In a recent report, ‘Digital Transformation in the Healthcare Sector’, technology analyst firm Transforma Insights identified and highlighted eight key areas where disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and the Internet of Things were contributing to the digital transformation of the healthcare sector. One of those eight areas was Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM). In this article, we provide an overview of Remote Patient Monitoring, including how implementing RPM solutions can help the healthcare sector in achieving greater efficiency as well as becoming more sustainable.
What is Remote Patient Monitoring?
RPM solutions support the collection and sharing of patients’ vital health information with doctors and healthcare providers for continuous monitoring. Using them, patients can be accurately monitored without admitting them to hospitals or clinics. They are becoming increasingly critical in those countries which are dealing with a large number of patients with chronic diseases and/or with a shortage of medical personnel.
How do RPM solutions drive efficiency and cost savings?
RPM reduces visits to physicians, decreases hospital admission and readmission rates, and has the potential to save billions of dollars. For instance, according to a study by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre, using RPM devices can decrease patient visits to physicians by 47% and reduce hospital admissions of elderly patients by 40%. Besides, according to some estimates, the resulting reduced demand for hospital resources from RPM solutions can save around USD6 billion annually in the USA alone.
There are many examples of healthcare providers deploying RPM solutions. An NHS Trust Hospital in Kent used Current Health’s AI-based wearable device to monitor discharged patients and achieved a 22% decrease in subsequent home visits. Banner Health collaborated with Philips and carried out a telehealth pilot of remote home monitoring for patients with over five chronic conditions. The trial showed a 27% reduction in the cost of care, a 45% reduction in hospitalisations, and a 32% reduction in acute and long-term care costs. Trinity Health partnered with Vivify Home which provided a care kit comprising connected monitoring devices and a 4G cellular-connected tablet computer. Within 30 days, this decreased the hospital readmissions rate from 16% to 8% and enhanced patient experience.
RPM and sustainability impact
As well as the efficiency savings outline above, there are significant sustainability benefits. In an earlier report, ‘Sustainability Enabled by Digital Transformation’, Transforma Insights found that the average annual nights spent in hospital for all causes of hospitalisation is 7.5 days across EU countries and carbon emissions generated by inpatient stay in hospital per patient range between 450kg CO2e to 700kg CO2e contributed by electricity, water, waste, medical gases, consumables, equipment, and food.
Using remote patient monitoring to its full potential improves healthcare outcomes while paving the road for a sustainable future. In this section, let’s look at how these digital solutions can help us achieve sustainable objectives and conserve critical resources.
Electricity
Hospitals consume more electricity than a home or other commercial buildings, since they operate 24/7, use medical equipment which have high electricity consumption, have sophisticated HVAC systems, and employ thousands of people. For instance, in the US, the average electricity consumption of a hospital is 31 kWh, which is higher than other building types (except food service and food sales). Besides, they also have to carry out other energy-intensive activities, such as lab equipment use, refrigeration, sterilization, and food services.
Transforma Insights estimates that healthcare remote monitoring reduces the number of hospital admissions by 45-50%, reducing electricity consumption by 20-30%. Monitoring chronic patients at home also reduces the length of stay in hospitals by around 30%, and electricity usage by the same proportion. Besides, these solutions also reduce the incidences of emergency admissions, which are more resource intensive (including electricity and other resources).
Hydrocarbon fuels
Since RPM solutions enable chronic or high-risk patients to be remotely monitored, they decrease the miles travelled and the fuel used in transportation. This is even more beneficial in developing countries or in remote regions where patients have to travel farther to access healthcare services. These solutions also reduce urgent trips to hospitals, which tend to require larger numbers of staff (and therefore greater staff travel), further reducing fuel consumption.
As a case in point, the Vital Virtual Care program of Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health observed significant sustainability benefits during Covid (in terms of reduced travel time to and from hospitals). It recorded 1.5 million virtual visits between March 2020 to April 2021 across 1,143 locations in 21 states, equating to 37,440,731 miles not travelled and 1,678,956 gallons of fuel saved, for a monetary savings of USD3.509 million (secured by patients).
CO2
Healthcare contributes around 4.5% of the world’s carbon footprint, mostly contributed by building energy, travel (by patients, hospital staff, and visitors), medical equipment, and gases. Since RPM reduces travel and fuel consumption (to hospitals or clinics by patients), the amount of CO2 emission is also less. Besides, reducing travel implies less traffic congestion, which again results in lower emissions. To cite an instance, in the same aforementioned study, CommonSpirit Health also finds that the miles not travelled by patients during Covid reduced greenhouse gas emissions (including CO2) by over 15,000 metric tonnes.
Besides, in terms of CO2 emissions, the carbon footprint of an average general physician appointment is 6kg CO2e whereas each elective in-patient stay is estimated at 708kg CO2e (not including visitors and staff travel). Additionally, reducing hospital stay durations by 30% also reduces carbon footprint per patient stay by 135kg CO2e to 210kg CO2e.
Constant patient monitoring can easily identify the need for pre-emptive care and avoid more critical cases in future. ICUs generate more solid waste (7.1 kg per day) and carbon emissions (138 kg CO2e per bed day) than a general acute care unit, and since RPM can better assess the requirement of ICU stays, these solutions can reduce carbon emissions significantly.
Final thoughts: RPM will be a key part of sustainable healthcare
To conclude, Remote Patient Monitoring is a crucial technology-enabled solution, which is digitally transforming the healthcare sector. These solutions reduce visits to physicians, decrease admission and readmission rates in hospitals, and save significant amount while ensuring sustainable growth (by conserving critical resources such as electricity and hydrocarbon fuels and limiting emission of greenhouse gases). Therefore, embracing RPM solutions is a key step towards achieving a profitable and sustainable future in the healthcare sector.
Article by Matt Hatton, founding partner, Transforma Insights
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- Source: https://www.iot-now.com/2024/02/06/142298-remote-patient-monitoring-has-a-major-impact-in-driving-sustainability-in-healthcare/
