Neutropenia is a common complication for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. In reality, one in every 29 Patients treated with chemotherapy are hospitalized, with a staggering mortality rate of 7-9.5%. Fever can come on suddenly and sometimes go unnoticed until it is too late.
Remote patient monitoring devices such as wearable temperature sensors offer the potential to reduce hospitalizations and deaths in vulnerable populations such as chemotherapy patients. Sensors can detect an abnormal temperature reading and report it to the patient and the oncologist to actively monitor or, in serious cases, go to the hospital for monitoring.
Jiang Li is CEO of wearable temperature monitoring device vendor Vivalink, which has been tapped in several oncology clinical trials. Healthcare Information Technology News He interviews Lee to talk about how RPM could be a game-changer for these cancer patients and their doctors, and to discuss real-world examples of the technology in action.
Q: Please talk about the problem of neutropenia.
a. According to the American Society of Clinical OncologyAbout half of patients undergoing chemotherapy have some level of neutropenia. Neutropenia is a common and serious complication of cytotoxic chemotherapy. Patients with febrile neutropenia had a 15% higher risk of death than patients without FN.
Prior to the use of RPM techniques, monitoring of neutropenic fever events relied on patient self-reporting and periodic manual checks of temperature, which could lead to misreporting or delayed intervention.
Because neutropenic fever sometimes occurs asymptomatically or during non-awake hours, conventional spot screening methods are limited in their ability to detect seizures in time. If neutropenic fever is not caught in real time, the infection can quickly turn into sepsis and become life-threatening.
Q: How exactly can RPM help resolve or at least reduce neutropenia?
a. The incorporation of wearable technology for fever detection has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of neutropenic fever and its associated risk categories. RPM devices allow patients and study participants to wear a patch with a Bluetooth-enabled medical device that can continuously transmit data to secure HIPAA-compliant remote servers in order to simplify patient care.
With RPM wearables, patient monitoring can be automated, continuous, and in real time, thus providing a more complete and accurate picture of a patient’s condition. As a result, interventions can be more responsive to prevent further deterioration that can lead to readmission.
Q: Please provide some examples of RPM in action against neutropenia.
a. The Cancer Center in Los Angeles, California, conducted a study in 20 patients to see if the use of RPM techniques could provide advanced notice of neutropenic events leading to hospitalization. Patients who have undergone chemotherapy and have been discharged from the hospital are equipped with wearable sensors that provide 24-hour continuous monitoring of key vitals.
The patient is also provided with an accompanying mobile device and an integrated app that automatically collects wearable data. The data is then sent online to the doctor’s portal to be monitored remotely. Based on trend and correlation analysis of these biomarkers, they were able to detect impending neutropenic events 18 hours before readmission.
In another joint study, this one with the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, which is currently underway, 80 cancer patients who are on medium-risk outpatient chemotherapy regimens will use wearable sensors, which will record their temperature every 10 minutes for the first three months of their lives. diet.
Patients with breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, or one of two types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma subjected to TC, mFOLFOX6, cisplatin/pemetrexed, or R-CHOP, are enrolled. If a fever is detected during one of these scans, both the patients and the treating oncologist are notified in real time, allowing medical intervention.
Q: I already mentioned technology that helps detect impending neutropenic events 18 hours before readmission. What other types of results are you looking for?
a. The application of RPM technology has achieved significant results, specifically in the early detection and prevention of health complications, as shown in the study at the Cancer Center. By correlating several vitals, specifically heart rate, respiratory rate and temperature, predictions can be more accurate and can reduce false positives, as well as false negatives.
The ongoing study at the University of California specifically targeted the incidence of neutropenic fever in patients undergoing common chemotherapy regimens. Using automated temperature correction for remote monitoring, the study aims to facilitate the early detection and treatment of neutropenic fever compared to conventional spot examinations.
Such timely intervention can significantly improve patient outcomes and reduce the risk of complications associated with neutropenic fever. The study also quantifies morbidity, mortality, healthcare utilization and costs of care among patients to further emphasize their impact on overall patient care and resource allocation.
s. What advice would you give to healthcare provider organizations considering RPM for these use cases?
a. When considering implementation of the RPM technique for monitoring neutropenic fever, healthcare provider organizations should carefully evaluate its potential and benefits. The healthcare provider organization should conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the accuracy and reliability of the RPM technique.
By prioritizing patient care, healthcare provider organizations can educate patients about the benefits of RPM technology in preventing complications such as neutropenic fever and can increase their willingness to participate.
Healthcare organizations must implement a robust infrastructure to support RPM technology effectively. This includes a dedicated program oversight team, regular audits and quality assurance measures to identify any issues and to ensure long-term success.
The RPM system should be seamlessly integrated into existing electronic health records and clinical workflows, allowing healthcare providers to efficiently access and analyze patent data. Data security measures are necessary to protect patient information and maintain compliance.
The success of accreditation depends on comprehensive training and education of healthcare professionals to interpret the data, identify early warning signs, and respond appropriately to abnormal readings. Healthcare organizations have the ability to harness the potential of RPM technology to enhance the care and safety of all patients, not just those with cancer, leading to improved patient and clinical outcomes.
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