Introduction
Healthcare is a rapidly evolving and significantly responsible field that requires continuous updating and upgrading of its evidence, professional knowledge, and skills. With the global advancement of technologies and digitalization, the sphere of healthcare faces both a need and an opportunity to facilitate care-related processes to benefit patient outcomes. In such a manner, the implementation of trending healthcare informatics technologies is essential for medical organizations to deliver evidence-based, high-quality care to their patients. This paper outlines the benefits of implementing a Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) system for more efficient health data collection and treatment.
Trend Identification
The proposed healthcare informatics technology trend is RPM, which is referred to as a more general term, telemedicine. RPM is “a remote medical practice that allows coordination among different individuals and facilitates their collaboration efforts in diagnosing or treating a disease through information technologies and telecommunication” (Albahri et al., 2018, p. 1). The technology allows for collecting and processing patient health data over a distance using digital technologies for data exchange.
Overview of the Trend’s Technology Functions and Purpose
The technology functions on the basis of the Internet-of-Things principles with the use of specifically designed software that processes information obtained from sensors. The information obtained from the sensors is transmitted through the electronic system and is automatically processed and stored. The patients should possess electronic devices with such sensors to ensure doctors’ monitoring of their health indicators (Taiwo & Ezugwu, 2020). The technology applies to timely and safe care delivery to infectious patients, those with diabetes, and during the triage procedures (Lee et al., 2018; Taiwo & Ezugwu, 2020). Overall, the purpose of the technology is to ensure cost- and time-efficient patient monitoring procedures for better patient-doctor relations and faster and more effective data assessment.
Improvements in Nursing and Replaced Processes
RPM systems allow for facilitating the nursing practice by eliminating the need to travel to the patients’ locations or require patients’ physical presence for hospital check-ups. It saves time and resources by allowing nursing staff to collect and process patient data remotely. This technology replaces the conventional visits of patients to the hospital for regular assessments; for example, the monitoring of diabetic patients does not require repeated patient visits with RPM (Lee et al., 2018). Moreover, it might partially replace conventional triage processes of face-to-face interactions, which might be risky when dealing with infectious diseases.
Future Impact of the Technology Trend on Nursing Knowledge
The introduced technology has a wide presence in the contemporary nursing practice and is likely to evolve by being integrated into more spheres of healthcare. In particular, with the advancement of nursing knowledge and the relevance of technologies in healthcare, RPM might be more widely used as a source of electronic data contributing to the learning healthcare systems (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). Moreover, with the advancement of sensor technology, more complex data might be collected to monitor patients with severe conditions.
Hardware and Software Requirements
For the technology inherent in RPM to function properly and serve nursing and patient needs, specific requirements should be followed. Firstly, the hardware devices containing sensors should be available to the patients, while the nursing staff should obtain computers for data reception and processing (Taiwo & Ezugwu, 2020). As for the software, Android-based mobile applications should be available to patients, and a decoding software program should be available to the nursing staff for data processing and storage.
Influencing Strategy for Leadership to Purchase the New Technology
As the outlined purpose and benefits of the proposed technology imply, it is essential for hospitals to implement such a trend in their practice. To convince the leadership of the necessity to purchase the RPM technology, one should use ethos and pathos. Indeed, referring to the emotional issues of the opportunity to reduce patients suffering when care is delayed, one might engage the audience. Furthermore, with the use of pathos of factual data, one might present the cost-benefit analysis results to justify the advantages, both long-term monetary and operational, for the organization.
Implementation Plan
To implement the new technology in the healthcare organization, the steps listed below should be followed:
- Validation of the technology implementation needs through research and the organization’s performance assessment;
- Search for and negotiate with technology suppliers for technology purchasing;
- Integration of the system into the hospital protocol;
- Training of the nursing staff for using the newly introduced technology with the specialized consultant representing the technology production company;
- Evaluation of the training completion by the nursing staff;
- Initiation of information dissemination about the use of such technologies among patients;
- Launch of technology use in practice;
- Post-implementation evaluation of results through interviews and surveys with patinets and nurses;
- Integration of necessary improvements.
Considerations for Implementing the Technology
Importantly, it is essential to consider the capabilities of the staff and organization, as well as the requirements for the technology based on organizational specialization. Indeed, when choosing the provider or manufacturer of the hardware and software for the technology, it is essential to consider the quality assurance standards of that organization. Moreover, the experiences of other healthcare organizations with the technology should be examined to identify potential risks. In addition, the organizations should consider their prioritized goals in using the technology for particular purposes to ensure that their expertise allows for applying RPM systems. Finally, the availability of staff’s knowledge and the quantity of required training should be estimated to plan accordingly without jeopardizing organizational performance.
Challenges to Implementation
Like any other organizational change, the implementation of the new technology might face obstacles, the addressing of which should be proactive. Firstly, the implementation of the technology might be challenging at the initial stages of stakeholder engagement. It is essential to ensure that the motivation for implementation convinces the decision-makers of the advantages of the technology for patient and organizational outcomes. Secondly, cost-related obstacles might arise due to the expenses of technology purchasing and training. Thirdly, poor quality of technology should also be considered a risk due to the additional costs for repairs and a potential hindrance to data accuracy. Finally, insufficient acceptance of the new technology by patients might require additional educational efforts from nurses.
Conclusion
In summation, the presented RPM technology is an advanced digital tool for collecting and processing health indicators remotely. It allows for monitoring patients at a distance without face-to-face interactions or hospital visits. The organizations implementing this technology obtain an opportunity to automate health indicators’ processing, ensure the safety of working with infectious diseases, conduct triage procedures efficiently, and ensure positive patient outcomes. Thus, the implementation of RPM is encouraged to advance nursing practice and knowledge while building a more evidence-based healthcare system.
References
Albahri, O. S., Albahri, A. S., Mohammed, K. I., Zaidan, A. A., Zaidan, B. B., Hashim, M., & Salman, O. H. (2018). Systematic review of real-time remote health monitoring system in triage and priority-based sensor technology: Taxonomy, open challenges, motivation and recommendations. Journal of Medical Systems, 42(5), 1-27.
Lee, P. A., Greenfield, G., & Pappas, Y. (2018). The impact of telehealth remote patient monitoring on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1), 1-10.
McGonigle, D. & Mastrian, K. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett.
Taiwo, O., & Ezugwu, A. E. (2020). Smart healthcare support for remote patient monitoring during COVID-19 quarantine. Informatics in Medicine Unlocked, 20, 1-12.