Remote patient monitoring fails to improve 6 clinical outcomes

Remote patient monitoring may not improve a half-dozen clinical outcomes, according to a study published in Nature Digital Medicine.

Monitoring patients remotely using mobile heath devices could be a feasible tool in medical research. In this study, researchers examined previous clinical trials that used wearable biosensors for remote monitoring to see if improved outcomes were achieved.

A total of 4,348 previously published articles from 2000 to October 2016 were collected for the review. Of these, 16 were selected as high-quality studies in their examination of wearable biosensors for remote patients monitoring.

Results of the review showed no statistically significant impact in using remote patient monitoring in clinical outcomes of body mass index, weight, waist circumference, body fat percentage, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure.

“We found substantial gaps in the evidence base that should be considered before implementation of remote patient monitoring in the clinical setting,” wrote first author Benjamin Noah, of the division of health services research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and colleagues.