How does RPM support nephrology patients?
- Blood pressure: Monitoring this enables better management of hypertension and can be a key predictor in kidney disease progression.
- A1C: Many with CKD also have diabetes, and tracking their glucose is critical in managing the disease.
- Weight: When patients weigh on connected scales, physicians can trace any changes. It’s important for CKD patients because weight gain could indicate fluid buildup.
Implementing RPM for kidney disease has proven to have positive outcomes.
- At-home blood pressure monitoring outperformed in-office for predicting kidney disease progression and improving blood pressure control.
- RPM blood pressure monitoring provides hypertension management for those with CKD and acts as an accurate predictor of organ damage.
- Peritoneal patients using RPM reduced hospitalization rate and days.
- RPM can improve outcomes for early-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients by strengthening the continuity of care by monitoring blood pressure, glucose, and weight.
Filling the gaps with RPM
- Poor care transition: Coordinating care for different stages of kidney disease can include many clinicians and systems. RPM vital data keeps all care team members in the know.
- Patient education disconnects: Kidney disease and its treatments are complex, and not all patients will have high health literacy. Regular two-way communication as part of RPM can improve this.
- Ineffective management of comorbidities: As noted, kidney disease patients have multiple health concerns, and RPM can monitor all of these.
Connected devices and consistent vitals data for nephrology RPM
Cellular connectivity is the most stable option for connected devices.
RPM device data collection: secure and compliant
RPM devices for nephrology use
- Blood pressure monitoring: Hypertension is a leading factor in kidney disease, witnessed in many stages of kidney disease. By monitoring daily blood pressure readings, care teams can track if patients stay within normal thresholds. Managing blood pressure is the leading way to control kidney disease, and RPM enables this.
- Blood glucose trackers: Glucose monitoring is critical in determining how efficiently the kidneys are working, especially for those on dialysis. These readings indicate the success of the treatment.
- Weight scales: Obesity is another component of kidney disease, and carrying extra weight is hard for those with these conditions. If weight management is part of the care plan, tracking the results with daily weigh-ins can support adherence.
Remote patient monitoring benefits for nephrology
1. Increase the number of patients using peritoneal dialysis.
2. Gather data seamlessly to drive better patient outcomes.
3. Improve care coordination.
4. Act on critical vital readings immediately to intervene and mitigate emergency care.
- Each patient has his or her own threshold for vitals.
- Clinical monitoring nurse teams track all patients, review readings, and contact patients to gather more information.
- If the readings are critical, the clinical team escalates that to attending clinicians.
- Physicians then deliver instructions to the patient, such as recommending they take medication, titrate dosage, or come to the office.