Kathi Mooney on Using an Automated Remote Monitoring System for Patients After Chemotherapy Treatment

Kathi Mooney, PhD, RN, FAAN, Louis S. Peery and Janet B. Peery Presidential Endowed Chair in Nursing, College Of Nursing, University of Utah, Co-Leader Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, discusses using an automated remote monitoring system to improve patients’ side effects following chemotherapy treatment.

First, Mooney and researchers conducted a study with the automated system where information from patients were successfully sent over to oncology nurses and oncologists. Even though the system worked well, the providers did not call the patients back to improve their symptom management, Mooney says.

Mooney says the healthcare providers said they didn’t interact with patients because at the time of getting chemotherapy, they gave patients the best supportive care they could.

In a follow-up study, researchers made sure providers called back to any system alert to talk with patients about how to decrease their symptoms. The study found a sharp decrease in symptoms, Mooney says.

Therefore, both technology and provider follow-up is needed to decrease symptoms in patients.