With frostier weather and icy mornings afoot, there is a significant increase in illness, falls and hospitalisations among the elderly. Recent studies have shown that the proportion of patients admitted during winter months has increased substantially. Many patients are hospitalised for longer periods of time, resulting in hospitals having less flexibility to manage the demand for hospital beds.

As staff shortages and a planned ambulance service strike plague an already strained NHS, winter hospitalisations can lead to further pressure on healthcare institutions. Mounting pressure on the NHS this winter is set to be worse than in previous years, with waiting times hitting record highs in November 2022. The cost-of-living crisis is causing many people to avoid using their heating and hot water to save money. However, this could cause further hospitalisations for those who are struggling to heat their homes during the colder months.

The UK government has announced a plan to help increase capacity in the NHS, using remote monitor technologies. The UK Health Secretary outlined that these new health tech devices can help mitigate the pressures of increasing waiting lists, delayed discharges, and ambulance delays for healthcare institutions this winter. Currently, the healthcare industry has become increasingly reliant on mobile and IoT devices to revolutionise patient care and improve health outcomes while in hospitals.

Healthcare institutions must utilise new health-tech devices to remotely monitor vulnerable patients and create virtual wards to help prevent further hospital admissions. This will allow early discharge for patients who can be monitored remotely.

It is vital that healthcare institutions begin to implement remote patient monitoring and virtual wards before hospital admissions begin to increase this winter.

Hybrid Healthcare

Following the pandemic, hybrid healthcare processes have been implemented, and have accelerated remote patient monitoring via digital medical devices. The increase in healthcare technologies has allowed healthcare professionals to introduce remote monitoring and digital healthcare software to care for patients not only in hospitals and clinics, but also at home. Remote monitoring and hybrid healthcare is the solution that healthcare professionals have been calling for this winter. Icy, wintery conditions significantly increase the risk of elderly and less mobile people falling.

According to a WHO Global Report on falls prevention, 34% of those over the age of 65 are at risk of falls, raising significant concerns for the future and presenting a complex problem that needed a quick solution. Figures from the NHS show that around 1 in 3 adults over 65 who live at home will have at least one fall a year and these falls cost the UK healthcare sector £4.6 million a day. So with winter only set to make this worse, a solution must be implemented quickly.

Remote monitoring is the key to preventing further falls, injuries and hospitalisations for the elderly this winter. Remote monitoring health tech devices, such as , use customised IoT software and wearable technology such as smartwatches to track patient movements and highlight any changes in behaviour that could signal illness or warn of a potential fall.

Using IoT software and predictive data in remote monitoring can give early warning signs of deterioration or the chance of a fall, allowing healthcare professionals to act accordingly. But these, devices can also be used to allow early discharge for patients who can be monitored via a virtual ward at home.

Maintaining Independence Through Preventative Care

Remote monitoring presents many advantages for healthcare institutions helping alleviate significant pressure on a strained NHS. But the impact of these technologies on the patients allows for an increased degree of independence.

Wearable remote monitoring devices allow patients to be discharged early, freeing up much-needed hospital space but also allowing patients to recuperate at home. Using IoT software combined with health-tech devices enables healthcare professionals to monitor multiple patients from anywhere and even prevent further hospital admissions since constant monitoring will flag any potential signs of illness or a potential fall.

Maintaining independence and preventing further hospital admissions this winter will significantly help lessen the pressure on healthcare institutions, while also monitoring vulnerable patients to ensure they are safe, healthy and warm this winter.

Managing Remote Healthcare

While the benefits of remote patient monitoring and predictive data are vital for helping healthcare institutions this winter, healthcare professionals must ensure these devices are properly managed and maintained.

New health-tech devices must all be connected securely to one IoT platform that will ensure all devices are working efficiently and are fully connected to the virtual ward. Managing remote health tech can be a challenge with the sheer volume of devices needing to be maintained. However, by using effective EMM software, healthcare institutions can access device information and diagnostics to ensure each device is working and prevent any errors or downtime, which can result in patient hospitalisation.

Remote patient monitoring and hybrid healthcare are the future. However, the time to act is now in order to help take the strain off healthcare institutions this winter.    Faki Saadi, Director of Sales, France, UK and Ireland at SOTI