Exploring Variations in Remote Monitoring: HF vs. COPD Hospital at Home Programs

NHS England is expanding hospital-at-home chronic disease programs supported by remote patient monitoring, including patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF). Characterising demographics, length of stay, and alerting patterns in these groups are key to effective resource allocation.

In a comprehensive study conducted by Current Health’s in-house clinical research team, anonymized data from six NHS Trusts were analyzed from March 2021 to August 2023. The study focused on patients enrolled in hospital-at-home care supported by the Current Health platform for COPD (n=129) or HF (n=83), with a prescription for continuous wear of the CE-marked wearable vital signs monitor.

The findings revealed that COPD patients spent a longer duration on the Current Health platform compared to HF patients. Moreover, HF patients tended to be older and triggered more alarms. These insights underscore the need for tailored staffing ratios to effectively manage alarm responses as virtual wards expand beyond respiratory conditions.

This research was presented at the UK Hospital at Home Society Conference 2024.