Remote Monitoring in Cancer Care: Enhancing Patient Safety and Treatment Outcomes

What if managing your health didn’t always mean trips to the clinic? Remote monitoring makes it possible for doctors to keep tabs on your health right from home. Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) improves cancer care safety via digital tools that allow continuous monitoring and immediate action.

Direct monitoring from healthcare providers

Combining plenty of technologies, remote monitoring consists of collecting and delivering patients' health data to the physicians right from their homes. Using a variety of devices like specialized medical devices and wearables, e.g., blood pressure cuffs, glucometers, pulse oximeters, smartwatches, and fitness trackers, with mobile applications for tracking symptoms, medication reminders, and telehealth platforms are available today. These devices and systems keep a check on vital signs, symptom progression, medication adherence, and overall well-being, providing an inclusive status of the patient’s health.

Benefits for patients

RPM has numerous advantages for cancer patients, the prominent one being the quick recognition of complications. This approach can help prevent minor problems from developing into serious issues. Moreover, RPM improves adherence to medication and treatment, as apps with symptom and medication reminders help patients stick to their prescribed regimen. Patients gain more control over their health journey and feel less anxious about treatment due to their constant involvement.

Smarter care for healthcare providers

Implementing RPM has many advantages for healthcare providers as well, as the oncologists and care teams can make rapid and effective decisions due to access to patient data. Quickly changing medications and assisting in case the health vitals indicate an adverse response to the treatment. Due to a data-driven approach makes follow-ups more effective.

It enables healthcare professionals to monitor some patients remotely while prioritizing those who need in-person care. This approach helps maximize hospital resources and reduces the stress on patients who would otherwise have to make exhausting trips to the hospital.

AJ Hospital and Research Centre in Mangaluru adopted Dozee’s AI-based remote patient monitoring system. This technology continuously tracks patients’ vital signs and alerts doctors early if any complication arises, making hospital care safer and more efficient

Challenges that still need attention

While RPM has immense potential, a few barriers are present for its use in cancer care. One of them is inaccessibility to necessary devices or limited connectivity to dependable internet. Lack of digital literacy is another barrier, as it can hinder efficient use of RPM devices. Data security and privacy breaches involving private patient data can be secured through robust systems. Lastly, continuous patient assistance and education are important to utilise the RPM tools, as their potential is achieved by proper guidance.

Looking forward to the future

Technology is also constantly developing in healthcare, and with it, so is the future of remote monitoring. With artificial intelligence and machine learning by its side, RPM can be enhanced with vast volumes of patient data to identify possible trends and problems.

This study provides a review of the impact of AI-driven RPM on cancer care. Integration of these technologies will make RPM an essential element of comprehensive cancer care. Remote monitoring is important for providing effective cancer care. It gives patients more control over their health and helps doctors and care teams respond quickly, leading to better outcomes.