The Cleveland-based Eaton Corporation, a power management company, announced that it developed an ambient monitoring API for use, on a subscription basis, for its sensor-based smart circuit breaker. 

The readings can flag anomalies, like a spike in night-time bathroom visits, as part of patient remote health monitoring, the company said.

WHY IT MATTERS

In its announcement Wednesday, Eaton said the algorithm's accuracy is as effective as home health and wellbeing monitoring from connected health technologies like passive infrared-based systems. 

"Sensor-based approaches are excellent in providing data regarding the comings and goings – general movement – of residents, but the real benefit of our approach comes from the marriage of sensor-based technology and energy-based data," explained Christopher Berke, director of digital healthcare for Eaton in the statement. 

"By adding the rich data from the electrical energy that is used in a household, we can go beyond proof of life, and get into incredible detail about the activities that make up a person’s day-to-day life."

The AI is trained on daily activities and can become predictive of potential problems in individual and group living environments. 

The digital abstracts of a resident’s activities of daily living, which the company said can be grouped around daily activities that use appliances and devices – like meal preparation, can reveal out-of-the-ordinary trends that indicate a potential problem.

THE LARGER TREND

With a growing, aging population and a shortage of healthcare workers, RPM is moving to the mainstream.

RPM can decrease patient costs, increase care efficiency and reduce staff burnout, according to Andrew Zengilowski, CEO and cofounder of CoachCare, an RPM platform vendor.

He told Healthcare IT News in March that the future of RPM will be defined by broader adoption and novel devices to manage customized care.

"By alerting the provider via RPM, more frequent interventions, especially for higher-risk patients being seen by specialists, may decrease emergency room visits, complications and late diagnoses with more severe health concerns and consequences," he said. 

ON THE RECORD

"By adding the rich data from the electrical energy that is used in a household, we can go beyond proof of life, and get into incredible detail about the activities that make up a person’s day-to-day life," Berke said in a statement.

"When the data points to a trending activity that is out of the ordinary or that could indicate a potential problem, a loved one or care provider can be alerted and a decision can be made on a course of action, like a call or a visit."

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.