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Digital solutions have already transformed how health services are offered, accessed and used, and will continue to do so in the years to come. With the adoption of new technologies, new ways of working are emerging that seek to combine the best of digital approaches with the benefits of face-to-face contact. In this online event, the panel of experts will explore how wearables have created better health outcomes for people living with long-term conditions, such as diabetes. They will look to the future and discuss how we can make sure that digital approaches are prioritised in the long term to continue empowering patients and supporting clinicians to create patient-centred care, leading to improved health outcomes. They will also explore the lessons from diabetes and wearables that offer wider learning across the NHS on harnessing the benefits of technology for a digital future. Register

In this blog, patient Becky Tatum reflects on two articles in Forbes magazine describing how technology is enabling patient's with multiple chronic conditions who may have been discharged from hospital, to now be provided with aftercare in their own home. Becky looks at the pros and cons of receiving hospital treatment at home from a patient's perspective.   Hospital-level care at home, in the form of remote monitoring and daily visits from medical professionals, is being touted as the potential future of healthcare, saving money and freeing up hospital beds. But as well as the financial considerations, it is important to reflect upon how this approach would feel to you as a potential patient in receipt of this novel treatment approach. As a patient, the upsides to being treated in your home instead of in hospital are obvious. It saves time and money to not have to travel to the hospital regularly for treatment. You are in the familiar setting and comfort of your own home, which is likely to leave you happier and more relaxed. It’s comforting and gives you peace of mind knowing that family members are nearby. Moreover, you are not restricted to seeing loved ones at set visiting times, which (as we know too well) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic were (and still are) extremely limited, or in many cases not allowed at all. Also, it would be less noisy at home compared to being in hospital, with none of the unwelcome sounds from other patients, the nursing station, etc. Another upside is that you don’t have to go to an area where you would mix with others who may have communicable infections, which is always a real risk for immunocompromised patients. From the point of view of the care you receive, the attention of the medical staff is focused fully on you with no distractions, rather than having to see many patients in quick succession, so care is likely to be of higher quality and more personalised. But, the downsides to such a treatment approach are aplenty. Firstly, being treated in your home is an invasion of personal privacy and removes the boundaried distinction between home and hospital – some patients might want to keep the two domains very separate. Secondly feelings of uncertainty and unsafety may result from not being in a purpose-built medical environment with staff at your call 24/7, promoting worries such as, ‘will medical concerns be picked up soon enough?’ and ‘will staff turn up when they are supposed to?’, to name but two. There could potentially be a delay in medical intervention in the time it takes for staff to attend the home once an alarm has been raised, especially in rural areas or if weather conditions are bad; this could be dangerous if the patient goes into crisis and rather than call for an ambulance they wait for their community-based carer. There may also be the tendency for more mobile patients to over-do things and be too active in their home environment; simple things like letting the dog out or just making a cup of tea might be too much physical effort compared to the limited self-sustaining activity necessary for people in a hospital bed. There are practical and social considerations, too. If living independently or in a household where family members aren’t always available, the lack of regular physical support to wash, prepare food, etc, may be an issue – so for some people, medical care would need to be augmented with social care. Even the act of letting staff into the home may be problematic if you have reduced mobility and there is no-one else at home. And, with knowing that (essentially) strangers are continually entering your home, you may feel the need to keep your house tidy at all times, too, which adds extra pressure. It would also be very disruptive for other family members that are present to have staff constantly arrive and depart, invading their personal or work space as well as the patient’s. Then there is the impact on the environment from the various medical professionals driving around to patients’ homes multiple times each day, something the eco-conscious cannot overlook. Overall, there are pros and cons in being treated in your own home instead of in hospital. Receiving high-acuity care and monitoring in the home environment is promoted by hospitals and insurers as the potential way forward for hospital treatment. But whether this is the future of hospital care or not, crucially needs to take into account the views of the patient, which will always be unique. Forbes articles Moving More Medical And Long-Term Care To Seniors’ Homes Home Health Care Is A Bright Light During Covid-19 With An Even Brighter Future

Yasmine Mustafa, Co-Founder and CEO of ROAR, looks at how technology can improve healthcare for patients and staff safely, including the role of wearable technology in healthcare safety. Technology is in every facet of healthcare today. From operating rooms that monitor air temperature to a very specific degree, to remote patient monitoring at home, technology is making it possible to save lives. Implementing comprehensive safety protocols in healthcare settings Stepping back, consider the importance of putting safety protocols into healthcare settings. On a global scale, technology can provide more data, better information and faster response times. In many ways, then, it can save lives and help fill in gaps in problem areas like nursing shortages. Yet, for this to happen, organisations must put in place safety protocols. Safety systems in any type of healthcare setting must meet some specific goals: They must meet all regulatory requirements put in place by governing bodies. They must also involve all levels of the organisation, from senior leadership to frontline staff caring for patients. They must meet all compliance requirements for privacy protection. Team training programmes, including those using simulation, are necessary to help support employee use and understanding of such technology. Solutions need to be scalable and grow with technology. As new technology becomes available, these systems must be able to 'keep up.' A senior leadership team should assemble solutions and compare product options. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure a streamlined transition when incorporating any of these tools. Advanced security measures for patient and staff protection The goal of any security measure should be twofold: It should increase patient safety without creating any added risk of injury. It should keep nurses and doctors, as well as other healthcare professionals, free from injury. Any tools used need to address both of these aspects together. For example, many organisations are putting access control systems in place. These systems minimise the risk of people entering into areas where equipment, medications or other sensitive systems are located. At the same time, they are easily accessed using a badge system. That way, there’s no delay to the patient waiting on medication nor any slowdown for staff trying to get that care. Rapid response teams are also essential for improving healthcare facility safety. This incorporates a careful level of protection that needs to blend privacy with surveillance. With a rapid response team in place, both patients and caregivers are receiving fast, immediate and very targeted help sooner. This can help with situations related to violence, mental health complications, health emergencies, or other safety risks on the premises, like fire or power outages. Using technology to improve healthcare safety Technology allows organisations to handle safety challenges in a more effective manner. Consider how healthcare safety can be improved and ways that technology can support that process: Technology helps to create a culture of safety. Everything is done with specific, very well-defined strategies and following specific steps. Creating a culture of safety allows both patients and healthcare workers to understand what is expected. Technology works to improve communication at all levels. Problems can be dealt with more effectively. Patient needs are communicated in a more streamlined manner through digital communication tools. There’s more insight into emergency response needs as well. Technology can also help with ensuring basic care procedures and checklists are completed properly. For example, digital devices can be used to help nurses work through a checklist of questions to ask a person before allowing them to be admitted into an ER area, reducing security risks and ensuring protocol is followed. Another way technology enhances safety in the healthcare setting is by providing a way to find out what went wrong when an incident occurs. It allows management to look back to see where the breach occurred or the mistake was made, creating a teachable opportunity. Depending on the specific targeted areas of safety, there is technology that can streamline and improve safety. Future trends: The evolving role of wearable tech in healthcare safety Perhaps one of the most exciting ways technology is being integrated into healthcare facilities is with the use of wearable technology. The use of wearable technology is growing by leaps and bounds. Deloitte reports that in 2022, the market itself grew 41% to a value of over $60 billion in the USA. That includes everything from smart glasses to exoskeletons, wearables and smart devices. We already know the value of wearable devices. You may have a smartphone that monitors your steps or a watch that performs a basic ECG after a workout to check your heart rate and rhythm. Wearable technology can do much more though, including making healthcare facilities safer for both patients and staff. Wearable technology puts tech tools within reach of patients and caregivers without actually needing to use their hands to do the work. Consider a few ways this enhances safety: Panic buttons and devices allow for immediate summoning of help when there’s an emergency. It’s immediately available with a code word or by pressing a button on a device. Wearable technology allows for patient monitoring in all situations, no matter where they go. For example, a patient who falls in the restroom can be detected by a change in their heart monitor from the nurse's station. Technology can be used to allow voice recognition to allow healthcare workers to call for help without having to free their hands to do so. Regular safety audits and compliance in healthcare facilities Technology also enhances safety by ensuring that facilities meet all safety audits and compliance requirements. With these types of routine checks, organisations have an efficient way of ensuring employees and patients receive a safe, secure place to be while also minimising the risk of breaches in security, safety and other risks. With routine safety audits, supported by access to data from technology tools, it’s possible to find ways to consistently improve. Healthcare facilities are safer. Employees and caregivers feel protected. Patients receive the life-saving care they need in a secure environment.

This webinar will explore virtual care and the use of patient health data through remote patient monitoring. In the UK and US alike, COVID-19 has accelerated the dramatic shift towards utilising digital health services and tools to virtually connect with and care for patients. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) offers providers the opportunity to remotely collect and utilise patients’ personal health data, such as data from their home-use medical devices and wearables, within care delivery efforts. These personal health data are providing deeper insight into patients’ physiologic health metrics, lifestyle decisions and behavioural trends while replacing the clinical data previously collected in-person. As health care organisations need to quickly scale virtual care to thousands of patients, clear best practices and lessons learned have emerged. This episode will deep-dive into the successful operations of the largest, centralised RPM programme, supporting over 3000 clinicians and more than 50,000 enrolled patients. We’ll delve into the most basic and complex challenges around patient-generated health data, patient consent, enrollment workflows, device logistics, patient and provider engagement, and more. This webinar will explore: Core operations and technologies to a holistic virtual care strategy The clinical outcomes, patient and provider satisfaction, and efficiencies created with RPM Best practices in digital health operations, data integration, analytics, and engagement A model and framework for scaling virtual care and RPM to thousands of patients quickly A CPD certificate with 1 CPD credit will be issued to those joining the webinar live as well as those who watch the recording afterwards. Certificates will be issued 7 days after the webinar to those who watch it live and after 30 days for those that watch the recording. Join in the conversation online using #RSMDigiHealthBook hereFollow us on Twitter: @RoySocMed Book here

In this extended episode, our panel will describe the Care Information Exchange, a patient portal that facilitates the sharing of healthcare records across NW London. This system currently holds the records for over 1.6 million patients and allows patients, hospitals, GP practices and social care organisations to effectively share records for a population of 2.4 million. They will also describe how the frailty team in the Trust have used the portal with remote patient monitoring technology to redesign a care pathway for lung conditions, post-COVID. They will discuss the resulting improvements in patient care, especially in detecting deterioration during hospital stays and afterwards in the community, and the economic benefits that have accrued through the use of patient-generated data. A CPD certificate with 1 CPD credit will be issued to those joining the webinar live as well as those who watch the recording afterwards. Certificates will be issued 7 days after the webinar to those who watch it live and after 30 days for those that watch the recording. Book here Join in the conversation online using #RSMDigiHealthFollow us on Twitter: @RoySocMed

This article explores how remote patient monitoring (RPM) is transforming patient safety by enabling continuous, real-time tracking of health data outside clinical settings. It provides a comprehensive overview of RPM technologies, their clinical benefits, implementation challenges and best practices. It highlights the growing importance of RPM in proactive care models and its role in reducing hospital readmissions, improving medication adherence and supporting vulnerable patient populations. How is remote patient monitoring changing patient safety? A Mass General Brigham study of 10,803 participants found that RPM reduced mean blood pressure from 150/83 to 145/83, which significantly lowers cardiovascular disease risk.[1] RPM technologies provide clinicians with real-time data streams; this allows for quick interventions when patient conditions change. The continuous monitoring bridges dangerous gaps between appointments where medical complications developed undetected. Beyond crisis prevention, RPM enhances medication safety through adherence tracking and creates comprehensive longitudinal health records revealing subtle trends conventional episodic care might miss. The benefits reach vulnerable groups—elderly, rural and mobility-limited patients—who now get regular supervision free of transportation constraints, creating safety nets once inaccessible under conventional care models. Real-time monitoring: a lifeline for early intervention and patient safety RPM provides regular data collection that serves as a buffer against avoidable harm by detecting minute physiological changes that indicate clinical deterioration. RPM significantly bolsters patient safety by enabling early detection of health deteriorations, thereby facilitating timely interventions. A study published in NPJ Digital Medicine analysed 29 studies across 16 countries and found that RPM interventions led to a reduction in hospital readmissions and emergency department visits.[2] Specifically, the study highlighted that RPM demonstrated positive outcomes in patient safety and adherence, and improved patients' mobility and functional statuses. This early warning feature considerably improves patient safety by enabling timely clinical interventions before symptoms worsen. A known patient with serious congestive heart failure can also be given diuretic adjustments remotely, avoiding hospitalisation. RPM also decreases the risks associated with medications by enabling physicians to identify missed doses and adverse reactions. Long-term data further strengthens safety by showing patterns—like low oxygen levels at night in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients—that single tests might miss. Personalised interventions are supported by this fine-grained understanding, especially for high-risk populations such as patients living in rural areas that have improved access to attentive monitoring. By combining speed and accuracy, RPM transforms patient safety to an actionable, data-driven and efficient procedure rather than a fixed objective. Key technologies driving remote patient monitoring: enabling safer, data-driven care Remote patient monitoring depends on a complex ecosystem of linked technology that extends clinical supervision outside of facility boundaries. Wearable devices form the basic foundation of this system—with regulatory-approved sensors capturing vital metrics continuously. RPM is transforming healthcare by shifting from reactive to proactive safety strategies. These digital systems continuously track vital signs, medication compliance and physiological parameters outside traditional clinical settings. This enables early detection of deterioration before serious complications arise. Advanced cardiac monitors identify arrhythmias with 98% accuracy and smart glucose sensors provide real-time glycaemic information via subcutaneous readings. Connected devices for tracking urinary patterns help physicians diagnose various types of incontinence without requiring in-person assessments, improving dignity and convenience for patients with mobility challenges. Smart inhalers with embedded sensors record medication usage patterns and technique, enabling precise interventions for respiratory conditions. Mobile applications are a link between patients and clinical teams—with simple dashboards that show health trends and medication adherence. These platforms usually combine clinical protocols, secure messaging systems and alerts based on preset thresholds. Backend analytics platforms transform raw physiological data into clinically relevant insights through sophisticated algorithms. These systems analyse longitudinal data against established baselines to detect minor abnormalities that precede clinical deterioration. According to studies, these predictive capacities can detect sepsis 6–12 hours earlier than traditional approaches, considerably increasing survival rates.[3] Secure, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant electronic health record (EHR) integration—using end-to-end encryption and strict authentication—creates comprehensive patient profiles, enabling better-informed treatment decisions. Implementing remote patient monitoring: main challenges RPM has numerous benefits in healthcare, but putting it into practice involves challenges that need thoughtful solutions. Digital literacy gaps create accessibility barriers, particularly among elderly populations where only 64% report comfort with technology-based healthcare tools according to the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society survey of 3,450 seniors.[4] Privacy concerns are significant as continuous monitoring generates sensitive health data that requires strong security. To maintain patient trust while meeting regulatory standards, healthcare centres must use end-to-end encryption, unambiguous consent mechanisms and transparent data governance frameworks. Another problem is clinical workflow integration; RPM systems that function without the use of EHR platforms result in documentation silos. Customised integration pathways that embed remote monitoring data within regular clinical interfaces are required for successful RPM implementation. When clinicians get an overwhelming number of notifications, the intended safety benefits are undermined. Effective systems use tiered alert processes with tailored thresholds that are based on patient baselines rather than population norms. These graduated notification systems ensure that important notifications receive necessary attention while preventing frequent low-risk alerts. As healthcare organisations face these issues, good implementation frameworks that include technical assistance, privacy safeguards and workflow optimisation are relevant to fulfilling RPM's full potential. Best practices for patient-centered remote monitoring Effective RPM is beyond technological equipment; it requires an effective structure that can only come from consistent planning and review. Healthcare organisations should establish dedicated implementation teams comprising clinicians, IT staff and patient advocates to gather diverse viewpoints and boost adoption of RPM. This cross-functional strategy improves RPM acceptance and sustainability while lowering possible resistance. Healthcare administrators should train providers thoroughly on both technical use of medical devices and data interpretation. A 2023 NEJM Catalyst study of 76 healthcare centres showed that centres with robust training of healthcare professionals had 43% higher RPM use after a year compared to those with minimal training.[5] Healthcare professionals should also be trained to focus equally on patient support through easy enrolment, clear instructions in multiple languages and in-person device training. Dedicated tech support channels should be created for RPM users in order to prevent frustration whenever there is a network glitch. Clear clinical protocols defining intervention thresholds, escalation pathways and response timeframes should be made to transform data into actionable intelligence. Rigorous quality assurance measures—including regular connectivity testing, data validation audits and patient usability assessments—safeguard programme integrity. Periodic review cycles examining alert frequency, response times and intervention outcomes help refine system parameters for maximum clinical utility. The most effective RPM programmes integrate patient feedback mechanisms allowing continuous refinement of interfaces, alert frequencies, and educational materials based on real-world experience. Conclusion RPM is improving healthcare from reactive to preventive care. As technology advances, these systems will become standard practice. Future developments will include smaller sensors, longer battery life and better connectivity—making monitoring easier for patients while improving data quality. Better predictive analytics will help physicians identify health problems earlier with greater accuracy. Beyond helping patients, RPM is changing organisational safety culture by expanding care beyond hospitals. This shift represents a major advancement—creating continuous monitoring systems that protect patients throughout their healthcare journey and redefining patient safety for modern medicine. References 1. Mass General Brigham. Mass General Brigham Remote Healthcare Delivery Program Improves Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Level, 9 November 2022. 2. Ying Tan S, et al. A systematic review of the impacts of remote patient monitoring (RPM) interventions on safety, adherence, quality-of-life and cost-related outcomes. NPJ Digital Medicine 2024; 7: 192. 3. King J, et al. Early Recognition and Initial Management of Sepsis in Adult Patients. Ann Arbor (MI): Michigan Medicine University of Michigan, 2023. 4. American Geriatrics Society 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2024; 72: III-VI. 5. Barrett JB, et al. Reduced Hospital Readmissions Through Personalized Care: Implementation of a Patient, Risk-Focused Hospital-Wide Discharge Care Center. NEJM Catal Innov Care Deliv 2025;6(6). DOI: 10.1056/CAT.24.0420. Further reading on the hub Putting patients at the heart of digital health Digital diagnosis—what the doctor ordered? Electronic patient record systems: Putting patient safety at the heart of implementation How do we harness technology responsibly to safeguard and improve patient care?