Preliminary results of a medical telecare pilot in Wrexham

Abstract

A pilot project was initiated in Wrexham in North Wales with two groups of patients suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). One group was provided with a commercial telehealth system (HomMed Genesis) while the other received a medical telecare service involving standalone vital signs peripherals and a phone call from a respiratory nurse who collected data and entered them into a spreadsheet. After four months of monitoring, the outcomes were analysed for both groups and were found to be largely similar both in terms of the interventions, and the perceived quality of life benefits for the patients. A cost benefit analysis showed that the savings to the NHS exceeded the project costs by about £9,000 thanks mainly to a reduction in the number of exacerbations exhibited by the patients. It is recommended that this form of telecare may greatly increase the independence of people with a chronic disease or long‐term condition and that further studies need to be initiated to determine which measurement regime is most suitable.

Citation

Cooper, K. and Doughty, K. (2009), "Preliminary results of a medical telecare pilot in Wrexham", Journal of Assistive Technologies, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 36-42. https://doi.org/10.1108/17549450200900023