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accessawareness

www.accessmagazine.co.uk

Last issue I looked at the concept of mHealth – usingmobile and wireless

technologies to make healthmonitoring and treatment moreefficient. This month, I’m examiningone aspect of mHealth – telehealth.

Telehealth devices allow people withchronic conditions, such as stroke, heartdisease, diabetes and chest conditions, tomonitor their health in their own homes.Certain types of monitors, meters,weighing scales and other devices enableusers to take an active role in themanagement of their condition, byelectronically sending medicalobservations and data directly to a healthpractitioner who will be monitoring theircondition remotely.

The table below gives some examplesof telehealth devices and what they do:

Data-transmitting telehealth devicesare designed to collect data and transmitit in packets (the method used to enableelectronic communications across theinternet) to designated hospitals andother health facilities. Once the data isreceived and stored it can be used toassess the person’s condition by medicalstaff – who might then suggestmodifications to the individual’s existingtreatment, if required.

Some telehealth systems may include

Guy Dewsburypresents an overviewof telehealth – what itis, and the uses it canbe put to…

a monitor-equipped ‘telehealth hub’,which can be made to display a series ofpersonalised questions for the user toanswer on how they feel and how they aremanaging their conditions. Other systemsmight display the questions on a privatewebpage that can be accessed via astandard web browser. The answers tothese questions will be passed to themedical team and used to help them inmaking their diagnoses.

healthcare, in which medical teams canquickly respond to changes in the patientand prevent episodes or furtherdeterioration of their condition.

Most importantly, if the devices reportan irregular reading, this can be flagged tothe health team as requiring urgentattention. Often the patient will be unawarethat their health status has changed untilthe health team contacts them.

This form of remote healthmonitoring means that hospital resourcescan be freed up. When someone canmanage their own health with the supportof technology and a specialist healthteam, it allows the home to, in effect,become a hospital. As technologydevelops, telehealth devices will becomeever more discreet and able to providehealth professionals with increasinglysophisticated measurements.

TECH TALK

Proactive healthcareTelehealth equipment can be usedalongside other peripherals, such asoxygen supplies. For people with complexconditions, it may be necessary for themto be provided with multiple telehealthdevices.

Abnormal readings will alert thesupport team, who then can contact thepatient directly and provide advice onhow best to manage their condition. Thisenables a more proactive approach to

UseMeasures glucose in the patient’s blood

Measures the patient’s blood pressure

Enables a patient’s weight to be sent remotely to thehealth team

Measures the amount of oxygen in the patient’s blood

Measures the person's maximum speed of expiration(breathing out)

Provides specific questions relating to how theperson is coping with their condition.

Telehealth deviceDigital blood glucose meters

Blood pressure monitors

Digital weight scales

Pulse oximeters

Peak flow meters

Telehealth hub

Telehealth devices, suchas the pictured examples

from Yorkshire-based firmTunstall, can be used to

monitor a person’sweight, pulse, blood

pressure and otherphysical characteristics

Teleheath technologyallows individuals at hometo monitor their conditionand report the findings tomedical specialists at aremote location

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