Remote patient monitoring during COVID-19: An unexpected patient safety benefit (25 February 2022)

Summary

Remote, at-home patient monitoring was widely used during the Covid-19 pandemic due to lack of hospital beds. This article in JAMA Network looks at the benefits of remote monitoring and how it can be used safely. Studies have shown that the use of remote telemonitoring reduced length of hospitalisation for Covid patients requiring oxygen, and the number of patient visits to emergency departments.

The authors look at how the combined use of telehealth, home health and remote monitoring could bring hospital-level–monitoring services to patients in their home, and what barriers need to be overcome to achieve this.