Treatment for patients with chronic conditions should be regularly sought after, however, in the time of a global pandemic, it is more beneficial for patients with chronic conditions to stay safely at home. Although this arrangement might not sound appealing to patients with serious health and medical conditions, such as those with congestive heart failure, significant advances in remote patient monitoring, also known as remote physiological monitoring (RPM), can provide them with devices tailored to fit their healthcare needs in the safety of their own homes.
Remote patient monitoring is a cost-effective way to provide continued treatment to patients with serious health conditions like congestive heart failure (CHF). Providing patients with remote monitoring devices for congestive heart failure allows doctors to adjust care plans from afar based on real-time data and to monitor patients’ statuses before a dangerous and potentially costly episode. Some of the benefits of RPM include:
- RPM improves patient outcomes. Due to its patient-centric health service delivery, RPM can improve patient functional status, safety, and satisfaction.
- RPM increases the reach and accessibility of healthcare. Integrated with this technology is a fast and efficient remote and wireless communication system, extending the reach of quality healthcare to rural areas.
- CHF puts a tremendous burden on the healthcare system. It requires complete, immediate, and extensive care and monitoring programs. Monitoring congestive heart failure patients remotely is a great solution to alleviate this burden.
Congestive Heart Failure Monitoring and Management
RPM is a modern telehealth initiative facilitating physiologic monitoring that provides timely data transfers from the patient to their care team and vice versa through the integration of wired or wireless peripheral measurement devices – an imperative solution in this day and age.
With RPM, doctors can access patients’ health records or data, allowing them to monitor abnormal readings from any location through email, text messages, mobile applications, web-based dashboards, or other communication platforms. Patients can also generate their health data and share it securely with the clinicians of their choosing. The use of remote monitoring for CHF patients can save time, travel, cost, and most importantly, lives.
With the advent of RPM, it is easier for doctors to monitor crucial aspects of CHF including weight, activity, and blood pressure. Congestive heart failure monitoring and care allow healthcare teams to identify and quickly react to even the smallest changes in the patient’s health status.
Congestive Heart Failure Monitoring Devices
Standard RPM devices consist of sensors that collect patient health data and vital signs. Remote monitoring of many implantable devices for CHF has been endorsed as an effective way to improve outcomes by an HRS/EHRA expert consensus.
The following are congestive heart failure monitoring devices integrated with RPM:
Blood Pressure Monitor
Studies show that there is a direct correlation between increased blood pressure and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Monitoring consistencies and changes in blood pressure can help doctors identify when an intervention may be necessary.
Pulse Oximeter
A pulse oximeter is a clip-like device called a “probe” that is typically placed on the finger. The probe measures how much oxygen is in the blood by using a combination of red and infrared light. Transmission of blood oxygen levels allows physicians to determine if patients are lacking oxygen and require intervention.
Weight Scale
Keeping track of changes in weight is a very important part of monitoring CHF patients because it could indicate fluid retention, which is an important clinical sign of CHF. By monitoring weight frequently and remotely, physicians can track significant changes indicative of fluid retention that would require intervention. Keeping body weight stable is an easy way to help prevent CHF aggravation and reduce the need for hospitalization.
Home Monitoring of Congestive Heart Failure Patients
As a chronic and life-threatening condition, heart failure is a costly burden on both the patient, their family, and the healthcare system. Heart failure contributes to high hospitalizations, readmissions, and outpatient visits, putting a strain on healthcare resources and expenditures. According to the American Heart Association, nearly 6 million adults in the United States suffer from congestive heart failure, a number expected to soar by 40 percent in the next decade.
Monitoring patients with congestive heart failure is expensive and requires an efficient, timely, and accurate system of care. Fortunately, chronic care remote physiologic monitoring can help to improve outcomes in CHF patients by facilitating real-time, continuous interactions between patients and care teams.
The American Heart Association provides evidence that RPM technologies can better cardiovascular disease outcomes, especially among patients with heart failure. RPM shows the potential to lower the risk of heart failure mortality and heart failure hospital admissions in cohort analyses.
Most importantly, continuous monitoring at home allows patients to receive quality care in the comfort of their own homes, providing some normalcy within their regular daily routines.
Chronic Care Remote Physiologic Monitoring Solutions for CHF
Trapollo’s Chronic Care & Disease Management solution is a practical, convenient way for patients and providers to coordinate and better manage chronic conditions like CHF.
Our remote monitoring solutions engage patients in their process of care. Trapollo enhances comprehensive care management programs by providing clinicians with the needed up-to-the-minute information to review trends, allowing them to identify aberrations.
Trapollo has been a leader in remote patient monitoring for more than ten years. Contact us today to learn more about how to bring more kindness and humanity to caring for patients suffering from congestive heart failure.
Meredith Strachan
Meredith leads strategy and execution of Trapollo's comprehensive marketing strategy including events, digital, content, campaigns and social media. She has a passion for bringing awareness to innovative, digital healthcare solutions through marketing programs enabling organizations to fully engage patients and improve patient experiences.