Let’s have a look at some of the biggest hindrances to entry for RPM technology that are yet to be overcome
FREMONT, CA: Remote patient monitoring (RPM) comes with the capacity to transform the facets of patient care substantially. If implemented across the industry evenly, it can revolutionize the patient experience and allow healthcare services to manage their resources much effectively than they can now by alleviating the stress of the healthcare systems from across the world. However, the adoption of RPM brings its own challenges.
Let’s have a look at some of the biggest hindrances to entry for RPM technology that are yet to be overcome.
Data Security
In order to ensure that the data transmitted over any RPM platform is secure enough to meet the desired standards, it will need robust data management practices, clear boundaries of ownership, and ironclad security protocols.
Third-party service providers can handle large chunks of data and its management, but risking the patients’ data to theft is high. The challenges are equally grave for hospitals, who may forced to rely on a third-party system that could be hacked, putting their patients’ safety and privacy at risk.
Data Accuracy
Arguably the most complex challenge in the adoption of RPM is concerns data accuracy. Much of this comes down to perceptions amongst patients and medical staff. Frontline medical professionals are expected to diagnose and treat patients depending on the strength of the data that is provided to them. They also need to trust that it is as accurate and credible as possible and immediately take swift and decisive action, especially while providing treatment for chronic and potentially fatal conditions.
Real-time Access to Data
The information transfer required for the RPM to work to its full potential is a long and complicated process that consists of multiple transfers. Primarily, data must be aggregated and uploaded from the patient’s device. Suppose the device is working on a mobile network. In that case, the data must travel through the respective network provider’s infrastructure and then on to the internet before ending up in the service providers’ network, mostly via multiple data centers and the RPM network. This can confuse operators.
Systems Integration
If systems integration were an easy job to execute, all the hospitals worldwide would be using a single network. Unfortunately, it is a far-fetched idea as there are many issues around data sharing and security. By introducing an RPM platform into this mixture of the network, careful measures need to be taken to avoid patient records corruption and ensure that any future migration of the data will not affect the RPM platform itself.
Cost of Devices
The cost of devices is a significant challenge to tackle in RPM. Efforts need to be made to reduce the risk around security and making integration simpler. Hospitals also can choose the provision of RPM devices instead of collecting data via an app or third-party device.
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