Assessing the Impact of Home Monitoring Technology on a Multidisciplinary Feeding Program

Background: Children with pediatric feeding disorders require frequent monitoring via physical exams and the collection and assessment of anthropometric data. This quality improvement (QI) project initiated in the Growth and Nutrition Program at Boston Children's Hospital assessed whether implementation of TytoCare remote monitoring technology improved satisfaction and reduced stress among caregivers of children with feeding disorders. Purpose: The purpose of this QI project was to determine whether implementation of the new remote monitoring technology improved caregivers' and providers' telehealth experience. Methods: Caregivers received TytoCare home monitoring technology for use in virtual visits with their child's medical team. Caregiver satisfaction and stress were assessed in an online survey given at baseline and at three and six months after implementation. Results: Most caregivers (85%) were satisfied with their virtual appointments both before and after implementation of the remote monitoring technology, and there was no change in caregiver stress. Although there was significant interest in using the technology, there were challenges in its utilization, such as requiring both caregivers and providers to use a separate platform to collect, transmit, and view the data. All caregivers indicated that telehealth appointments were more convenient than in-person visits and wanted to continue having virtual visits. Conclusions: Limited change in caregiver satisfaction and in the perceived quality of virtual visits may be related to an already high satisfaction level at baseline. It's important to provide caregivers with tools for accurate clinical data collection, though they need to be user-friendly so the data are easily transmittable to providers during telehealth visits.