Real-world benefits of the INVU remote fetal nonstress testing platform
Nuvo
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November 7, 2023
Letter to the AJOG editors from Dr. Blake McLaughlin, Regional Medical Director for Women’s Health for Banner Health
This letter to the AJOG editors was originally published November 7, 2023 here.
To the Editors:
Upon reading the recent American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology publication—“Utilization of a wireless monitoring device to perform nonstress tests in high-risk pregnancies from home” by Hamm et al1 from the University of Pennsylvania—I was struck by the alignment of their findings with our experience at Banner Health.
Banner Health is continuously committed to ensuring that every patient we serve in rural areas is provided with the same safe, high-quality perinatal care we administer to patients in more resourced urban, metro, or academic centers. Our telemedicine obstetrical programs are designed to address the limited access to obstetrics care in these rural areas. Many telehealth solutions in obstetrics do not address fetal monitoring. However, this emerging technology solves that problem.
In our endeavor to provide exceptional care and service to high-risk pregnancies, we integrated the INVU platform, monitoring patients during the past year. As we engaged in multiple sessions, a pattern of reliability and efficiency emerged, successfully obtaining an interpretable nonstress test (NST) in most appointments.
The use of the INVU platform was accompanied by a discernible improvement in visit compliance rates. Patients using INVU did not miss appointments because barriers to access to care were eliminated. Mirroring the study’s feedback, most of our patients have expressed a preference for the convenience and reassurance of remote NSTs.
The article’s conclusion, emphasizing INVU’s potential to address healthcare inequities and enhance perinatal outcomes, resonates deeply with Banner’s mission—“Making healthcare easier, so life can be better.” As a community of clinicians, recognizing and embracing these transformative innovations will be instrumental in shaping the future of maternal healthcare.
Thank you Hamm et al and AJOG for your unwavering dedication to pushing the boundaries of obstetrics and gynecology towards ongoing improvement. With platforms, such as INVU, I believe that we are on the cusp of a new era in maternal care, marked by safety, equity, and innovation.
