Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards remote patient monitoring through sensor networks

Abstract

Sensor-based networks have been proposed as a method for the continuous and remote monitoring of patients with chronic illness. Hence, healthcare professionals need to read and provide feedback on the gathered sensor data which represent patient’s vital signs. This qualitative study examined healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards the application of remote patient monitoring through sensor networks in developing regions using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the interview data revealed that healthcare professionals have experience with digital technologies, moreover, they are willing to use other more advanced technologies that are, wireless, accurate and enable remote and real-time monitoring of patients. According to the healthcare professionals, the benefits of sensor-based networks are: recording patient’s vital signs for longer periods of time; facilitating clinical decision-making; and helping them in providing better treatment which will have a positive impact in the patient’s life. This study confirms that trainings provided to medical personnel before the application of the digital platforms in healthcare helped them to easily adapt these technologies. Furthermore, it did not appear that age was a problem to use digital monitoring technologies in healthcare. Nevertheless, healthcare professionals confirmed that possible limitations for providing distance-based monitoring in developing regions and giving feedback is related to patient’s education and maturity to obey to doctor’s suggestions, doctor’s commitments and available time and the financial aspect of communicating with a patient at a distance.