AI in Remote Patient Monitoring: Promise and Precaution

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has quietly harbored artificial intelligence (AI) for years, long before technology like ChatGPT made headlines. These were not the sophisticated large language models we know today. Rather, they were rule-based protocols that determined when to alert clinicians about concerning patient data. Now, as modern AI transforms healthcare delivery, RPM sits at the center of a fascinating evolution that promises both tremendous opportunity and significant responsibility.To understand AI’s current role in RPM, it helps to trace the technology’s path. Early RPM programs focused on high-acuity patients where there was a high short-term chance of a harmful (and expensive) event — think recently discharged heart failure patients with dedicated nurses monitoring their vital signs in near real time.