Patients are seeing lower hospitalization rates with shorter stays and less time in intensive care units — all thanks to remote patient monitoring (RPM). This is according to an RPM study that was recently published in the American Medical Association’s JAMA Network Open that looked at RPM for patients with COVID-19. The study’s findings suggest that RPM helps these patients to better manage their symptoms at home, and aids hospitals in managing their bed capacity. Findings conclude that with RPM the odds of hospitalizations are lower 2 to 14 days after testing positive for COVID-19.
The study, which was done at the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network, had more than 5,300 participants who used GetWell Loop to monitor their symptoms, including pulse oximetry readings and temperature readings. Available via web and mobile application, GetWell Loop monitors patients with automated virtual check-ins using software that identifies patients who may be in need of treatment in real time. The GetWell Loop app, which is integrated with the Apple Health app, offers self-care guidance, task reminders, and the ability to share your information with your doctor and other healthcare providers, keeping them “in the loop.”
During the study, the participants were in constant contact with a Get Well team that monitored check-ins and text comments 24 hours a day. When alerted to abnormal survey responses, team members would contact the patients to help manage the level of needed care or initiate medical evaluations. Independently, nurses responded to alerts that were prompted by patient comments, to offer insight and assistance. The study found that this assistance helped with in-home care, stress management, and served to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Vicki Wickline, Get Well’s Senior Vice President, Partnership Success, says of the study, “Our team designed the COVID Loops to enable patients to effectively monitor symptoms at home — keeping patients who did not require hospitalization away from the hospital at a time when emergency departments were being overrun…. Within just 10 months, we accomplished this goal and have demonstrated that personalized digital care management can effectively be used for future pandemic or public health events.”
While the study focused on COVID-19, RPM solutions such as those offered by GetWell can easily apply to other diseases and chronic conditions that put undue stress on hospital systems and come with high financial costs for patients and payers. GetWell alone has more than 250 digital care management plans in its library, and they’re just one of a host of emerging RPM platforms — including HealthSnap, Vivify Health, CareSignal, and others — that are changing the face of traditional healthcare.
