Summary
The selected technology topic for this annotated bibliography is remote patient monitoring (RPM). Remote patient monitoring involves using technology to remotely track and monitor a patient’s health status and provide timely intervention when necessary. RPM is widely used because it has proven its ability to offer patient satisfaction, enhance patient safety and care, and minimize healthcare costs. The annotation is an analysis of the use of RPM as studied and researched by various experts and technology-based recommendations.
I selected this topic because of its wide research, which proves that RPM significantly enhances patient care, safety, and health outcomes. The technology is efficient in healthcare delivery by allowing caregivers to attend to their patients from anywhere. RPM bridges the gap of receiving care and visiting the hospital by enabling remote tracking and reporting. As a nurse, I am interested in understanding how RPM can be utilized to improve the quality and safety of patient care.
My research process included searching through several online databases, including Google Scholar, Science Direct, and JMIR Aging. I used the search terms “remote patient monitoring” and “nursing” to locate resources related to using RPM in nursing. I then narrowed the search results by limiting the results to those published in the last five years. I also utilized the keywords “quality” and “safety” to further narrow the search results and identify resources that examine the impact of RPM on quality and safety.
Annotated Bibliography
Annis, T., Pleasants, S., Hultman, G., Lindemann, E., Thompson, J. A., Billecke, S., & Melton, G. B. (2020). Rapid implementation of a COVID-19 remote patient monitoring program. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 27(8), 1326-1330. Web.
The study focuses on evaluating early lessons from using RPM program and educational tools to manage symptoms for COVID-19 patients. Using an RPM called GetWell Loop, an RPM program engaged patients for opportunities to learn its effectiveness. Virtual healthcare providers, including doctors and medical students, would resolve patients’ alerts. Out of the 300 patients in the program, 74% recorded a high level of program satisfaction. The results indicate that patients reported feeling safe during uncertain times of uncertainty. The patients also saved on healthcare costs during hospital visits and improved health outcomes. The technology made it easy for healthcare providers to detect changes in patient’s symptoms and respond quickly. Through GetWell Loop, RPM made the work, nurses, and other interdisciplinary team members by reducing the workload related to physically attending to the patient in real-time. This publication is vital for healthcare practitioners to read because it informs on a method of RPM and the associated benefits for patients and caregivers.
Gordon, W. J., Henderson, D., DeSharone, A., Fisher, H. N., Judge, J., Levine, D. M., & Boxer, R. (2020). Remote patient monitoring program for hospital-discharged COVID-19 patients. Applied Clinical Informatics, 11(05), 792-801. Web.
The focus of the study is the effectiveness of an RPM program on hospital-discharged COVID-19 patients. The participating patients had an app, thermometer, and pulse oximeter for self-use. Having recorded their symptoms at the beginning of the program, the patients would measure their temperatures and oxygen saturation daily and record them in the app for remote monitoring. The technology significantly improved patient safety because the app would sense and automatically send signals when symptoms worsened. The patients received improved health outcomes after a prompt response from the caregivers. Combining the three technologies to monitor patients’ symptoms remotely eliminated the need for daily hospital check-ups, which would increase the nurses’ and interdisciplinary teams’ risk of contracting COVID-19. This publication gives healthcare practitioners insights into the importance of using RPM programs to improve patients’ and personal safety while improving the quality of care delivered.
Sapci, A. H., & Sapci, H. A. (2019). Innovative assisted living tools, remote monitoring technologies, artificial intelligence-driven solutions, and robotic systems for aging societies: Systematic review. JMIR Aging, 2(2), 15429. Web.
The focus of this article review is to identify the advances in technologies used to improve the lives of the aging society. Some of the advances include those of RPM, including home service robots, mobile devices, body sensor networks, removal caregivers and cloud servers. Nurses use these advanced technologies to monitor and ensure patients’ safety, especially those with chronic diseases. The technologies impact patient safety by reducing readmissions and preventing medical emergencies. Through continuous monitoring of patients’ daily activities, virtual caregivers ensure that patients receive timely interventions for a health crisis. The patients reduced the cost associated with assisted traveling to the healthcare centers. The technology is relevant to nursing practice and the work of the interdisciplinary team by making it easy to provide quality care to the elderly even when out of the hospital.
Shaik, T., Tao, X., Higgins, N., Li, L., Gururajan, R., Zhou, X., & Acharya, U. R. (2023). Remote patient monitoring using artificial intelligence: Current state, applications, and challenges. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery, 1485. Web.
This article’s focus is to review RPM systems, including the impact of Artificial intelligence (AI)on RPM, trends, and challenges of using it. AI-enabled monitoring of patients’ physical health and changes in vital body signs. By anticipating patient health decline, customizing monitoring parameters for each patient, and learning human behavior patterns, AI has a positive effect on RPM. The use of edge, blockchain, fog, and cloud technologies, as well as wearable sensors from the Internet of Things, is part of the AI trend. The one significant challenge of the systems is feature extraction. The patient can benefit from the timely detection of poor health, thus receiving timely and high-quality interventions. This technology is relevant to the nursing practice and interdisciplinary teams by informing on the importance and effectiveness of RPM using AI. Healthcare practitioners need to read this publication to learn how they can benefit from using AI in RPM to improve the quality of care.
Taiwo, O., & Ezugwu, A. E. (2020). Smart healthcare support for remote patient monitoring during Covid-19 quarantine. Informatics in Medicine Unlocked, 20, 100428. Web.
The review focuses on using the smart home healthcare support system (ShHeS) for home patients with COVID-19 during quarantine. The technology helps monitor patient health, and the doctor can use the symptoms to diagnose. ShHeS uses an Android-based app, a web app for doctors’ implementations, and sensors that automate the changes in patient bodies. The technology is applauded for accurately reading physiological parameters. The technology provides patient safety by sensing changes in the body and notifying the doctor of interventions. The timely detection and reporting of body changes increase the quality of care. Through ShHeS, RPM is relevant to the nursing practice and interdisciplinary teamwork because it makes it possible to monitor and diagnose a patient from a distance. Healthcare practitioners need to read this publication to learn that RPM technologies such as ShHeS can be reliable for diagnosis and accurate readings.
Summary of Recommendation
The evidence-based resources reviewed in this annotated bibliography indicate that remote patient monitoring (RPM) can improve patient safety and quality of care, reduce healthcare costs, and improve patient outcomes. RPM can allow for more timely and accurate interventions in patient care, reducing the risk of medical errors and improving patient outcomes. RPM can also reduce the long hospital waits, thus improving patient satisfaction. One factor that influences the selection of technology in a healthcare setting is organizational policies. Some company policies may be formulated to dictate or prohibit the types of technologies used in the organization (Sapci & Sapci, 2019). The available resources of a firm could also determine whether or not a company can use or even afford a technology (Sapci & Sapci, 2019). Another influencing factor is social norms or organizational culture. The culture or habits of the firm may formulate the decision of which technologies can be used and not used in the firm (Sapci & Sapci, 2019). The state of other factors, including employee empowerment, commitment, and training programs, could also dictate the choice of organizational technologies acquired.
Implementation and use of technology in a healthcare setting are primary factors in improving patient outcomes, quality of care delivered, and the welfare of caregivers. According to Taiwo and Ezugwu (2020), using RPM through body sensors, self-examining, and reporting helped doctors and nurses control COVID-19 symptoms during the quarantine. The patient’s satisfaction from timely detection of deteriorating health and intervention. Annis et al. (2020) prove that RPM enables healthcare organizations to implement a patient-centric care delivery system. A patient-centered care delivery system helps to meet the patient’s needs, thus improving the quality of care (Sapci & Sapci, 2019). Through virtually attending to the patients, healthcare practitioners’ schedules are flexible. The practitioners are also safe from possible contact diseases they would get from patients. Furthermore, RPM reduces the need for interdisciplinary teams to work together by personalizing patient services.
The impact of technology on the healthcare organization includes improved healthcare delivery processes, lowered medical costs, increased efficiency, and generally reduced medical errors. Furthermore, a healthcare organization can improve reimbursement for outpatient treatment through technology. The patients attain satisfaction through reduced waiting time for the doctor, faster interventions, personalization of care, reduced cost of treatment, and improved health outcomes. Technology impacts interdisciplinary team productivity by increasing care delivery efficiency and remote monitoring. Remote monitoring ensures the preservation of the health of the interdisciplinary team. Through operation efficiency, the team attains work satisfaction, hence increasing retention.
