtual ward (Cohort 2). Digital RPM reduced the number of phone calls from a mean total of 9 to 4 over monitoring period. There was no change in the mean duration of phone calls (8.5minutes), and no reports of readmissions or mortality. This equates to a mean saving of 47.60 working hours. This translates to 3.30 fewer FTEs (raw phone call data), resulting in 1.1 fewer FTEs required to monitor 100 patients when adjusted for time spent reviewing app data. Individual clinicians were averaging 10.9 minutes per day. CONCLUSIONS Smartphone-based RPM technologies may offer tangible reductions in clinician workload at a time of severe service strain. In this small pilot, we demonstrate the economic and operational impact digital RPM technology can have in improving working efficiency and reducing operational costs. Whilst this particular RPM solution was deployed for the COVID-19 pandemic, it may set a precedent for wider utilisation of digital RPM solutions in other clinical scenarios where increased care delivery efficiency is sought. CLINICALTRIAL

Can Remote Patient Monitoring Be the New Standard in Primary Care of Chronic Diseases, Post-COVID-19?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Elizabeth Muller ◽  
Rigmor C. Berg ◽  
Patricia Sofia Jacobsen Jardim ◽  
Trine Bjerke Johansen ◽  
Sari Susanna Ormstad
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Patient Monitoring ◽  
Remote Patient Monitoring ◽  
Remote Patient

scholarly journals Results from Telehealth

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Home Health Care ◽  
Clinical Setting ◽  
Patient Monitoring ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
Remote Patient Monitoring ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Remote Patient

Telemedicine and telehealth have a wide range of definitions and understanding. Telehealth has been described as taking many forms and having many terms to describe its activities such as; home health care, telecare, tele-dermatology, tele-psychiatry, tele-radiology, telemonitoring, and remote patient monitoring. In general, the purpose of telehealth is to acquire information on a patient in one location, make that information available in a separate location, usually for the convenience of the clinician, and then use that information to provide management to a patient, who may be in a further location, through the mediation of a remote clinician, or directly to the patient. Typically this has taken the form of the patient being in their own home or at a clinical establishment remote from the hospital such as the district hospital, remote clinic, and primary care, with clinical information being collected and transferred using technology between locations. This chapter focuses on results from telehealth in the form of remote patient monitoring (RPM), in which data is collected from the patient whilst they are in their own home, or other non-clinical setting such as residential care.

scholarly journals The effect of remote patient monitoring on the primary care clinic visit frequency among adults with type 2 diabetes

2020 ◽  
Vol 143 ◽  
pp. 104267
Author(s):  
Morgan Hampton Randall ◽  
Zachary Merle Haulsee ◽  
Jingwen Zhang ◽  
Justin Marsden ◽  
William Patrick Moran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Patient Monitoring ◽  
Primary Care Clinic ◽  
Clinic Visit ◽  
Remote Patient Monitoring ◽  
Care Clinic ◽  
Visit Frequency ◽  
Remote Patient

scholarly journals A Primary Care Answer to a Pandemic: Keeping a Population of Patients Safe at Home through Chronic Care Management and Remote Patient Monitoring

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 595-601
Author(s):  
David Donohue
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Care Management ◽  
Chronic Care ◽  
Patient Monitoring ◽  
Remote Patient Monitoring ◽  
Chronic Care Management ◽  
Care Managers ◽  
Remote Patient ◽  
Mental And Physical Health ◽  
At Home

The pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) challenged primary care providers (PCPs) to continue to deliver care for their patients, while also remaining financially stable. Most practices have experienced declining revenue due to fewer in-person patient visits. To help offset this and to continue to provide safe patient care, practices have shifted toward using remote options. Chronic Care Management (CCM) and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) are benefits available to Medicare fee-for-service patients, which allow a medical practice to deliver expanded care and generate much-needed revenue. These services can be delivered by clinical staff called care managers. A top health priority for most seniors is to effectively self-isolate to reduce risk of COVID-19, while maintaining mental and physical health. We developed a Safe at Home program, designed to be run by care managers through CCM and RPM, with the use of a remote monitoring technology. Safe at Home tracks signs and symptoms of COVID-19, mental and physical health, and lifestyle behaviors that can affect immune function. We project that this service can complement regular telehealth PCP visits and deliver population health monitoring services, while generating substantial revenue for the practice.

scholarly journals CMS Signals Support for Remote Patient Monitoring with New Reimbursement Incentives

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie Nixon ◽  
Rebecca E. Gwilt
Keyword(s):  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Patient Monitoring ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Remote Patient Monitoring ◽  
Reimbursement Incentives ◽  
Remote Patient

Two final rules issued by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in November 2017 gave physicians and other healthcare providers ringing in the New Year another reason to celebrate. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has opened entirely new avenues for reimbursement of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) services in 2018, creating the potential for better patient outcomes and a boost to a healthcare providers’ bottom lines.

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