Remote patient monitoring: how a high-quality localization process can benefit patients and providers alike

Learn how telemedicine and devices such as rpm devices can make a huge difference in patient experience and medicine in general… and not only

Remote patient monitoring leverages state-of-the-art technologies to collect real-time patient data that are helpful in improving medical decision-making, cutting healthcare costs, enhancing the doctor-patient relationship, and accelerating the digital transformation of healthcare. But how can localization enhance this digital transformation?

The global digital transformation of society that is constantly taking place, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the trend towards the use of real-time actionable insights as a solid basis for informed decision-making and planning (Big Data, isn’t it?) are two of the factors behind the development of remote patient monitoring, which uses technology to better manage patient data, improve quality of life, and improve communications with medical specialists while cutting down healthcare costs.

What are multilingual remote patient monitoring devices?

Remote patient monitoring companies have been able to create software and hardware to record different types of medical and health data, which are saved electronically and/or transmitted to doctors and medical providers in different hospitals or institutions and are assessed and used to provide and optimize healthcare.

The use of these systems became particularly evident during the pandemic, given that it was necessary to take care of patients while respecting protocols and minimizing physical contact. Popular remote health monitoring devices include blood pressure cuffs, cardiac monitors, and continuous glucose monitors, which are not only used to monitor diseases but also general health and wellness (think about the recent research and the consequent success of the Low-Carb and Keto lifestyles).

Why is remote health monitoring important?

New remote patient monitoring programs are being launched all the time because they not only allow delivering more effective care but also provide significant financial and time savings. When healthcare operations are conducted efficiently, all parties involved are able to reap the benefits:

Reduced number of hospitalizations and (re)admissions, as well as shorter hospital stays, thereby freeing hospital capacity;
In-hospital visits and trips to emergency rooms can also be reduced;
Prevention and preventive care protocols can be created using real data;
Treatment can be increasingly personalized and is therefore less generic and more effective;
The relationship between doctors and patients improves considerably, as well as patient risk scoring.

What is the goal of remote patient monitoring companies?

The objective of companies that develop multilingual remote patient monitoring devices is not only to make the job of healthcare professionals more dynamic but also to improve the quality of life of patients. Of course, in order to improve the relationship and communications between patients and medical staff and in order to achieve progress and success through the use of technology, an effective process of localizing all telemedicine solutions and content must be in place. The diversity of patients all over the world means that the end users of remote health monitoring have to be reached (think of the US, for example, and the variety of languages spoken there other than English).

Telehealth monitoring and localization

But what does healthcare and telemedicine content include? Aside from the multilingual software of remote patient monitoring devices and their instruction manuals, think about the different protocols, consent forms, treatment plans, and all the documentation needed for the internationalization of healthcare providers, such as marketing collateral and branding manuals, to mention just a few.

To deliver a real patient-centric approach and offer the best user experience, remote patient monitoring companies must translate and localize their healthcare content in a culturally appropriate way that can guarantee quality, accessibility, and efficiency. This means that content should be not only error-proof, but also consistently accurate and standardized, as well as compliant with legal imperatives and healthcare requirements with full respect for patient data.

Only experts on the subject matter and seasoned linguists who are fluent in the language and the nuances of patient culture should handle the process, monitored by language service providers that are able to match the skills of those experts and linguists with state-of-the-art localization workflows and technologies, thereby ensuring that telemedicine hardware and software interfaces perform as perfectly as possible.