4 Telehealth Devices Used for RPM

Telehealth has grown enormously in recent years, as patients recognize the convenience of being able to manage their healthcare conditions from home, and healthcare services look for better ways to support larger patient cohorts without putting excess strain on resources.

The virtual care experience requires FDA-compliant devices assigned by a qualified medical professional to ensure they can track and record the appropriate vital signs, measurements, or symptoms to assist with care planning and condition management.

Wanda Health has created this guide to explain the functions and features included for 4 key telehealth devices, how they are used to reduce the costs of care delivery for some of the most prevalent conditions in the US, and how they can make high-quality healthcare more accessible, inclusive, and personalized.

Important Features and Functionality in Telehealth Devices

Several telehealth devices may be suitable to specific conditions or indicators, and the first important factor is that a practitioner or clinician makes an informed decision about which device to deploy – or whether two or more devices would provide a better picture of overall patient health.

Any RPM device used must meet regulatory standards to ensure the measurements taken by the patient and transmitted to their physician are accurate and can be used as a reliable basis for clinical assessments.

For example, the iBloodPressure device generates dependable, precise readings where practitioners can see immediately if there is cause for concern or instigate an emergency medical intervention when blood pressure measurements are far outside of a safe tolerance range.

Another essential aspect is that a telehealth device must be easy to use, avoiding any barriers to care where patients with limited mobility or dexterity, without a Wi-Fi connection or Bluetooth-enabled device, or without any technological know-how can confidently operate their device.

Wanda Health’s suite of telehealth devices is engineered to meet all these requirements, with backlit LED screens for visibility, one-button touch functions, and cellular data transmissions for security and seamless connectivity.

4 Telehealth Devices Used for Remote Healthcare

Blood pressure monitors

Medical teams monitor blood pressure for a wide scope of conditions and diseases, tracking the systolic and diastolic blood pressure to evaluate whether blood pressure readings are too high, too low, stable, or changing – potentially signifying a need for a change in care or medication.

The adjustable arm strap is suited to patients of any size or age, and the single button means anybody can take an accurate blood pressure reading, with the device arriving pre-programmed and ready to use out of the box.

Find out more about our blood pressure telehealth device here.

Pulse Oximeters

A pulse oximeter uses a simple clip that the patient attaches to their finger or earlobe. The device transmits light waves to measure the levels of blood oxygen and can also record the patient’s pulse.

These devices are straightforward and used in an array of medical fields, from monitoring post-acute care patients to logging the readings of patients with viral infections who are in an at-risk group.

Learn more about the iPulseOx device specifications.

Remote Glucose Monitors

Glucometers are used to manage the care of patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, and other conditions that impact their blood sugar or put the individual at risk of hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic events.

The kit is designed to be user-friendly, requiring a small blood droplet on the testing strips generating real-time readings for the prescribing physician to review.

Access further details about the remote Glucose monitoring device from Wanda Health.

RPM Weighing Scales

Intelligent RPM weighing scales are important for any medical professional or team assessing the impacts of low or excess weight on a patient’s well-being or determining whether medications and lifestyle changes are having positive results.

Our telehealth scales record a series of measurements, sending the data directly to the relevant clinician, providing oversight and alerts if sudden weight changes may indicate a serious concern or that an existing condition is escalating quickly.

Find out how the iScale RPM weight scale can augment telehealth service delivery.

Using Telehealth Devices to Monitor and Manage Acute and Chronic Conditions

Each telehealth device monitors and logs a different set of metrics, and the right devices will depend on the conditions or diseases concerned, the comorbidities and indicators associated with the patient, and the devices the practitioner feels would be most beneficial.

In the table below, we have outlined some widespread conditions physicians, primary care providers, healthcare teams, and clinicians monitor through telehealth services.

Ensuring Telehealth Patients Engage With Telehealth Services

Patient engagement is key to ensuring telehealth services provide effective, responsive, and patient-centric healthcare support, with most providers expecting patients to commit to transmitting one reading per day to maintain continual oversight of their health.

Choosing telehealth devices that are simple and quick to use, non-invasive, and require no complex programming or setup is ideal, removing any need to have other IT or communications infrastructure within the home to enroll in a telehealth program.

Adding educational resources and virtual consultations through our virtual care platform supplements the patient experience. It ensures practitioners and consultants can stay in regular contact with their patients while claiming all applicable reimbursements from the relevant payer.

Patients can view their measurements through their device there and then by accessing charts within the patient area to see how readings are changing – giving them control over their health, an active role in their condition management, and empowerment to make positive lifestyle changes in line with their physician's recommendations.