Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Mobile telehealth solution helps UK patients monitor chronic illness

In July 2011, NHS Bristol awarded a £1.4 million contract to Safe Patient Systems to provide telehealth monitoring to patients with chronic conditions. The contract has since enabled patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart disease to benefit from daily remote clinical monitoring using mobile phones, officials say.

The Safe Mobile Care system uses mobile phones programmed with personalized care plans created from the system’s Web-base application software. Patients receive daily prompts to complete clinically validated questionnaires and capture relevant vital signs using wirelessly connected monitoring devices.

Responses are automatically sent to Safe Mobile Care Triage Management software. If a response indicates that a patient’s condition may be worsening, an alert is generated automatically and sent to a nurse or doctor. They then advise the patient on the next course of action.

Safe Mobile requires no broadband installation or complex technical support, officials say. A nurse or clinician can also install the system’s devices and guide the patient through any of the processes in using the system.

“This technology will play a key part in delivering the self-care agenda in Bristol, supporting patients to understand the link between symptoms and related treatments and behaviors," said Sian Jones, program manager, long-term conditions at NHS Bristol. "Having started with COPD and congestive heart failure patients, there is an interest in rolling this out to include other long term conditions, to maximize the benefits for people in Bristol."

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