Remote monitoring of chronically ill patients will be one of the next steps to health, says researcher

Remote monitoring of chronically ill patients will be one of the next big steps in healthcare technology, but the human factor played by physicians will always be “decisive,” researcher Marla Zinni Gil da Costa said Wednesday.

“Patients with chronic conditions are seeking solutions and new technologies that enable them to play a greater role in individualized treatment decisions. These technologies provide an opportunity to improve the quality of life by introducing new ways of incorporating care into their daily lives,” he said. Lusa, director of usability and neuroergonomics at Neuroverse.

The specialist, who this Wednesday is participating in a health and technology conference hosted by the NOVA School of Medicine, pointed to an example of a project developed by Neuroverse aimed at migraine sufferers who are “three times more likely to suffer from migraine.” Generalized Anxiety Disorders.

The app developed uses brain electroencephalographic data recorded by patients at home using a device “capable of detecting migraine-related changes in brain activity 24 hours before symptom onset,” Zinni Gil da Costa explained.

“Migraine patients are looking for solutions to reduce the number of migraine days and severity of attacks to help them cope with the anxiety associated with the uncertainty of each sudden and unpredictable attack,” said the human factors and neuroscience specialist. , who expressed the belief that more “wearable” or home technologies should be available in the near future to treat other chronic diseases.

This area of ​​digital health for home use devices “has grown exponentially” during the covid-19 pandemic, Marla Zinni Gil da Costa also said, pointing to the use of a portable electrocardiogram (ECG) to detect atrial fibrillation.

“Data sharing between patient and physician results in an improved and coordinated response to treatment, with tangible results for patients and clearer follow-up care plans,” the researcher also stressed.

He assured that despite this technological evolution, the human element of health played by physicians will always be “decisive” in diagnosis and treatment.

“There is a balance of factors that influence each treatment plan, with discussion between physician and patient, and in some cases between groups of different medical professionals, to arrive at an appropriate patient care plan,” explained the researcher, who is increasing “pairing” between physicians and technologies will reduce the number of errors and get better results.

“I believe we will see physicians upscaling and pairing physicians with technology that will enable them to be more efficient,” said Marla Zinni Gil da Costa, noting that these are “exciting times in the creation of healthcare technologies.” “.