Remote Patient Observation
- Kathleen Gaffney
- May 19, 2017
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 25, 2022
May 9, 2017
The Remote Patient Observation solution was originally developed for hospitals to help reduce the number of patient falls and the cost of observing patients at risk. It has been heartwarming to see the positive reactions from patients and their family members and to hear clinicians’ stories around how VPO is helping their patients. Many of the stories go beyond reducing risk. Observers have sent assistance to a choking patient, alerted nursing to a patient going into shock, and observed a patient so her daughter felt comfortable leaving the bedside for a short while. It is in part due to these positive, unexpected experiences that hospitals are thinking outside the box and expanding the use cases for VPO. The solution can be used to support a wide range of facilities and use cases. We see hospitals monitoring patients at-risk for elopement, confusion, and drug or alcohol abuse and providing additional oversight in rooms where a patient may be a danger to the in-room observer or others.
One hospital is deploying the remote patient observation solution in their Behavioral Health (BH) unit to ensure safety levels can be maintained. They are pleased that they can use the same solution as used on the non-BH units. They are installing fixed cameras placed in the ceilings in patient rooms, bathrooms, hallways and other high risk areas. Viewing of those cameras will be segmented or directed to the nursing and security personnel on the BH unit. Further, the customer is implementing video motion detection analytics and event notification. Analytics provide alerts when people or objects cross a user-defined line such as entering a room or getting out of bed. A different hospital is using the mobile cart solution to assess and diagnosis patients in their BH unit.
A third hospital is deploying remote patient observation in their NICU for the purpose of providing direct care or interventions by a physician not physically located in the same room with the patient. A physician in a remote location will evaluate the patient with the assistance of a bedside clinician. The flexibility of the solution enables hospitals to leverage the existing technology in a different way; in this case by allowing physicians with appropriate login credentials to have a view of their patients from a distance.
A fourth hospital is considering connecting their existing security cameras in their ED to the solution so that they will have a single Observation Room manned by similarly trained personnel following standard policies and procedures. It preserves their investment in existing equipment and gives them the flexibility to add new use cases and capabilities as needed.
Optional recording to provide evidence for investigation, camera analytics that detect motion and send automatic alerts, and the ability to segment and direct camera views to specific personnel are additional capabilities. I expect to see continued expansion of the remote patient observation solution not only within hospitals but also in Long Term Care, Assisted Living, Rehabilitation, Alzheimer, Psychiatric, and Drug and Alcohol facilities; but that is for another blog.
