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Freeing up hospital beds in the UK’s NHS with remote monitoring technology
Patients in the UK’s NHS use Clinitouch remote monitoring technology to monitor heart failure post hospital discharge. Read more about the project below.
At a time when NHS capacity is stretched, clinical resources must be used efficiently and dedicated to at-risk patients.
This means leveraging innovative methods of care delivery to free up beds for those who need them most.
Many patients with heart failure can be safely discharged sooner and monitored from home, tracking their recovery without occupying a hospital bed through remote monitoring technology.
The Problem
Increasing patient demand coupled with lack of resource is straining NHS capacity, leading to prolonged wait times and decreased access to care.
What does this pilot look like?
There are many components that make up a project, such as identifying the appropriate patient cohort, or making sure that you're monitoring the correct vital signs. Read more below about the foundations of this project.
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The Objectives
What this pilot aims to do
- Reduce unnecessary hospital admissions for patients with heart failure
- Improve clinical capacity, freeing up resources to care for more at-risk patients
- Help patients to maintain and improve their condition from the comfort of their own home
Pilot project results
Results from the 6-month pilot indicate significant improvements in patient outcomes, as well as clinical efficiencies. In addition to the stats below, patients also fed back that they liked the reduction in travel to appointments, feeling more in control of their health and working in collaboration with their healthcare team.
Feedback
“It allowed them to release my bed for another patient who needed it more than I did, and avoided me doing a lot of travelling for voluntary monitoring.”
Harold Chugg, aged 75, heart failure patient
When Harold, aged 75, was in the hospital due to complications with heart failure, he would have likely had to remain there for further days or even weeks.
However, he was offered the opportunity to leave hospital sooner to be safely monitored on a virtual ward using Clinitouch technology.
Through the virtual ward, he answered questionnaires and recorded clinical observations, which were reviewed by his specialist heart failure nurses.
Living on a farm, frequent trips to the hospital were challenging for Harold. With this technology, he could conveniently monitor his health from home, leading to a stable condition post-discharge.
Feedback
“It allowed them to release my bed for another patient who needed it more than I did, and avoided me doing a lot of travelling for voluntary monitoring.”
Harold Chugg, aged 75, heart failure patient
