New technologies are improving access and capabilities within the healthcare industry every day. Patient portals, telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and communication channels can help clinicians provide more effective, personalized healthcare to their patients.
Below, we’ll describe some tools and strategies that healthcare providers should consider if they want to integrate personalized medicine into their patient care.
What is Personalized Healthcare?
Personalized healthcare is technically defined as “an emerging practice of medicine that uses an individual’s genetic profile to guide decisions made in regard to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease” by the National Human Genome Research Institute. Using a patient’s genetic material, scientists can identify patients’ health risks and inform their health plans.
Treating patients through genetic sequencing — also referred to as precision medicine — is growing in popularity, but not every healthcare system or individual patient has access to this costly healthcare technology. Even without the ability to sequence a patient’s entire genome, the burgeoning industry has powerful implications for care providers of every specialty.
By taking a similarly technical, data-driven approach in their care plans, providers can offer preventive and even predictive care. Patients who feel their unique needs are being considered may experience better outcomes overall.
Healthcare has never been a one-size-fits-all system, and new biomedical technologies are providing more patient data than ever throughout decision-making processes. Care teams don’t need access to biomarkers and pricey genetic lab equipment to provide evidence-based, effective treatment. There are several ways to utilize data collection and management to provide individualized care.
A patient’s progress through their treatment plan must be measured and tracked to determine whether treatments are effective. The more frequently patients are evaluated, and the more in-depth the exam, the more data medical staff will have to inform their decision-making process.
The prospect of frequent, thorough exams may sound daunting to overburdened healthcare providers, but technology makes it simple. Telehealth solutions and remote patient monitoring systems allow patients to conduct their own assessments at home and transmit results to their provider’s office. Benchmark RPM’s built-in self assessments make data-collection as simple as sending a link to a patient and as powerful as an in-person interaction.
Wearable devices, mobile apps, and patient portals with messaging capabilities all help patients gather and transmit their own health data without in-person appointments. Some companies, including Benchmark Systems, offer deviceless remote patient monitoring that requires only a smartphone or tablet to capture biometric data. With Benchmark RPM, patients can monitor a number of health indicators — including blood pressure, blood oxygen, heart rate, heart rate variability, breath rate, stress level, energy recovery ability, and more — in real time. Our powerful, AI-driven algorithm can flag any results that may require attention so staff can provide timely intervention, if necessary.
Staff members get the patient data they need to choose the best course of treatment without additional appointments, so they can provide the best care possible to more patients.
Patients are often interested in their health and care plans, and many want to know more about their diagnoses and symptoms but struggle to locate trustworthy and accurate sources. Providing patients with curated resources on their diagnoses helps them cut through the infinite sources available online and understand the contents of extremely technical peer-reviewed research.
Building a resource library for your practice’s specialty and targeted treatments means patients can call upon your expertise and experience from anywhere at any time. The Benchmark RPM app comes preloaded with a full digital library of vetted healthcare resources, so your patient can find the information they need for their unique health issues and goals. Plus, our EHR platform is configured with built-in customizable resources that you can provide your patients.
The standardization of symptoms, biometric ranges, and medical treatments is invaluable in treating conditions, but no two patients are the same. Patients’ personal data, health goals, treatment options, and side effects are all unique and can change over time. Check in with patients regularly about changes and trends.
Healthcare providers can work collaboratively with patients and other healthcare professionals to develop a comprehensive care plan that addresses all aspects of a patient’s health. Changes in one area of a patient’s life and well-being are bound to affect other areas. Patient care should not only be tailored to the individual, but also to the individual’s ever-changing circumstances.
One provider can’t wear every hat in a patient’s ongoing healthcare journey, and recognizing that fact is better for both the provider and the patient. Referring patients to specialists who may be better equipped to treat specific issues is often necessary.
Healthcare providers can work collaboratively with patients and other healthcare professionals to develop a comprehensive care plan that addresses all aspects of a patient’s health. This may involve referrals to other specialists, such as nutritionists or physical therapists, who can provide additional support and expertise.
Connecting patients with peer support groups and resources can foster discussion and independent exploration of their condition. Monitored relationships between like-minded individuals can play a huge role in their success and mental health.
Personalized healthcare is easy to provide with the right tools in place. We’re proud to offer a complete suite of interoperable healthcare technology solutions, from practice management software, to electronic health records, to revenue cycle management, to remote patient monitoring, to ProTech IT support. Each of these tools is powerful on its own, but even more powerful when working together.
