Optimum design of remote patient monitoring systems

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) of physiological measurements offers the potential to provide high quality care to elderly, chronically and acutely ill people in their home environment, while making effective use of healthcare resources. However, despite its clearly demonstrated potential, RPM has not become an integrated part of patient care so far. In this paper, we undertake an extensive systematic literature review to identify the typical setup of RPM projects and services in the UK. We then propose a solution for a clinically and organizationally more integrated service, which is based in primary care. Key to the design is the involvement of other healthcare services such as social care, the emergency department of a hospital, and out-of-hours General Practitioner services, and also the involvement of the patient and their carer/s. This allows a team-based approach with information-sharing across different healthcare sectors, and offers maximum continuity of care for the patient.