Home
Telemonitoring
Franklin County Home Health Agency has
launched the use of new technology
in
patients' homes
to
help manage the care of patients with unstable conditions, or
with conditions in
which early detection and prompt treatment can halt further decline.
The new technology, known
as home telemonitoring,
enables
patient's to take their own
vital signs and
communicate the information
to
a nurse seven days a week.
The telemonitoring system is a device that connects to a phone
line in the patient's home.
It is light-weight
and compact.
The monitor uses a friendly voice to alert patients when it
is time to check their vital signs
and to
guide patients through a simple procedure to collect
their blood pressure, heart
rate, oxygen saturation and weight.
Once the information
is collected,
it is sent through the phone line to a central computer at
the Home Health
office.
The information that is gathered can be customized to meet the
needs of each
patient. The system can can also
ask patients to respond "yes" or "no" to up
to 10 questions related to their
specific diagnosis and condition. The
information is
automatically sent to a central computer at the Home Health
office.
A nurse reviews the
information and assesses the need for a follow-up phone call or visit.
The
system will alert
the nurse to any measurements that fall outside the normal parameters
set for
each patient. The nurse may contact
the patient to determine what steps should be taken next: a nurse home
visit, a call to the physical or a simple recheck
of vital signs later in the day.
The nurse is able to review
the vital signs and assess a patient's condition, even on days when
a home
visit
might
not be scheduled. The ability to spot subtle changes in a patient's
condition can prevent
a minor problem from
developing into something more.
An important goal of this
system is to decrease emergency intervention and return
hospitalizations
for many patients with chronic illnesses or those recovering from a major
illness.
Who benefits from home telemonitoring?
Patients
with chronic or acute disease including:
Congestive Heart Failure
Pulmonary Hypertension
Intractable Hypertension
Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction
Recent Myocardial Infarction
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Asthma
Diabetes
Pregnancy Induced Hypertension
Gestational Diabetes
Cystic Fibrosis
Wound Care
