Common Remote Patient Monitoring Devices

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is a highly sought-after branch of medicine that is gaining even more momentum in today’s post-Covid world. Several readily available remote patient monitoring devices make this endeavor convenient and efficient by allowing healthcare providers to monitor, evaluate, report, and analyze a patient’s acute or chronic conditions from remote locations or outside clinical settings. 

These devices record and measure different healthcare statistics of a patient, allowing healthcare providers to understand their disease in real-time and make proactive and prompt decisions that may even prove life-saving in some cases.

RPM devices also enable healthcare professionals to engage with patients on a personal level and access the effect of medicines or treatment processes while in their natural setting. Patients themselves can also play a more significant role in their health and understand it better by actively engaging with RPM devices. Such patients are more likely to observe constructive and long-lasting effects on their health and recovery.

Related: How Can Remote Patient Monitoring Increase Your Revenue?

This article delves into some of the most common remote patient monitoring devices and their use in telemedicine. Let’s get right into it.

RPM Blood pressure cuff

As the name entails, blood pressure cuffs measure a patient’s blood flow and heart rate by measuring artery motion changes. An RPM blood pressure cuff proves highly effective in managing several conditions such as diabetes, CHF, hypertension, and kidney dysfunction. In addition, any other conditions that exhibit hypertension symptoms can also benefit from this device.

This blood pressure cuff is similar to the standard Bluetooth cuffs we have all come into contact with once or twice in our lives. The only key difference is the cuff’s ability to store and send data in real-time to medical professionals for review. The cuff monitors blood pressure on a day-to-day basis and offers valuable insight into the everyday status of blood flow instead of relying on the occasional BP check-up in a doctor’s office. 

It also helps in avoiding white coat hypertension (where a patient’s blood pressure reading is higher in a medical professional’s office than at home) and masked hypertension (where a patient’s blood pressure is higher at home but regular in a doctor’s office).
Related: What Role Does RPM Play In Telemedicine Care?

Glucometer

A glucometer is a device that measures a patient’s blood glucose level by using a small drop of blood deposited on a test strip connected to its body. Once a patient deposits a tiny droplet of blood onto the test strip, the device measures the blood glucose level, shows the reading on its meter, and sends the recorded statistics to a healthcare provider in real-time for review.

This device is especially effective for patients with types 1 and 2 diabetes, who can measure (and consequently manage) their glucose levels several times a day. It also allows a healthcare professional and patient to root out the different factors that may be causing this condition and understand influencing factors that aggravate or remedy it. Such factors may include diet, exercise, stress, different kinds of medication, or illness.

ECG + Stethoscope

An ECG is a device used to measure heart function, whereas a stethoscope measures the sounds made by the lungs and the heart. Patients with cardiovascular conditions such as coronary artery disease or arrhythmias typically make use of an ECG device. On the other hand, a stethoscope amplifies the sounds of the body, making the detection of lung, heart, and bowel sounds easier for healthcare providers.

Related: Remote Patient Monitoring: What You Need to Know

Most healthcare professionals use the first of its kind ECG and stethoscope device to virtually capture and monitor heart and lung sounds. However, patients at home can self-monitor their heart and lung sounds through the RPM ECG plus stethoscope and send the statistics to a professional to monitor virtually. This device can function both in real-time and virtual visits or store the information for a clinical review later.

Pulse Oximeter

A pulse oximeter is an RPM device that functions as a non-invasive clip attached to a patient’s finger (or sometimes, earlobe) to measure the blood oxygen level through light wavelengths. The pulse oximeter also records their pulse, apart from measuring the amount of oxygen circulating in a patient’s blood. Patients with chronic diseases, such as chronic lung and heart conditions (like CHF or COPD), Covid monitoring and screening, or chronic asthma or pneumonia, greatly benefit from this device. They also help assess any changes in a patient’s lung function.

Related: How Is Telemedicine Going To Change In 2022?

American board-certified professionals at SmartClinix offer the highest quality of virtual care at the lowest cost possible. You can also kick start your very own online healthcare program, including an online hypertension program, primary healthcare program, cardiology program, and many more with SmartClinix’s seamless remote patient monitoring services. Head over to SmartClinix right now to get to know more!