A remote patient monitoring (RPM) program for COVID-19 reduced the likelihood of hospitalization and shortened length of stay, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. For a retrospective, observational study, Bradley H. Crotty, MD, MPH, and colleagues examined whether an RPM program for COVID-19 was associated with the likelihood of hospitalization and whether admitted patients presented for hospital care earlier or later. Of 10,660 COVID-19-positive ambulatory patients eligible for inclusion, 9,378 were invited into the RPM program. The 5,364 patients who activated monitoring had a mean 35.3 check-ins and 1.27 free-text comments; 16.4% experienced at least one alert. Hospitalizations occurred among 2.4% of activated patients and 3.9% of inactivated patients. RPM activation was associated with lower odds of hospitalization in weighted regression analysis after adjustment for demographics, comorbidities, and time period (OR, 0.68). A longer time between test and hospitalization was seen for monitored patients (6.67 days vs 5.24 days), as were shorter length of stay (4.44 days vs 7.14 days) and less intensive care use (0.3% vs 1.1%).
