Home use of Bluetooth medical devices can help Military Veterans with chronic disease management via real-time physiological measurements instead of relying on scheduled visits or appointments with health care providers. Bluetooth technology is in a prime position to further enhance the healthcare experience for patients and staff.[1]
How can Bluetooth medical devices help? These devices can provide predictions about an individual’s health and performance based on their real-time physiological state. Advances in computing power and microelectronics make it possible to assess human performance and overall health. Real-time physiological measurement capabilities and data processing provide patients with relevant information. Bluetooth medical devices monitored remotely could replace expensive home visits from community nursing staff for routine checking and evaluation because medical data could be sent via cellular network or through the internet. This also cuts medical costs by enabling healthcare providers to remotely monitor vital signs such as blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood oxygenation while patients stay at home. Let’s see how home Bluetooth medical devices can help military veterans with chronic diseases.
Excellent network connectivity for healthcare providers and facilities
From fitness trackers and smartwatches to glucose monitors and pulse oximeters, Bluetooth-enabled wearables can all connect military veterans to their clinicians. Monitoring devices support the chronic disease management of military veteran patients, from providing health information to medical diagnosis, care, and connection. Bluetooth significantly enhances security, increases signal range, and strengthens asset tracking and guiding capabilities, making Bluetooth devices helpful in the connection between clinicians and staff at healthcare facilities. Bluetooth technology makes it easier for military veterans to get around a large hospital or medical campus. Healthcare workers can quickly find important medical equipment and patients in need of urgent care.
Continuously monitors vital-signs remotely
Based from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Rural Health (ORH)[2], of the nearly 20 million veterans in the U.S., 4.7 million live in rural America. Veterans living in rural areas experience difficult health services access and other problems due to rural delivery challenges like hospital closings due to unstable financial situations, transportation options, greater geographic and distance barriers, limited internet connections, higher uninsured rates, and some other difficulties. But with the use of Bluetooth medical health care devices, healthcare providers can provide accessible care to rural Veterans.
Healthcare providers remotely monitor vital signs of military veterans such as blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood oxygenation while they remain at home. The sensor continuously measures more vital signs in a single unit than any other device. Like patients with chronic diseases, for instance, heart rate, stress, inter-beat interval, SPO2, respiration rate, body temperature, step count, activity, and indoor GPS location are continuously monitored. The sensor incorporates many design features, enhancing usability for both patients and healthcare providers, and is designed to be used in hospitals and in patients’ homes post-discharge as well. It is also designed to be used by patients living at home with chronic conditions such as heart or respiratory conditions. Calories burned, step-count, and activity are also monitored, allowing recovery to be assessed and measured and goals to be set.
Health monitoring improvement or early deterioration detection
Over 30% of Veterans suffer from multiple chronic conditions (MCC).[3] Cases like that really require regular and complex health care management to improve their health conditions. Through Bluetooth medical devices an instrument in the implementation of chronic care management and monitoring benefits like patient health outcomes improvement will reduce health care costs. With Bluetooth medical devices, health monitoring both in hospitals and homes will be possible. Wearable Bluetooth medical devices can provide predictions about an individual’s health and performance based on their real-time physiological state. It offers major improvements over population-based predictions among military veterans. Advances in computing power and microelectronics make this improvement in human performance assessment possible, with real-time physiological measurement capabilities and data processing that can provide actionable and important information about the individual. It will then build on current progress in the development of these systems for military veterans’ health and chronic disease management.
This technology continuously monitors vital signs, detecting deterioration at the earliest moment and reducing the risk of conditions escalating. Some devices may also contain a panic alarm and are capable of fall detection and fall prediction through “near-miss detection.” Patients can then be monitored remotely and admitted only if a deterioration is detected, avoiding the risk of the condition worsening.
Behavioral data analysis
According to a 2016 study[4], over 1.1 million Veterans who were treated in a VA Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) between 2010–2011 were diagnosed with at least one among the five mental illnesses depression, PTSD, substance use disorder, anxiety, and schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
The use of Bluetooth medical devices in the home allows behavioral data to be analyzed, which can reveal mental health conditions such as depression, social isolation, and poor sleep quality in military veterans. It could record temperature, humidity, and noise levels to ensure the patient’s environment is favorable for recovery. As patients are being monitored remotely, behavioral data will be analyzed and deterioration will be detected as early as possible.
Creation of large-scale device networks
As increasing demands for comprehensive, secure wireless device networks continue to grow across commercial and industrial systems spaces, healthcare environments stand to benefit from the increased security, reliability, and scalability these facility-wide networks provide to military veterans.
Bluetooth allows the creation of large-scale device networks and is ideally suited for control, monitoring, and automation systems that require tens, hundreds, or thousands of devices to many military veterans reliably and securely communicate with one another. A network that can help healthcare facilities combat cost pressures, provide better patient care, and improve operational efficiencies by using Bluetooth technology to monitor military veteran patients and advance emergency services.
Better disease management for both veterans and healthcare providers
IDC reports[5] in its “Worldwide Bluetooth Semiconductor 2008-2012 Forecast,” the wireless connectivity standard, Bluetooth low energy, will link wireless sensors via radio signals to the 70% of cell phones and computers that are compatible with the next generation of Bluetooth wireless technology, leveraging a ready-built infrastructure for data transmission. Analysis of trends indicated by this data can help physicians better manage chronic diseases like diabetes, for instance. This will allow both military veterans and clinicians to manage their health and disease for improvement and recovery.
Data security and confidentiality
To ensure medical data of military veterans’ patients remains confidential, Bluetooth low energy inherits the encryption, authentication, and authorization security. It is important that an unauthorized receiver does not intervene in information transmitted from a wireless medical sensor. Bluetooth medical devices employ privacy protection in order to stop tracking by any unauthorized receivers. This can be done by limiting the ability to track a transmitting device through the use of a random device address that is usually being altered and changed.
Read more: How Bluetooth Works in Remote Patient Monitoring
How DrKumo Helps
DrKumo, a Service-Disabled Veteran (SDV) friendly corporation and a technology leader and real-time Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) solution specialist, helps military veterans manage their chronic diseases through Next-Generation Remote Patient Monitoring. This RPM solution supports military veterans’ status and performance, and will also be able to support medical needs. It solves healthcare problems with a user-friendly solution powered by its state-of-the-art, HIPAA-compliant, mobile-enabled, continuous real-time monitoring, and AI/ML engine. DrKumo provides the most effective solutions for both military veterans and healthcare providers.
Takeaway
Bluetooth medical device, a useful technology promises benefits for medical monitoring applications by freeing patients from inconvenient and restrictive wires. Aside from the aforementioned advantages, amazingly these wireless monitoring medical devices will help communicate with remote healthcare providers and could allow military veterans to remain in their homes while still under medical supervision.
References:
- 4 reasons to use Bluetooth in your healthcare facility. (2020, November 13). Bluetooth® Technology Website. https://www.bluetooth.com/blog/4-reasons-to-use-bluetooth-in-your-healthcare-facility/
- VA.gov | Veterans affairs. (n.d.). Office of Rural Health Home. https://www.ruralhealth.va.gov/aboutus/ruralvets.asp
- Perceptions of chronic illness care among veterans with multiple chronic conditions. (n.d.). PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4856296/
- Prevalence, comorbidity, and prognosis of mental health among US veterans. (2016, June 3). Institute for Veterans and Military Families. https://ivmf.syracuse.edu/article/prevalence-comorbidity-and-prognosis-of-mental-health-among-us-veterans/
- Bluetooth low energy: Wireless connectivity for medical monitoring. (n.d.). PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2864182/
