TECHNICAL APPLICATION'S BACKGROUND
task one
Prepare a 200- to 300-word history about the National Critical Technology (NCT) technical application your team has selected to solve a local or national problem.
The National Critical Technology technical application that our group has selected is “Patient Monitoring Equipment”. Our group is specifically interested in creating portable patient monitoring equipment that can monitor patients outside of medical centers. For example, we want patients to be able to be monitored in the comfort of their homes.
Patient monitoring equipment, and really the entire medical device industry, took off with the rapid development of technology in the second half of the 20th century. These devices wouldn’t have been possible without the emerging technology that wirelessly transmits data from sensors. The remote patient monitoring industry grew rapidly as hospitals and physicians were encouraged to adopt electronic medical records. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by 2011, 54% of physicians had adopted an electronic health record system. Because most remote patient monitoring devices were able to send data directly to the physician’s system, the industry doubled from 2007-2011 as more electronic health records systems were adopted. Today, these monitoring devices are used mainly for the elderly or patients with chronic illnesses. Accordingly, the aging population, with an increased awareness of chronic diseases, is also pushing the development of the monitoring device industry. As the use of smartphones became standard, apps that could help monitor patients or alert physicians began to emerge as well. New types of remote patient monitoring devices are continuing to be developed as funding pours in. The use of patient monitoring equipment is growing rapidly; the US market for these devices is expected to reach $20.9 billion by 2016.
The National Critical Technology technical application that our group has selected is “Patient Monitoring Equipment”. Our group is specifically interested in creating portable patient monitoring equipment that can monitor patients outside of medical centers. For example, we want patients to be able to be monitored in the comfort of their homes.
Patient monitoring equipment, and really the entire medical device industry, took off with the rapid development of technology in the second half of the 20th century. These devices wouldn’t have been possible without the emerging technology that wirelessly transmits data from sensors. The remote patient monitoring industry grew rapidly as hospitals and physicians were encouraged to adopt electronic medical records. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by 2011, 54% of physicians had adopted an electronic health record system. Because most remote patient monitoring devices were able to send data directly to the physician’s system, the industry doubled from 2007-2011 as more electronic health records systems were adopted. Today, these monitoring devices are used mainly for the elderly or patients with chronic illnesses. Accordingly, the aging population, with an increased awareness of chronic diseases, is also pushing the development of the monitoring device industry. As the use of smartphones became standard, apps that could help monitor patients or alert physicians began to emerge as well. New types of remote patient monitoring devices are continuing to be developed as funding pours in. The use of patient monitoring equipment is growing rapidly; the US market for these devices is expected to reach $20.9 billion by 2016.
task two
Cite three detailed examples of research done in the past 3 to 5 years which focused on the NCT technical application your team selected. Include: the funding agency, the principal investigator's name, and the institution where the research is or was being conducted.
In July 2012, CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System in Texas began a yearlong pilot project on remote patient monitoring. There was no principal investigator listed for this project. However, the project was completed by the CHRISTUS St. Michael Health institute in Texas. The Remote Patient Monitoring Solution vendor funded the research. Around 80 patients with an average age of 81 participated in the project. They were given toolkits containing a tablet, weight scale, blood pressure cuff, and a pulse oximeter. The part of the project focused on was the blood pressure cuff and the pulse oximeter. These devices allowed these specific functions to be monitored closely by a device located on the patient. The patient monitored these devices in their own homes, and if there were problems then the numbers were immediately sent to the medical centers. The data gathered from these devices was sent to caregivers at the hospital. CHRISTUS Health currently uses a Novo Grid to send lab results to the members of the medical staff and has ensured bi-directional ordering capabilities as well. A data review for 44 patients who completed the program showed an initial return on investment of $2.44. Also, the average cost of care prior to the project, $12,937, dropped to $1,231 after participation in the project. Patient satisfaction for the project was around 95%.
In 2013, Centura Health at Home conducted a project to raise the quality of life of elderly adults and decrease 30-day re-hospitalization rates by merging its call center and tele health programs. The vendor for this project was Cardiocom and the principal investigator was Erin M. Denholm. The 200 participants in the project all suffered from a chronic health condition and had just experienced a hospitalization; the majority of the participants lived in the Denver Metro area. The remote patient monitoring tele health system chosen for this project was Cardiocom's COMMANDER FLEX®. With this system, Centura Health and Home found that hospitalizations relating to heart failure, COPD, and diabetes were reduced by 62% over a thirty day period. The rate of re-hospitalization for those receiving tele health home care was significantly lower than that of traditional home care patients, 6.28% compared to 18%. Also the number of visits to the emergency department decreased from 283 the previous year to just 21 during the project period. Along with a lower rate of re-hospitalization, the number of visits to the home by a registered nurse decreased noticeably during the study. The frequency of visits was reduced to around 3 for the whole 60 day period, compared to the typical frequency of 2 or 3 times per week; this reduction in visits saved patients on average $1000-$1500 per episode. The quality of life of patients, measured using the SF-36 scale also increased by an average of 4.8 points. The successful integration of the call center and tele health programs allowed for increased patient self-management and education, expansion in the geographical population that Centura Health and Home can serve, and a deeper level of service since tele health monitoring was available 24/7.
In 2013, Vidant Health conducted a study that created a program to increase the availability of care and treatment for its patients during hospitalization and after leaving the hospital. The study also involved lowering the amount of people hospitalized and the amount of time a patient stays in a hospital room. One of the goals of Vidant Health was to better patient and doctor communication. This research study was done in North Carolina, where the Vidant Health health care system is located. The funding agency for this study was Ideal Life, and the main investigator was Bonnie Britton. Some of the benefits of the program in the study were that hospitalization costs for patients decreased by a factor of 68%. Also, patients have access to better and more efficient treatment. There was also a 67% reduction of people admitted to stay overnight in a hospital as a result of the program in the study. In the middle of the study, a poll was taken to determine what the patients thought about the program, and 56% of the patients in the study strongly favored the Vidant Health program and were happy to be a part of the study because of its benefits.
In July 2012, CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System in Texas began a yearlong pilot project on remote patient monitoring. There was no principal investigator listed for this project. However, the project was completed by the CHRISTUS St. Michael Health institute in Texas. The Remote Patient Monitoring Solution vendor funded the research. Around 80 patients with an average age of 81 participated in the project. They were given toolkits containing a tablet, weight scale, blood pressure cuff, and a pulse oximeter. The part of the project focused on was the blood pressure cuff and the pulse oximeter. These devices allowed these specific functions to be monitored closely by a device located on the patient. The patient monitored these devices in their own homes, and if there were problems then the numbers were immediately sent to the medical centers. The data gathered from these devices was sent to caregivers at the hospital. CHRISTUS Health currently uses a Novo Grid to send lab results to the members of the medical staff and has ensured bi-directional ordering capabilities as well. A data review for 44 patients who completed the program showed an initial return on investment of $2.44. Also, the average cost of care prior to the project, $12,937, dropped to $1,231 after participation in the project. Patient satisfaction for the project was around 95%.
In 2013, Centura Health at Home conducted a project to raise the quality of life of elderly adults and decrease 30-day re-hospitalization rates by merging its call center and tele health programs. The vendor for this project was Cardiocom and the principal investigator was Erin M. Denholm. The 200 participants in the project all suffered from a chronic health condition and had just experienced a hospitalization; the majority of the participants lived in the Denver Metro area. The remote patient monitoring tele health system chosen for this project was Cardiocom's COMMANDER FLEX®. With this system, Centura Health and Home found that hospitalizations relating to heart failure, COPD, and diabetes were reduced by 62% over a thirty day period. The rate of re-hospitalization for those receiving tele health home care was significantly lower than that of traditional home care patients, 6.28% compared to 18%. Also the number of visits to the emergency department decreased from 283 the previous year to just 21 during the project period. Along with a lower rate of re-hospitalization, the number of visits to the home by a registered nurse decreased noticeably during the study. The frequency of visits was reduced to around 3 for the whole 60 day period, compared to the typical frequency of 2 or 3 times per week; this reduction in visits saved patients on average $1000-$1500 per episode. The quality of life of patients, measured using the SF-36 scale also increased by an average of 4.8 points. The successful integration of the call center and tele health programs allowed for increased patient self-management and education, expansion in the geographical population that Centura Health and Home can serve, and a deeper level of service since tele health monitoring was available 24/7.
In 2013, Vidant Health conducted a study that created a program to increase the availability of care and treatment for its patients during hospitalization and after leaving the hospital. The study also involved lowering the amount of people hospitalized and the amount of time a patient stays in a hospital room. One of the goals of Vidant Health was to better patient and doctor communication. This research study was done in North Carolina, where the Vidant Health health care system is located. The funding agency for this study was Ideal Life, and the main investigator was Bonnie Britton. Some of the benefits of the program in the study were that hospitalization costs for patients decreased by a factor of 68%. Also, patients have access to better and more efficient treatment. There was also a 67% reduction of people admitted to stay overnight in a hospital as a result of the program in the study. In the middle of the study, a poll was taken to determine what the patients thought about the program, and 56% of the patients in the study strongly favored the Vidant Health program and were happy to be a part of the study because of its benefits.
task three
Based on the research your team has done, explain how the NCT application chosen has advanced scientific knowledge.
Patient monitoring devices have advanced scientific knowledge by directly providing physicians with detailed data of patients' conditions. Before the use of patient monitoring devices, physicians mainly gathered data about patient conditions from in-person check-ups or over-the-phone conversations. Now, physicians have large amounts of data readily available to them from devices which wirelessly communicate with their electronic medical records system. Monitoring patients for long periods of time allows physicians to detect patterns in patient development. These patterns then allow scientists to predict the effect of treatments on other patients with similar illnesses.
Patient monitoring devices have advanced scientific knowledge by directly providing physicians with detailed data of patients' conditions. Before the use of patient monitoring devices, physicians mainly gathered data about patient conditions from in-person check-ups or over-the-phone conversations. Now, physicians have large amounts of data readily available to them from devices which wirelessly communicate with their electronic medical records system. Monitoring patients for long periods of time allows physicians to detect patterns in patient development. These patterns then allow scientists to predict the effect of treatments on other patients with similar illnesses.