Telemonitoring chronic heart failure: interim findings from a pilot
study in South Yorkshire
Researchers from Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust,
Dr Simon Brownsell, Hazel Aldred and Professor Mark Hawley,
share their findings at the halfway mark of a year-long trial of
telehealthcare.
ABSTRACT
Within the NHS there is currently an emphasis on moving expenditure from
hospitals to spending on care closer to home. Telecare services, especially
the monitoring of patients with chronic heart failure in their own homes, is
an approach that, on the basis of overseas trials and limited UK pilot
studies, shows promise.
This paper reports a pilot study in Barnsley where such telecare systems
have been installed in 42 homes, and the impact on users is currently being
assessed. Interim findings suggest that with appropriate support, the system
can make major preventative interventions practicable. It would also appear
that patients do not understand their condition as well as they might, and
that educational reinforcement would support better self care.
Br J Healthcare Comput Info Manage 2006; 23(8): 14–18. |
