If you are preparing to roll out a remote patient monitoring (RPM) program and give equipment directly to patients, here’s a word to the wise. If you don’t take their digital literacy into account, your patients may not use the monitoring devices you send them. You could wind up with a great clinical program that you can’t get off the ground. Patients who get frustrated with the technology may gave up, delete your app and put your devices in a closet. Failing to address digital literacy is expensive and demoralizing for care teams and patients. It also creates problems if you purchased devices with telehealth grant dollars and need to show outcomes. [Read: Do Your Patients Need Remote Patient Monitoring?]
We want patients to develop Competence, Comfort, and Confidence in using telehealth solutions. Being competent leads to being comfortable with the equipment and feeling confident in their own ability to use it.
Achieving the “3 C’s” leads to the outcomes you want for your patients:
- Adherence – “I will use the monitoring equipment as directed.”
- Engagement – “When I see my numbers and understand what they mean, I feel I have more control over my own health.”
- Clinical success – “I am seeing results!”
Here are four simple steps to motivate, educate and engage your remote monitoring patients:
- Excite them about receiving the monitoring equipment.
- Make sure they understand why they are receiving it, and how it will help them.
- Teach them exactly what to do with it when they get it.
- Pay attention to their use, provide feedback and let them know you care
Once patients transmit their first Bluetooth blood pressure reading or answer their online symptom survey and get feedback from the nurse, they are on their way to success. Then you can turn your attention to symptom education and clinical management.
If you have purchased remote patient monitoring devices with telehealth grant funds and need some help enhancing your patients’ digital literacy, contact us, or give us a call at 1-888-458-1275.
