Remote asthma monitoring: How and why?

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic contributed to substantial advancement in digital technologies in health care. Health-care professionals involved in respiratory care can now tailor their therapy for their patients with asthma, who still account for >1 million emergency department visits annually, with remote monitoring services. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) and remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) are both ways to help patients with chronic asthma and other patients who need respiratory monitoring in pulmonary and in allergy and immunology clinics. RPM and RTM allow clinicians to gain further understanding as to what is going on in the patient’s home on a regular basis. Objectives: To ensure that the populations to monitor are correctly identified, privacy and security measures are in place, staffing resources are sufficient, and billing practices are understood before initiating RPM and RTM. Methods: A review of the current literature (2019‐2023) for RPM and RTM from PubMed, National Center of Biotechnical Information, American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as practical experiences are outlined to provide an easy-to-follow guide for implementation in practice. Results: RPM and RTM services help identify and address gaps in care for patients such as patients with uncontrolled asthma and to assist with populations of need such as the underserved, the elderly, and rural populations. Conclusion: As artificial intelligence and other technologies continue to grow in the healthcare space, remote monitoring services are expected to transform health-care delivery to new heights yet to be seen.