Improving Patient Use of At-Home Testing and Medical Device Management

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to theexplosion of new devices and technologies that enable the delivery of care to the homeand they have the potential to improve patient lives and outcomes. While medical devices, diagnostics, and remote patient monitoring tools can significantly increase quality of life, improve health outcomes, and reduce the burden on the healthcare system, they also bring challenges for patients that must be addressed to ensure success.

Barriers to At-Home Testing and Device Utilization

对于这些家用工具来说，障碍是常见的，可能是它们使用的严重障碍。它们可能包括有限的卫生知识、复杂的指示、具体的交付参数、未知的报销适应症、长期使用、设备维护以及数据与保健提供者系统的集成。这些障碍中的任何一个都可能阻碍医疗设备的成功评估、部署和持续使用。

Patient Engagement Technologies Can Help

Patients who need to use medical devices including simple blood pressure monitors, moderately complex continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, and life saving devices like left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) will almost always benefit from added support, but that can be time consuming and labor intensive when done manually by the care team.Automated patient communication technology can make a substantial difference for patients and relieve a significant burden for care team and device manufacturers.

Barrier 1: Accurate and Efficient At-Home Testing

家庭测试通常是确定患者是否能从医疗设备或治疗中受益的第一步，但由于各种各样的原因，它往往无法成功完成，而患者参与技术可以缓解这些问题。

获得保险授权。When a test or device is indicated, but needs to be pre-authorized by insurance, patient engagement technology can be deployed to initiate the request or empower the patient with the information they need to obtain authorization.

Acquiring the equipment.技术是自动化物流和测试设备交付的一个很好的方式。设备通常必须在准备测试时进行设置和包装，但当患者错过取货预约时，工作人员会浪费大量时间将设备送回库存，并试图与患者重新安排时间。如果物品对温度敏感或需要交付签名，运送给患者的测试和设备可能会交付失败。在某些情况下，检测和设备的低回报率也给公司造成了财政负担。所有这些挑战都延误了病人的治疗。患者参与技术可以自动提供提示和提醒，以确保家庭测试设备的成功交付和返回。

最优的测试结果。必须准确地进行家庭检测，以优化疗效和有用性，这对不熟悉技术或医疗设备的患者来说可能很困难。患者参与软件可以提供一步一步的指导，故障排除和提示，以确保测试成功实施。

Virginia Mason leveraged patient engagement technology to support at-home sleep apnea testing, recognizing that the path to diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea was fraught with challenges. To address this issue, they deployed several automated communication pathways to promote home medical equipment (HME) appointment attendance, deliver educational messages and videos, provide encouragement and coaching, and support troubleshooting for home sleep apnea teat (HSAT) completion and CPAP compliance. This approach has resulted in significant reductions in no shows and increased compliance.Download a case study to learn more.

Barrier 2: Delivery and Set-Up

一旦测试成功完成，并且指定了医疗设备，数字化患者参与工具就可以实现设备交付、设置和使用的自动化。

安排交货。Using a simple form, you can identify the best time to deliver the device, which ensures timely delivery and creates a seamless experience for the patient.

建立和使用指南。Many devices can be difficult to set up and may require some configuration. In addition, there may be an array of features that can help create an excellent patient experience and ensure the patient receives the maximum benefit possible. Step-by-step guidance from day one will provide patients with the information they need to begin using the device, promote proper maintenance, and reduce phone calls from patients by proactively answering questions.

如果需要，方便设备返回。In some cases, a device may no longer be needed but they are often not returned, resulting in lost revenue and waste. With digital messaging, returns can be easily facilitated, from shipping instructions to logistic assistance.

Barrier 3: Successful Long-Term Use and Adherence

即使患者可以从医疗设备中获得显著的好处，使用、管理和长期坚持仍然是具有挑战性的。将数字沟通路径自动化是一种有效而高效的方式，可以提供个性化的学前教育、指导和持续支持。

Pre-education.Digitally deliver valuable information to make sure patients know what to expect, what supplies they will need, or physical arrangements they should plan on making before the device is delivered.

Coaching and support.Patients may face barriers over time like fatigue and frustration. Providing periodic encouragement, tips, and reminders can help patients stay engaged, maximize the features and benefits of their device, and adhere to the treatment regimen.

维护指导。许多设备需要维护和耗材，这对管理慢性疾病的患者来说是难以承受的。使用接合技术提供持续的支持和提示，以订购消耗品，如更换油管，部件和测试条。

The DOCS, Nevada’s only American Diabetes Association Certified Center and a designated “Center of Excellence” for Medtronic, a manufacturer of insulin technology, recognized the need for added support to ensure patients can initiate and sustain use of an insulin pump, and reduce the number of phone calls they were receiving. They created a patient communication pathway that is carefully designed to proactively address known barriers and challenges for the device. The pathway helped them achieve successful device adherence and significantly fewer phone calls from these patients. It also decreases calls to the manufacturer’s help center as patients have the information they need at their fingertips.要了解更多，请阅读与内分泌学家阿希什·迪万博士的问答。

Conclusion

Providing digital, proactive support during testing, delivery, and long-term utilization improves the patient experience and clinical outcomes, while preventing revenue loss from non-adherence and devices left unreturned. Using automated care pathways that are designed to support each patient journey optimizes patient success with testing and device set-up, adherence to treatment protocols, device return upon discontinuation, and an increase in case manager productivity.