Comparing Ways to Monitor Patients with COVID-19 at Home (COVID Watch), New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, 2020-2021

The University of Pennsylvania Health System (Penn Medicine) developed COVID Watch, an automated text message-based, remote monitoring program with 24/7 clinical support. Remote outpatient monitoring of patients with COVID-19 became needed because patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection can decline rapidly and unpredictably, and because of their own limited capacity to manage acute symptoms and concerns about staff safety, office-based outpatient practices often redirect patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 to hospitals. As a result, emergency departments (EDs) and hospitals became overwhelmed during surge periods of high community incidence rates and prevalence. Remote monitoring has the potential to facilitate ED- and hospital-level care for patients who require it while supporting access to care for patients who can safely remain at home.
This study compared outcomes for patients enrolled in COVID Watch with those of patients who were eligible to enroll but received usual care, with the hypothesis that enrollment in COVID Watch was associated with reduced mortality. The present research examined whether patients with COVID-19 who were enrolled in COVID Watch experienced better health outcomes compared with usual care (Aim 1) and whether augmenting COVID Watch with at-home monitoring of SpO2 (blood-oxygen saturation) improves patient outcomes (Aim 2).