Preliminary experience with a remote monitoring technology in pediatric patients with gastrostomy tubes: A prospective cohort study

Abstract

Gastrostomy tube‐related concerns result in a significant number of preventable emergency department (ED) visits each year. We conducted a pilot study that sought to prevent unnecessary ED visits with the utilization of a remote patient monitoring (RPM) application (app). We outline our program's design and implementation process and report on patient enrollment, engagement, and healthcare utilization. We utilized descriptive statistics to report on demographics and clinical data obtained from the electronic health record and RPM app. Sixteen participants were included in the study, half of whom were under 1 year of age and the other half between 2 and 9 years of age. Having a preferred language other than English was the primary reason for ineligibility due to constraints of the platform. Half of our patients completed weekly tasks for greater than 8 weeks. Despite having the RPM app, only 16 of 45 alerts (35.6%) occurred via the app while the rest were communicated through traditional means. There were four (10.3%) tube‐related concerns that resulted in higher levels of care, including one urgent care visit, two ED visits, and one hospital admission. In summary, RPM technology may be feasible in supporting families with newly placed G‐tubes and managing various tube‐related complications but further work to enhance digital literacy and engagement is needed.