A Comparison of Active and Passive Remote Patient Monitoring

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) technology centers around a subset of telehealth innovations that allow providers to keep an eye on a patient’s personal health and medical data. There are two forms of RPM — active and passive. But what do these actually entail? What is the difference between active and passive monitoring of patients?

In active RPM devices, patients often require a know-how of operating the technology. This does not necessarily mean, contrary to popular conception, that these technologies must be inherently difficult to use. Active analytics sometimes do involve devices patients are very familiar with (like blood pressure measuring cuffs, glucometers, and weight scales) to support data transition. However, this does require patients to remember to use these devices — to be active about using them — or else the most recent data would not be collected nor recorded. In an active monitoring system, a user must perform an action or task to cause an alert, provide input and/or collect data.

Examples of innovative devices that provide active patient monitoring include:

• Connected/Smart Scales: These scales are considered “smart” because they track variables beyond just weight when the user steps on them, such as body fat percentage and heart rate. When the “stepper” actively remembers to step on them, scales like the Sportneer Smart Scale are activated to then give them current detail about their body composition, obesity, and weight control.
• Electronic respiratory monitors: These devices require a patient to breathe into them to collect data about breathing, airways, and general lung function. For instance, the Smokerlyzer range of carbon monoxide measures the amount of CO on a smoker’s breath range to aid in smoking cessation and treatment.

While active RPM technologies are incredible and continue to be used, passive analytics collection has gained ground in recent years. Through passive RPM, providers can collect vital information about a patient’s health without them having to actively participate in the data collection.

Passive RPM systems transmit data without any action on the user’s part — they can simply live their normal daily lives while providers can monitor them and give feedback when necessary. This is a game-changer for populations like elderly patients who face barriers to adopting active technologies.

Because no action is required, patients would not forget to take necessary steps needed for their data collection. Hence, passive RPM systems can often be more consistent and offer greater accuracy when it comes to the picture of patient health.

Technologies like SafeBeing™ by Somatix have combined passive monitoring with key features such as real-time gesture detection analysis and alerts/notifications. We already know that with the power of fully passive monitoring of key gestures, SafeBeing™ requires no change in user behavior or manual entry of data. However, in tandem with steady real-time tracking of users’ activities of daily living (ADLs), it can detect risks and provide predictive insights regarding health. When these risks are detected, this unique technology sends alerts and notifications to caregivers, family members and providers.

Such high-tech tools are becoming available in the home healthcare sphere as well, ensuring older adults can live with peace and safety, and family members can be rest assured that their loved ones are taken care of.

With accuracy and precision, these passive RPM tools are using analytics to change the face of medicine. The value of these tools continues to grow, especially as they become pivotal in improving costs, efficiency, and outcomes in healthcare.