Does New Zealand need to shed light on the facilitators and barriers to adopting RPM interventions in different healthcare settings?
New Zealand is at a pivotal point where it must address the facilitators and barriers to adopting Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) interventions across various healthcare settings. RPM has shown significant potential for improving healthcare access, especially for managing chronic conditions and providing care to remote and underserved populations. However, its adoption faces several challenges that need to be addressed to fully realise its benefits.
One of the most significant facilitators is the ability of RPM to enhance patient engagement and self-management. For instance, trials in rural areas of New Zealand, such as in Te Tai Tokerau and Te Tairāwhiti, have shown that RPM enables whānau to manage their health more actively and reduces the need for frequent hospital admissions.
RPM also has the potential to significantly reduce healthcare costs by decreasing preventable hospitalisations and emergency department visits. In Northland, preventable hospital admissions cost over NZD 2.7 million annually. Early intervention through RPM could address these costs by allowing healthcare providers to monitor and act on health data before conditions worsen.
The integration of RPM into the broader healthcare system has improved with advances in technology. The development of the Piki Te Ora app, which allows patients to upload their health data directly from devices like smartwatches and glucose monitors, is an example of how technology is making RPM more accessible. This app addresses a common barrier to RPM: the lack of interoperability with existing healthcare systems.
That said, one of the major barriers to RPM adoption in NZ is the digital divide, particularly in remote and underserved Māori communities. While RPM can improve access to healthcare, the technology's effectiveness is limited by access to reliable internet and devices.
Additionally, although advancements have been made with interoperability, many RPM systems still face challenges in integrating with New Zealand’s National Health Index (NHI) and existing electronic medical records. Despite the psychological and self-management benefits reported by patients, evidence of RPM reducing hospital admissions or improving mortality rates also remains inconclusive. Current telemonitoring programs, while promising, have yet to show consistent evidence of reducing emergency visits or mortality for chronic conditions like heart failure and COPD.
To fully realise the benefits of RPM, it is crucial to address the technological, infrastructural, and equity challenges that currently hinder its widespread adoption. By understanding and mitigating these barriers, we can use RPM to improve health outcomes, particularly for its most vulnerable populations.