Advantages in Management and Remote Monitoring of Intravenous Therapy: Exploratory Survey and Economic Evaluation of Gravity-Based Infusions in Finland.

In hospitals, patients often receive fluids intravenously. These fluids enter the blood circulation directly, and their incorrect administration (too much or too little, too slow or too fast) can have serious and potentially life-threatening consequences. The Monidor solution aims to improve administration of intravenous fluids. It consists of two components: a mobile app for remote monitoring and a meter for bedside management. This study aimed to estimate the impact of the Monidor solution on administration of intravenous fluids and to assess how the Monidor solution would affect costs. Among the factors considered were the price of the devices, nurse time freed, and prevention of complications with the intravenous therapies. The data were collected via questionnaires from nurses from 15 wards in 6 Finnish hospitals. According to the responses and a health economic model designed for this study, the Monidor solution freed capacity with a value of €1270.90 per month. When considering the local cost of the Monidor solution, the return on investment was positive. In summary, the Monidor solution is cost-effective; routine room visits by nurses were avoided, problems with infusions were detected earlier, and nurse time was freed. These findings could be confirmed in a larger study.