March 21, 2022

Telehealth Case Study: Personal Patient Care from a Distance

Carrie French
March 21, 2022
2
min read

Welby Health is built on the idea that stronger patient connections are the key to better outcomes. Our RPM tool and telemedicine platform allow providers to offer more hands-on, data-driven care, especially for at-risk patients who require chronic condition management.

How does remote patient monitoring work? Let’s explore a case study to understand the comprehensive nature of support that can be provided to patients through a well-designed RPM program.

This blog outlines real patient results and home healthcare notes from Nurse McLeggan, one of Welby’s licensed RNs.

  1. Medical Assessment - Ms. Lopez is an 80-year-old Caucasian female living in a single-family home in Arizona. She has chronic hypertension and was outfitted with a home blood pressure cuff for remote monitoring. Her BMI is over 35 with systolic blood pressure in the early stages of hypertension, averaging between 140 - 150 mmHg. During their initial virtual visit, Ms. Lopez met with Nurse McLeggan. They confirmed blood pressure readings and discussed how painful swelling in her feet had impaired mobility. She had also fallen twice in the past 30 days and was told by her primary care doctor that torn ligaments in her knee will require surgery.
  2. Social and Lifestyle Factors - In addition to high blood pressure and knee pain, Ms. Lopez also struggled to care for her 85-year-old husband. He was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer and had taken chemotherapy pills for treatment. Her daughter had also recently passed away after undergoing chemo infusions for breast cancer. Ms. Lopez explained that she was more depressed since transitioning her husband into hospice and palliative care. Her husband’s prognosis was an acute point of stress, and she expressed deep sadness through tears on the phone.
  3. Comprehensive Care - Nurse McLeggan continued to treat Ms. Lopez virtually when her at-home blood pressure readings were out of range. Long-term, detailed charting revealed a clear trend: the patient’s blood pressure fluctuations were directly linked to familial stress, not only her diet, mobility, and medication.
  4. Mental Health: Ms. Lopez’s husband passed away during the treatment program, and she expressed that it was difficult to care about and manage her own health while grieving. So, their conversation shifted to self-care and personal support. The nurse coordinated community care, connected Ms. Lopez to bereavement counseling services, and encouraged her to reach out to family members living out of state. She expressed gratitude that Nurse McLeggan was personally invested in her wellbeing, not only the state of her hypertension.
  5. Diet: Like many patients, Ms. Lopez struggled to maintain a low sodium diet because she didn’t understand how to read food labels and choose healthy alternatives that fit her dietary needs. With this RPM program, she unlocked access to an app that scans labels and makes dietician-approved recommendations. Plus, Nurse McLeggan shared educational videos and articles to help the patient learn new self-management skills.
  6. Mobility: Together, they also discussed mobility options to prevent falls and decrease pain. With less swelling in her feet, the patient can increase activity and utilize her cane with more confidence.
  7. Medication: Real-time alerts added more clarity to the treatment program – both for Ms. Lopez and Nurse McLeggen. Daily blood pressure readings track progress more accurately, so the integrated care team can identify anomalies faster and adjust medication doses more accurately.

Welby Health’s patient-centered RPM tool is designed to deliver integrated, holistic care from a distance. We are proud of Ms. Lopez’s ongoing progress with Nurse McLeggen, and her journey is just one of many success stories.

To see how this program might benefit patients in your clinic, schedule a no-obligation consultation today.

Carrie French
11 Jan 2022
5 min read

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