The new normal in healthcare: Remote patient monitoring

Technological advancements will give drive the post-pandemic patient care, say experts

Advancements in digital healthcare will soon make remote monitoring of patients the new normal, according to Dr H Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman of Manipal Hospitals.

A nephrologist with nearly five decades of experience, Dr Ballal feels hospital beds should be reserved for patients who are critically ill or need to undergo procedures. All other patients should be treated at home or as outpatients, he said.

Dr Ballal made these remarks at the DH Bengaluru 2040 Summit on Friday during a discussion on 'Preparing for a Post-Pandemic Future'. Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan and Nimhans Director Dr Pratima Murthy were other members of the panel.

"Covid is something I can never forget. I have seen the outbreak of smallpox, Zika, H1N1 and AIDS but Covid has turned the world upside down. We may not witness something like this for another 100 years. This is a true blackspot event," Dr Ballal said, adding that the pandemic has taught many lessons, especially the importance of a strong healthcare system.

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The noted nephrologist emphasised that a large number of patients can be treated at home with the help of technology. "Now, a wristwatch can check the heartbeat, blood saturation levels, blood pressure and temperature, things that doctors used to do in hospitals. In the near future, remote monitoring of patients will be the norm," Dr Ballal said. "In the past, video consultation was deemed illegal. This changed after March 2020. Digital healthcare has bridged the gap between urban and rural India in many ways."

Dr Murty said that Nimhans, India's premier mental health hospital, had introduced a national mental telehealth programme to cater to the underserved parts of Karnataka. "We were of the view that there will be a global mental health pandemic soon after Covid is gone. (But) there were huge stress and anxiety issues not just among Covid patients but also among people who lost jobs, education etc. We received more than six lakh (phone) calls during the pandemic," she said.

According to Dr Murthy, Nimhans gets patients from all parts of the country, which puts a lot of additional stress on patients. "There is a need to decentralise the healthcare system. Covid has taught us to use technology and create the hub-and-spoke model," she said.

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The hub-and-spoke model is one with a central hub where everything originates or is sent for distribution to the end-user.

Weighing in, the higher education minister talked about how the National Education Policy (NEP) has incorporated health and wellness into the curriculum. "Most people do not know what (disease) they are suffering from. The syllabus on health and wellness will ensure students are not only physically fit but are also mentally strong," said Dr Ashwath Narayan.

Answering a question on the organ transplant scenario in the post-Covid world, Dr Ballal agreed that the restrictions had badly affected dialysis patients and those needing kidney transplants. "During the first and second waves, (organ) transplants came to a standstill for a few months. The pandemic suppressed your immunity. Then there was a backlog. But now, a lot of transplants are happening," he said.

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