Norfolk Community Health and Care Trust has reported a reduction in A&E admissions and bed days among a group of high-dependency patients following the introduction of a new remote-monitoring service for people with heart and lung disease. 51 patients are currently being monitored on the service.
The remote monitoring service allows patients with heart and lung disease to monitor their vital signs at home and relay readings directly to a clinician. The service was designed to improve quality of life for patients and free up hospital beds and surgery time. The service enables clinicians to monitor trends and intervene if readings move outside individual thresholds. It encourages patients to recognise changing symptoms and promotes self-management of their conditions. The remote monitoring service complements the work of the trust’s heart failure team which attends to patients in clinic, at home and via telephone consultation. The self-testing service is for patients who have recently experienced heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and need to be monitored to ensure their vital signs are within safe range. They are given medical devices and training to monitor their vital signs at home. These include blood pressure, temperature, weight, pulse rate and oxygen saturation.
The patient then sends the readings to clinicians via an online submission form or automated telephone service, depending on how confident they feel using technology.