Effect of remote patient monitoring on healthcare use among patients with cancer: A systematic review.

Purpose: Remote patient monitoring (RPM) allows healthcare providers to monitor patient outcomes outside of a traditional healthcare setting, potentially supporting reductions in acute care utilization. This systematic review aims to assess whether RPM use among cancer patients reduces hospitalizations and length of stay (LOS).

Methods: A systematic review was conducted to identify articles published in PubMed and CINAHL between 2019 and 2024 that evaluated the impacts of RPM in cancer patients compared to the standard care. The primary outcomes examined were hospitalizations and LOS. Secondary outcomes were emergency department (ED) visits and hospital readmissions. Two reviewers screened and assessed the studies. Evidence strength was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2). While statistical tests were not conducted on results, outcomes were categorized as having increased, decreased, or no change.

Results: This review included one randomized controlled trial, seven cohort studies, and one case-control study. RPM was associated with reductions in healthcare utilization among cancer patients. There were significant reductions in hospitalizations, LOS, ED visits, and hospital readmissions in 67% (4/6), 67% (4/6), 75% (3/4), and 67% (2/3) of studies, respectively.

Conclusion: This systematic review builds upon existing literature that demonstrates the effectiveness of using RPM to manage acute conditions such as cancer. RPM may support management of various cancer-related conditions and, in turn, potentially reduce acute care use. However, study homogeneity and additional rigorous study designs are necessary to draw more definitive conclusions about the impacts of RPM in cancer care.