Remote Monitoring News

Precision Healthcare Monitoring Tracks Various Medical Issues

By Vera Gruessner

- Remote health monitoring systems may be paving the way for more innovative technologies based on precision medicine. According to a press release from the Indiana University School of Medicine, precision medicine and precision healthcare monitoring are becoming new methods for improving patient outcomes and clinical practice.

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When treatment and prevention strategies take a patient-centered approach including patients’ genetic make-up, environment, and lifestyle, precision medicine is born. As more hospitals and clinics have integrated electronic medical records into their system in order to boost patient safety and quality of care, precision healthcare monitoring may be another method for ensuring these goals are met.

In particular, precision healthcare monitoring helps medical facilities establish that the “right person receives the right data at the right time.” The US Department of Veterans Affairs has recently awarded the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine a $5 million grant to support the growth of precision healthcare monitoring programs.

“The VA is the single largest provider of health care in the United States with a wealth of patient information and a single unified electronic health record. It is ideally poised to apply precision monitoring to transform care and outcomes for veterans and to exert national leadership in this important area,” co-principal investigator of the new program, Linda S. Williams, M.D., said in a public statement.

The grant is meant to establish a multi-site program over the next five years. Electronic health data is going to be used to create actionable, patient-centered and efficient precision healthcare monitoring solutions.

The researchers also hope to see whether actionable data through precision healthcare monitoring could bring about improvement in care among medical teams and providers. By classifying which information is important to keep track of, it is easier for medical professionals to avoid sinking in data overload.

“The potential impact of our study is vast,” Dr. Williams continued. “I believe what we are dealing with in the VA is similar to what other healthcare systems will encounter as they move forward to meet new government regulations and envision and manage care as an accountable care organization rather than as a single hospital or clinic.”

These monitoring programs will be managed in a variety of different healthcare settings including inpatient rooms, emergency departments, outpatient settings, and nursing homes. A variety of different medical conditions will be followed with the help of precision healthcare monitoring systems.

Remote monitoring can be used to keep track of a multitude of different health conditions. For example, the neurodiagnostic company Vittamed Corporation has created an intracranial pressure monitor to help better understand neurological damage and cognitive functionality, according to a company press release.

The monitor system can be used to prevent a certain amount of pressure that could lead to irreversible damage or even fatality. The device uses ultrasound probes to measure blood flow within an artery.

The technology has gone through extensive clinical trials before being put on the market. In fact, the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) used the technology to test the intracranial pressure of astronauts. This shows how remote monitoring technology can be used for a wide array of medical issues and not only for tracking cardiovascular health or respiratory functions.

“Intracranial pressure measurement is a standard of care in the assessment of brain injury,” Fares Zahir, CEO of Xeraya Capital, stated in the press release. “We believe the innovative, non­invasive methods developed by Vittamed will allow the widespread use of safe and cost effective assessments of intracranial pressure in traumatic brain injury, hydrocephalus and stroke.”

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