Wearables, Smartphones Equally Enhance Remote Patient Monitoring

After a 180-day hospital stay, patients using smartphones transmitted data for 32 percent longer than patients using wearables, according to a recent study from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. But because smartphones are ubiquitous, experts indicated that both are useful for monitoring patient health behaviors. 

The study published in JAMA analyzed remote patient monitoring activity for 500 patients enrolled in Medicaid from January 2017 to January 2019. The study found that 70 percent (69.4 percent) of patients transmitted data among the smartphone group during the 180-day period compared to 58.9 percent for patients in wearables.  

Although data showed that the data transmission among the smartphone group was not different than among the wearable group after 30 days (86.7 percent versus 81.9 percent), the difference was notable at 90 days (77.6 percent versus 67.6 percent). 

At 180 days, there was a 14.7 percentage point difference between the smartphone group and wearable group. Sixty-one percent of the smartphone group transmitted data compared to 46.5 percent of the wearable groups. 

Nearly 80 percent of US adults own a smartphone which accurately tracks physical activity. Although wearable devices are growing in popularity and can track other biometrics, experts conclude that both devices are a scalable approach for remotely monitoring patient health behaviors. 

Experts are turning to wearables to boost remote patient care and just recently, engineers at the University of Waterloo developed an enhanced durable and flexible sensor for wearable devices to monitor everything from vital signs to athletic performance.

Using 3D printing and nanotechnology to combine silicone rubber with layers of graphene, the wearable fits comfortable to every body shape and in any weather condition.

“It can be used in the harshest environments, in extreme temperatures and humidity,” said Elham Davoodi, an engineering PhD student at Waterloo who led the project. “It could even withstand being washed with your laundry.”

Manufacturing cost has greatly declined due to design simplicity, but the simplicity does not compromise the wearable system. The rubber-graphene sensor can be paired with electronic components to make wearable devices that “record heart and breathing rates, register and forces exerted when athletes run, allow doctors to remotely monitor patients, and numerous other potential applications,” said Ehsan Toyserkani, research director at the Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing (MSAM) Lab at Waterloo.

“mHealth is being viewed increasingly by many as an important technology metaphor to achieve rich, robust patient engagement, ultimately, achieving patient-centered paradigm change,” John Orzechowski, MBA, clinical assistant professor of health informatics and mHealth at the University of Illinois stressed.

Smartphones are one of the most common mobile clinical communication tools. Nearly three-quarters of hospitals use smartphones for mobile clinical communication. Physicians use mobile devices 90 percent of the time, followed by administrators at 84 percent of the time, nurses (79 percent) and IT staff (76 percent), according to a Spok  

In December 2019, Vocera Communications announced Vocera mobile applications were certified for use with Spectralink Versity smartphone to enhance patient/ provider communication and overall patient care. 

Vocera will be a reseller of Versity, giving both the company’s customers an easy way to improve communication with clinicians and ensure better patient care, safety, and experience inside and outside the hospital. 

The partnership will improve functionality in order to ensure hospitals achieve productive use of smartphones in the healthcare space. The new smartphone offers a light design and Wi-Fi voice quality, offering a user-driven experience that allows clinicians to call by name, role, or group across the hospital or health system. 

“In fast-paced environments like hospitals, nurses, doctors, and other care team members need smart, durable mobile solutions that make their jobs easier,” said Doug Werking, CEO of Spectralink. “We are excited to integrate Versity with Vocera solutions to reduce information silos and provide meaningful patient information to clinicians at the right time, helping them make informed decisions quickly.”