Symptom Tracking a Top Benefit of RPM Use in Cancer Care

June 01, 2023 - Most cancer physicians, patients, and caregivers view symptom-tracking capabilities as a top benefit of using remote patient monitoring (RPM) technologies in oncology, according to a recent survey.

The survey, conducted by the Association of Community Cancer Centers, polled 90 cancer patients, 72 caregivers, and 128 providers.

Provider respondents stated that the most significant benefits of using RPM in cancer care were being able to track symptoms in between appointments (52 percent), receiving alerts if medical intervention is necessary (43 percent), improving patient outcomes (41 percent), and reducing the risk of hospitalization and emergency room (ER) visits (33 percent).

Approximately 40 percent of provider respondents said they are implementing or piloting RPM services at their cancer care practices, while 28 percent are considering or planning to implement these services. But another 28 percent are not considering the services at all.

Among cancer patients and their caregivers, keeping the care team updated on symptoms (40 percent) and alerting the care team to the need for intervention (31 percent) were the top-reported benefits of RPM use. Only 19 percent said RPM could help reduce the risk of hospitalization and ER visits, and 17 percent said the services improved outcomes.

Though symptom tracking is high on the list of RPM benefits for providers, patients, and caregivers, 51 percent of patients and caregivers needed in-person support to set up and use the technologies. Of these, 71 percent were rural patients, 58 percent were 65 and older, and 46 were suburban patients.

Of the providers surveyed, 51 percent stated that their practice used portal-or app-based questionnaires and surveys to remotely track patients' health metrics. Around 23 percent said their practice used messaging tools like secure text and patient portal messaging, and 14 percent said they used connected devices, including wearables, for RPM.

Of 95 cancer practices and programs actively planning, piloting, or implementing RPM programs, 43 percent said symptoms and 39 percent said vital signs were the main data types they collected. Though 35 percent are offering or are planning to offer RPM to all patients in active treatment, 26 percent are using treatment types, like radiation or surgery, to select which patient populations to target. Around 47 percent are not modifying RPM data capture for different populations.

RPM programs did not appear to add work for cancer care providers, the survey found. Among 45 provider respondents who piloted or implemented RPM programs, only 14 percent said that RPM tasks added ten or more hours of work per week, while 60 percent reported that RPM tasks added less than ten hours.

Additionally, 40 percent of the 45 provider respondents said adding RPM did not significantly disrupt workflow, and 24 percent said it improved workflow. But 13 percent said they needed to hire new staff for their RPM program.

The survey results come as numerous prominent health systems announce plans to launch or expand RPM services.

Last month, Providence struck a partnership with Cadence to add an RPM solution and a responsive virtual care program to enhance chronic disease management. Currently supporting hypertension, congestive heart failure, and type 2 diabetes, the health system plans to add chronic obstructive pulmonary disease care to the program in 2024.

Providence will expand the program to its Washington service areas this year before scaling it across its seven-state footprint.

In March, Atrium Health announced a three-year partnership with Best Buy Health to create new home-based acute care offerings and enhance its hospital-at-home program. Atrium Health will gain access to Best Buy Health's at-home care platform through the partnership. In addition, the organizations will co-design new capabilities to improve the current hospital-at-home experience.