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.

Outlines

00:00

📊 Remote Patient Monitoring and Geriatric Tech Engagement

Juliana Pugm, a clinical research manager with Current Health, discusses the virtual care platform's role in supporting remote patient monitoring through integrated devices. Current Health's platform is utilized in hospital-at-home programs and chronic care management in the US and UK, particularly focusing on the expansion of virtual wards to alleviate hospital pressures and improve patient experiences. The challenge lies in engaging older adults, who are often perceived as lagging in technology adoption. The study investigates this by measuring adherence to technology among geriatric virtual ward patients. The platform uses wearable devices for continuous vital sign monitoring and Bluetooth-enabled cuffs for blood pressure readings, alongside surveys on ease of use and technology adoption. The research, conducted from March 2021 to August 2023 across multiple NHS trusts, defines geriatric patients as 75 years and older and compares their ease of use, technology adoption style, and adherence measures to those of younger patients.

05:01

👵 High Tech Engagement Among Geriatric Patients

Contrary to common perceptions and literature suggesting older adults are less likely to engage with technology, the findings from the Current Health platform reveal high engagement levels among geriatric patients. Both age groups showed higher-than-usual adherence to tasks and technology, with geriatric patients demonstrating a median adherence of 95.3% to the wearable device, slightly higher than the younger group's 93.3%. Although the difference in blood pressure and survey adherence was not significant, the geriatric group showed a near-statistical significance with a survey adherence of 87% compared to 82% in the younger group. Despite a higher percentage of geriatric patients identifying as avoiding new technology, their actual adherence to remote monitoring tasks was equal or higher. This challenges the stereotype of digital inequality reinforcing social inequalities and highlights the importance of including older adults in technology-enabled healthcare solutions.

Keywords

💡Clinical Research Manager

A Clinical Research Manager is a professional who oversees the planning, execution, and reporting of clinical trials. In the context of the video, Juliana Pugm holds this role at Current Health, a company that focuses on virtual care platforms. This position is crucial for ensuring that the technology and services provided by Current Health are effective, safe, and meet the needs of patients, particularly in the area of remote patient monitoring.

💡Current Health

Current Health is a virtual care platform mentioned in the script that supports remote patient monitoring through integrated devices. It is a key player in the video's narrative as it provides the technology that enables the monitoring of patients' vital signs from a distance, which is essential for the operation of virtual wards and the delivery of care at home.

💡Remote Patient Monitoring

Remote Patient Monitoring refers to the practice of tracking a patient's health data from a distance using digital tools and devices. In the video, this concept is central as it describes how Current Health's platform allows for the continuous streaming of health data to clinicians, facilitating the management of patients' health without the need for in-person visits.

💡Virtual Wards

Virtual Wards are a concept where healthcare is provided to patients in their homes or other non-hospital settings through digital means. The script discusses how NHS England is committed to expanding virtual wards to alleviate hospital pressures, improve patient experience, and reduce costs, which is a significant part of the video's message about the benefits of technology in healthcare.

💡NHS England

NHS England is the national healthcare service for England, which is mentioned in the script as being dedicated to the expansion of virtual wards. This organization plays a significant role in the context of the video as it represents the healthcare system that is actively integrating technology to improve patient care and reduce hospital burdens.

💡Technology Lag

Technology Lag refers to the phenomenon where certain groups of people are slower to adopt or use new technologies. In the script, it is suggested that older adults often experience a technology lag, being less likely to use computers, the internet, and smartphone applications compared to younger adults. This concept is explored in relation to the use of virtual ward technology by geriatric patients.

💡Geriatric Patients

Geriatric Patients are elderly individuals who require specialized healthcare due to their age. The script defines geriatric patients as those who are 75 years and older. The video discusses how these patients engage with technology in virtual wards, challenging the stereotype of technology lag among older adults.

💡Ease of Use

Ease of Use is a measure of how intuitive and simple a technology is to use. In the video, ease of use is assessed through a survey that asks patients about their experience with the Current Health kit, with higher scores indicating a higher ease of use. This is a critical aspect of the video as it evaluates patient satisfaction and the adoption of technology in virtual wards.

💡Adherence

Adherence in the context of the video refers to how consistently patients follow through with the tasks required for remote monitoring, such as wearing a device or taking readings. The script details how adherence is measured for tasks like wearing a wearable device, taking blood pressure readings, and completing surveys, which is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of virtual ward programs.

💡Digital Inequality

Digital Inequality is the disparity in access to, use of, or impact from digital technologies. The script suggests that existing works indicate digital inequality can reinforce social inequalities. However, the findings of the research presented challenge this notion, showing that older adults can engage with virtual ward technology effectively, thus highlighting the importance of inclusive technology design.

💡Surveys

Surveys in the script refer to the tools used to collect data from patients about their perceptions and experiences with the technology. Two types of surveys are mentioned: one assessing ease of use and another about technology adoption style. These surveys provide valuable insights into patient engagement and satisfaction with the virtual ward technology.

Highlights

Current Health is a virtual care platform that supports remote patient monitoring through integrated devices streaming to a clinician dashboard

NHS England is committed to expanding virtual wards to reduce hospital capacity pressures, improve patient experience, save money and reduce hospital risks

Older adults in virtual wards face a technology lag compared to younger adults, with less likelihood to use computers, internet and smartphone apps

Several NHS trusts have incorporated the Current Health platform into their virtual wards to support home care delivery

The Current Health platform remotely monitors vital signs through a wearable device and a bluetooth-enabled blood pressure cuff

Two surveys were collected from virtual ward patients: ease of use and technology adoption style

Aggregated, de-identified data from multiple NHS trusts using Current Health was analyzed from March 2021 to August 2023

Geriatric patients were defined as 75 years and older, with 36.9% of the 857 patients studied falling into this group

Ease of use scores were high for both geriatric (median 5.5) and younger (median 6.2) patients

More geriatric patients (82%) were likely to avoid/delay technology adoption compared to 56% of younger patients

Adherence to wearing the device was high in both groups: 95.3% for geriatrics vs 93.3% for younger patients

Blood pressure and survey adherence did not significantly differ between the two age groups

Survey adherence was nearly statistically significant (p=0.501), with 87% for geriatrics vs 82% for younger patients

Contrary to perceptions, geriatric patients showed high engagement with virtual ward technology

While fewer geriatrics found technology easy to use, their overall scores were still high above 5

Despite more geriatrics avoiding new technology, they showed equal or higher adherence to remote monitoring tasks

The study challenges stereotypes about digital inequality reinforcing social inequalities

The results underscore the importance of including older adults in technology-enabled virtual wards and geriatric care

Transcripts

hello my name is Juliana pugm and I'm a

clinical research manager with current

health a best bu Health company current

health is a virtual care platform that

supports remote patient monitoring

through integrated devices that stream

to a clinician facing

dashboard we support hospital at home

virtual Wards and chronic Care

Management Programs in the United States

and the United

Kingdom NHS England is committed to the

expansion of virtual Wards to reduce

capacity pressures improve patient

experience save money and reduce the

risks associated with being in the

hospital this requires that patients

engage with Home Care tasks and

Technology many patients in Virtual

Wards are older age and the literature

suggests there's a tech technology lag

among older

adults this lag repeatedly shows up in

the literature showing that older adults

are less likely to use technology in

general computers the Internet and

smartphone applications compared to

younger

adults we investigated whether this lag

would be evident in geriatric virtual W

patients through their engagement with

the technology measured by adherence

several NHS trusts have Incorporated the

current health platform into their

virtual Wards to support the delivery of

Care at

home these virtual Wards use the current

health platform to remotely monitor

Vital Signs through the company's own

wearable device taking continuous

readings like heart rate and oxygen

saturation the platform also recorded

blood pressure through a bluetooth

enabled blood pressure cuff and

collected survey responses via a

tablet two surveys were collected from

the patients enrolled in the virtual

awards for This research one was the six

question ease of use subdomain of the

validated teleah Health usability

questionnaire where higher scores

indicate higher ease of

use ease of use statements included it

was simple to use the current health kit

and I like using the current health kit

the other survey was a question about

how they perceived themselves in terms

of Technology adoption from avoiding new

technology to being among the first to

adopt new

technology we used aggregated and

deidentified data from multiple NHS

trusts that use the current health

platform from March of

2021 to August of

2023 we defined our geriatric patients

as 75 years and

older we assessed differences between

the older and younger age groups in

perceived ease of use technology

adoption style and measures of adherence

to wearing a device on the upper arm

taking blood pressure readings and

taking the surveys delivered via the

tablet provided in the current health

kit we measured adherence to the

wearable device by counting the number

of hours the device was worn divided by

the number of hours it was to be worn we

measured adherence to blood pressure and

Survey tasks by counting the number of

tasks completed divided by the number of

tasks assigned all measures were

multiplied by 100 and are expressed as

percentages by being able to pull data

across multiple trusts we were able to

create a large sample size for

comparison between between those who

were 75 years and older or geriatric

population and those who were younger

than 75 years old

857 patients met our inclusion criteria

and

36.9% were in the geriatric group with a

mean age of 81 A2 years the younger

group had 541 patients with a mean age

of 59.1 years gender was evenly split

between the

groups median ease of use scores were

5.5 in the geriatric group indicating

that they agreed the technology was easy

to use median ease ofuse scores were

slightly higher in the younger group at

6.2 82% of geriatric patients said they

were more likely to avoid or delay

technology adoption compared to 56% of

younger patients

adherence to tasks and technology in

both groups was higher than what is

typically reported in the

literature geriatric patients had higher

median adherence to the wearable device

at

95.3% younger patients had a high median

adherence of

93.3% blood pressure and Survey

adherence did not differ significantly

between groups however survey adherence

was a very close to being statistically

significant at a p of

0.501 survey adherence for our geriatric

group was

87% compared to 82% in the younger

group despite perceptions and literature

that show older adults engage less with

technology our findings demonstrate High

High engagement in Virtual War

technology while ease of use scores were

slightly lower in our geriatric patients

they were still high overall above five

indicating agreement with the statements

that the technology was easy to use and

while more geriatric patients described

themselves as avoiding new technology

they exhibited equal or higher adherence

to remote monitoring

tasks existing Works suggest that

digital inequality can reinforce social

inequalities these results challenge

stereotypes and underscore the

importance of including older adults in

technology enabled virtual Wards and

incorporating technology in geriatric

care