Geriatric Patients in Virtual Wards: BGS 2024

Summary

Juliana Pugm, a clinical research manager at Current Health, discusses the company's virtual care platform that supports remote patient monitoring through integrated devices. The platform is utilized in virtual wards in the US and UK to enhance patient experience and reduce hospital pressures. Despite the common belief that older adults are less likely to engage with technology, a study involving 857 patients, including a geriatric group aged 75 and above, revealed that both age groups had high adherence to the technology and ease of use scores. The findings challenge stereotypes and highlight the significance of including older adults in technology-enabled healthcare.

Takeaways

• 📊 Juliana Pugm is a clinical research manager with Current Health, a virtual care platform for remote patient monitoring.
• 🏥 Current Health supports hospital-at-home, virtual wards, and chronic care management programs in the US and UK.
• 📈 NHS England aims to expand virtual wards to reduce hospital capacity pressures, improve patient experience, save money, and lower hospital-associated risks.
• 👴 There is a noted technology lag among older adults, who are less likely to use technology compared to younger adults.
• 🔍 The study investigated technology engagement among geriatric virtual ward patients, focusing on adherence and ease of use.
• 📝 Current Health's wearable device and platform are used to remotely monitor vital signs and collect survey responses in virtual wards.
• 📉 The research included data from multiple NHS trusts using the Current Health platform from March 2021 to August 2023.
• 👵 Geriatric patients were defined as those aged 75 and older, with a comparison group of younger patients.
• 📊 Adherence to the wearable device was high, with geriatric patients showing a median adherence of 95.3% and younger patients at 93.3%.
• 📊 Blood pressure and survey adherence did not significantly differ between the age groups, with geriatrics at 87% and younger at 82%.
• 🤖 Despite perceptions, geriatric patients demonstrated high engagement with virtual ward technology, challenging stereotypes and highlighting the importance of including older adults in tech-enabled care.

Q & A

What is the role of Juliana Pugm in the healthcare sector?

Juliana Pugm is a clinical research manager with Current Health, a virtual care platform that supports remote patient monitoring.

What does Current Health offer as a virtual care platform?

Current Health offers remote patient monitoring through integrated devices that stream to a clinician-facing dashboard, supporting hospital-at-home, virtual wards, and chronic care management programs.

In which countries does Current Health operate its services?

Current Health operates its services in the United States and the United Kingdom.

What is NHS England's commitment regarding virtual wards?

NHS England is committed to expanding virtual wards to reduce capacity pressures, improve patient experience, save money, and reduce the risks associated with being in the hospital.

What is the general perception about older adults' use of technology according to the literature?

The literature suggests that there is a technology lag among older adults, indicating that they are less likely to use technology in general compared to younger adults.

How does the Current Health platform facilitate remote monitoring of vital signs?

The Current Health platform facilitates remote monitoring of vital signs through its wearable device, which takes continuous readings like heart rate and oxygen saturation, and also records blood pressure through a Bluetooth-enabled cuff.

What surveys were collected from patients enrolled in the virtual wards for this research?

Two surveys were collected: one was the six-question ease of use subdomain of the validated telehealth usability questionnaire, and the other was a question about patients' perceptions of their technology adoption style.

What was the time frame for the data used in the study?

The data used in the study was aggregated and deidentified from multiple NHS trusts that use the Current Health platform from March 2021 to August 2023.

How were geriatric patients defined in this study?

In this study, geriatric patients were defined as those who are 75 years and older.

What was the sample size for the comparison between the geriatric and younger age groups?

The sample size for the comparison included 857 patients, with 36.9% in the geriatric group and the rest in the younger group.

How did the geriatric group's ease of use scores compare to the younger group?

The median ease of use scores were 5.5 in the geriatric group and slightly higher at 6.2 in the younger group.

What was the adherence rate to the wearable device among geriatric patients?

The geriatric patients had a higher median adherence to the wearable device at 95.3%.

How did the survey adherence compare between the geriatric and younger groups?

Survey adherence for the geriatric group was 87% compared to 82% in the younger group, with the difference being close to being statistically significant at a p-value of 0.501.

What do the findings suggest about older adults' engagement with virtual ward technology?

The findings demonstrate high engagement in virtual ward technology among older adults, challenging stereotypes and the perception that they engage less with technology.

What is the importance of including older adults in technology-enabled virtual wards?

Including older adults in technology-enabled virtual wards is important as it helps to challenge stereotypes, reduce social inequalities, and ensure that geriatric care incorporates beneficial technological advancements.