Digital patient monitoring helps patients keep track of their health conditions and transmit real-time medical data to their health-care providers, said Dr. Richard Friend, a family medicine physician and professor and dean of the UA College of Community Health Sciences.
Digital patient monitoring, or remote patient monitoring, uses technology to monitor patients when they are not in a doctor’s office or a hospital. Commonly used devices include blood pressure monitors, glucose meters, scales and watches.
During a Mini Medical School lecture in October, Friend said digital patient monitoring devices allow physicians to continuously monitor their patients’ health conditions. If the devices detect changes, physicians can make timely decisions about the appropriate level of care to provide.
Mini Medical School is a partnership of University Medical Center and UA’s OLLI (Osher Life-Long Learning Institute) Program and lectures are provided by UMC health-care providers. UMC is operated by CCHS.
Friend said UMC offers digital patient monitoring devices to patients to help manage diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and other chronic conditions.
“To enhance the quality of care for our patients, we partner with Ceras Health, a Boston-based organization,” he said. “These devices can potentially decrease hospital visits and reduce health-care costs.”
Friend recommends digital patient monitoring devices because they can help improve health outcomes for people with limited access to care. “By monitoring your condition outside the hospital, we can provide better care at a lower cost,” he said.