Tag Archives: telecare

The doctor will see you now – by VIDEO LINK

The doctor will see you now – by VIDEO LINK: London hospital trust uses technology to improve care at night and weekends

  • Guys and St Thomas’ are trialling technology that could improve standard of care at night and weekends, when wards are staffed by junior doctors
  • The ‘eICU system’ has been likened to air traffic control as consultants are able to monitor and control treatment from a centralised location
  • Already widely used in the U.S. and has been reported to have reduced death rates by 27% and length of hospital stays by 23%
  • Could eventually allow consultants to log on at home and check the condition of patients as they come around after surgery

By Rachel Reilly

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A London hospital trust has announced that its doctors will consult patients via video link to tackle staff and skills shortages in the NHS.

Guys and St Thomas’ are trialling technology that could improve the standard of care during the night and at weekends.

The ‘eICU’ system employs high-definition cameras to allow consultant to diagnose and treat patients from a centralised location remotely.

Experts have likened the new technology to air traffic control, where the movement of planes are monitored and controlled from one location. Here a doctor is pictured treating a patient remotely

Experts have likened the new technology to air traffic control, where the movement of planes are monitored and controlled from one location. Here a doctor is pictured treating a patient remotely

The system, known as Philips ‘telemedicine’  technology, is already widely used in the U.S. and is reported to have reduced death rates by 27 per cent and the length of hospital stays by 23 per cent.

Experts have compared the new system to air traffic control, where the movement of planes are monitored and controlled from one location.

‘It’s like an airport having a control tower, supporting what is going on throughout the system , so that the overall quality goes up and senior people are available when needed,’ Dr Richard Beale, director of perioperative, critical care and pain services, told the Evening Standard.

Details of the trial, funded by a £2.85 million grant from Guy’s and St Thomas’ charity, were being made public today in a presentation at the King’s Fund think tank in central London.

Telehealth costs more than conventional treatment

Budget for NHS cost-cutting scheme to triple

A cost-cutting government scheme to monitor millions of NHS patients remotely in their homes is three times more expensive than expected, and is unlikely to save the predicted £1.2 billion a year, a study has found.

a remote monitoring system transmit patient's blood oxygen levels to the local hospital

Eddie Beardsmore uses a remote monitoring system to transmit his blood oxygen levels to the local hospital Photo: JAY WILLIAMS

By Melanie Hall

One of the Coalition’s key health ambitions — to treat three million people with long-term conditions remotely — would cost £92,000 per patient, way above the £30,000 threshold set by the medical regulator, according to research published in the British Medical Journal.

The Department of Health has promoted the “telehealth” scheme, which would involve installing machines in patients’ homes to monitor their conditions and send results electronically to doctors, as a money-saving measure that also improves quality of life and reduces emergency hospital admissions, GP appointments and visits to accident and emergency departments.

However, a trial study of almost 1,000 patients already monitored in this way found that telehealth costs more than conventional treatment.

Telecare aimed at families worried about elderly parents – if it works

Telecare could be the future of elderly care – if it works

A package aimed at families worried about elderly parents is being launched at a time of growing doubt about the efficacy of telehealth

elderly people

Help at Hand will soon be followed by similar services but research has suggested no benefit for telecare users. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian

Telecare arrives on the high street this week with the launch by O2 of a package aimed at families a bit worried about Mum or Dad. For £99 down plus £20 a month, a person gets a mobile device that connects to a 24/7 support centre, makes calls to four pre-set numbers, and sends an alert and GPS location when it thinks they may have fallen or wandered outside a programmed zone.

The launch of Help at Hand, to be followed soon by comparable products from other companies, marks a watershed in the assistive technology market. Until now, telecare has been available largely only through local councils and/or via landlines. This offers a mobile solution direct to the consumer.