Remote Physiologic Monitoring

Remote physiologic monitoring (RPM) allows for the collection and transmission of clinical information from a patient to a clinician for evaluation (and potentially intervention) in a synchronous or asynchronous manner. The initiation and judicious utilization of RPM is fundamental to distance-based medical care and provides opportunities to improve clinical outcomes and decrease utilization of resources. COVID-19’s stress on medical systems has encouraged innovations, including those that incorporate RPM. Emergency Department (ED) RPM programs have shown that COVID-19 patients at risk for clinical decompensation can successfully be monitored and treated at home. RPM can capitalize on emergency medicine’s (EM’s) role as the interface between in-patient and out-patient care to implement increasingly complex medical services to patients in nontraditional health care settings. Despite their promise, the development and implementation of RPM programs is a challenging task that requires investment in human and other resources. The role of RPM in expanding EM and ED-based clinical care to improve patient outcomes and decrease costs will require continued investigations and innovations.

A Pilot Study of a Sensor Enhanced Activity Management System for Promoting Home Rehabilitation Exercise Performed during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Therapist Experience, Reimbursement, and Recommendations for Implementation

Adherence to home exercise programs (HEPs) during physical rehabilitation is usually unmonitored and is thought to be low from self-reports. This article describes exploratory implementation of a Sensor Enhanced Activity Management (SEAM) system that combines HEP management software with a movement sensor for monitoring and motivating HEP adherence. The article also presents results from attempting to gain reimbursement for home use of the system with therapist oversight using Remote Physiologic Monitoring (RPM) codes. Four therapists used the system in their regular practice during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therapists filled out surveys, kept notes, and participated in interviews. Billing and reimbursement data were obtained from the treatment facility. Exercise data from the SEAM system were used to understand HEP adherence. Patients were active for a mean of 40% (26% SD) of prescribed days and completed a mean of 25% (25% SD) of prescribed exercises. The therapists billed 23 RPM codes (USD 2353), and payers reimbursed eight of those instances (USD 649.21). The therapists reported that remote monitoring and the use of a physical movement sensor was motivating to their patients and increased adherence. Sustained technical support for therapists will likely improve implementation of new remote monitoring and treatment systems. RPM codes may enable reimbursement for review and program management activities, but, despite COVID-19 CMS waivers, organizations may have more success if these services are billed under supervision of a physician.

Continuous Ketone Monitoring: A New Paradigm for Physiologic Monitoring

In this issue of JDST, Alva and colleagues present for the first time, development of a continuous ketone monitor (CKM) tested both in vitro and in humans. Their sensor measured betahydroxybutyrate (BHB) in interstitial fluid (ISF). The sensor was based on wired enzyme electrochemistry technology using BHB dehydrogenase. The sensor required only a single retrospective calibration without a need for further adjustments over 14 days. The device produced a linear response over the 0-8 mM range with good accuracy. This novel CKM could provide a new dimension of useful automatically collected information for managing diabetes. Passively collected ISF ketone information would be useful for predicting and managing ketoacidosis in patients with type 1 diabetes, as well as other states of abnormal ketonemia. Although additional studies of this CKM will be required to assess performance in intended patient populations and prospective factory calibration will be required to support real time measurements, this novel monitor has the potential to greatly improve outcomes for people with diabetes. In the future, a CKM might be integrated with a continuous glucose monitor in the same sensor platform.

Wireless versus routine physiologic monitoring after cesarean delivery to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality in a resource-limited setting: protocol of type 2 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study

Background Women in sub-Saharan Africa have the highest rates of morbidity and mortality during childbirth globally. Despite increases in facility-based childbirth, gaps in quality of care at facilities have limited reductions in maternal deaths. Infrequent physiologic monitoring of women around childbirth is a major gap in care that leads to delays in life-saving interventions for women experiencing complications. Methods We will conduct a type-2 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study over 12 months to evaluate using a wireless physiologic monitoring system to detect and alert clinicians of abnormal vital signs in women for 24 h after undergoing emergency cesarean delivery at a tertiary care facility in Uganda. We will provide physiologic data (heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature and blood pressure) to clinicians via a smartphone-based application with alert notifications if monitored women develop predefined abnormalities in monitored physiologic signs. We will alternate two-week intervention and control time periods where women and clinicians use the wireless monitoring system during intervention periods and current standard of care (i.e., manual vital sign measurement when clinically indicated) during control periods. Our primary outcome for effectiveness is a composite of severe maternal outcomes per World Health Organization criteria (e.g. death, cardiac arrest, jaundice, shock, prolonged unconsciousness, paralysis, hysterectomy). Secondary outcomes include maternal mortality rate, and case fatality rates for postpartum hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, and sepsis. We will use the RE-AIM implementation framework to measure implementation metrics of the wireless physiologic system including Reach (proportion of eligible women monitored, length of time women monitored), Efficacy (proportion of women with monitoring according to Uganda Ministry of Health guidelines, number of appropriate alerts sent), Adoption (proportion of clinicians utilizing physiologic data per shift, clinical actions in response to alerts), Implementation (fidelity to monitoring protocol), Maintenance (sustainability of implementation over time). We will also perform in-depth qualitative interviews with up to 30 women and 30 clinicians participating in the study. Discussion This is the first hybrid-effectiveness study of wireless physiologic monitoring in an obstetric population. This study offers insights into use of wireless monitoring systems in low resource-settings, as well as normal and abnormal physiologic parameters among women delivering by cesarean. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04060667. Registered on 08/01/2019.

Real-world continuous physiologic monitoring in paediatric cardiomyopathy patients: a safety and feasibility study

Chronic disease management may be improved with the integration of mobile technologies capable of real-world physiologic monitoring. We performed a prospective, single-centre, pilot study to assess the feasibility of a consumer-based activity monitor use in outpatient management of adolescent cardiomyopathy patients. During the 3-month study period, the activity monitor was worn consistently and provided detailed physiologic and activity data with no adverse events related to the device use. Survey data revealed that the majority of subjects approve of these technologies becoming integrated into routine clinical care. Ongoing study is in need to define optimal disease management for this complex patient population in the age of consumer-driven healthcare.