How Digital Tech is Transforming Remote Patient Monitoring

It’s hard to think of many aspects of our lives that haven’t been digitized over the past year or so. One area that certainly hasn't bucked this trend is the world of healthcare. Many of us, prevented from seeing our doctors as normal, have made use of digital technology during the pandemic to get medical attention and advice.

Digital tech has been driving transformations in patient care for many years now, but there’s no question that Covid-19 has catalyzed a huge increase in uptake. Some have termed it the "dawn of the telehealth era," with the global telehealth market projected to reach $191.7 billion by 2025. Much attention has been paid to the upsurge in phone and video calls that have replaced in-person consultations during the pandemic, and rightly so. Virtual consultation platforms have proven successful and extremely popular — even among older generations.  

But the pandemic has also brought another, distinct component of telehealth to the fore: remote patient monitoring (RPM). RPM involves providing patients with at-home measurement devices, wearable sensors, symptom trackers and/or patient portals. It enables clinicians to monitor their patients’ physical signs so that they can make well-informed assessments of their health and, when necessary, provide treatment recommendations, all without needing to see them in person. My own company, for instance, is driving innovation in the realm of digital cognitive assessments for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. In leading a cognitive assessment platform, I've seen that these seismic tech changes can lead healthcare toward more adaptive solutions and services for patients.