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The purpose of this paper is to analyse early findings from telemonitoring data for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, residing in Wollondilly Shire, New South Wales, Australia. The Shire has 19 small scattered and isolated rural communities, which experience undersupply of healthcare providers. Findings are to be used for further research to support wider implementation of telemonitoring by general practitioners (GPs).

Local patients with multiple chronic obstructive pulmonary disease hospital admissions were allocated home telemonitoring equipment, entering readings according to their GP management plan. Demographic, biometric and self-assessment readings were retrospectively collected, from July 2015 to April 2016.

Data for 18 patients aged 44-87, with equal gender representation was analysed. There was a total of 24,545 data points from 2,932 readings. Over half showed high clinical risk; 93 occasions required GP escalation, 23 per cent for respiratory conditions, in 14 patients. Nine were hospitalised, 51 per cent for respiratory conditions.

Home telemonitoring of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was found to be a promising patient management approach, providing accurate, reliable health indicators. Its use empowered patients to improve symptom control and health outcomes.

Experience in Australian general practice with telemonitoring is limited. High protocol compliance occurred, risk indicators were obtained and the value of home telemonitoring was confirmed.

HealthPathways (HPW) is an online health information portal which provides general practitioners (GPs), guidance on the assessment, management and referral of a range of conditions linked to local resources. However, there is a lack of understanding of the acceptance of pathways within primary health. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

This qualitative study identified baseline factors that promote the successful implementation of HPW in a major local health district (LHD) in Australia. The development, implementation and acceptance of Diabetes HPW were evaluated. A total of 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 stakeholders and 4 GPs. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed and analyzed qualitatively using a thematic analysis approach.

Four major themes were identified that promote the integration of care in the region through utilizing HPW: engagement, sustainability, transparency and accountability. Several factors identified as “enablers” or “barriers” are described at micro and macro levels of the healthcare system.

By combining the perspectives of both stakeholders and end-users, this qualitative evaluation of the localized HPW has identified relational and structural factors that promote the successful implementation of HPW to facilitate the integration of care in this LHD. Furthermore, this study provides other implementers with a comprehensive evaluation of the HPW development.

A recent study on the implementation of telemonitoring has provided an opportunity to explore how telemonitoring could be further developed to enhance better patient, carer and clinician experiences for patients living with chronic disease. The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges and lessons of the telemonitoring implementation and to identify strategies to inform future implementation.

A qualitative study was conducted with a purposive sample using semi-structured interviews to explore their views about the issues identified in the research aims. Interview themes were informed by current literature and the findings from local studies. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically.

A total of 16 participants were interviewed. Overall the recruitment of 56 percent were from identified potential participants. Five core themes were identified, linking different aspects of the telemonitoring implementation: impact of telemonitoring; implementation and management lessons; program risks; program main changes from beginning; and future strategies and recommendations.

This study will inform the wider roll out of telemonitoring across the region with the goal of ensuring future interventions achieve better clinical outcomes, patient, carer experience and deliver better value.

The purpose of this paper is to appraise the development, implementation and acceptance of HealthPathways (HP), specifically in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), at different levels of the health system in a large metropolitan Local Health District in Australia.

This study used a programmatic approach and mixed methods including literature reviews, site visits, semi-structured interviews of stakeholders and General Practitioners (GPs), and surveys (GPs and patients) to better understand the development, implementation and acceptance of T2DM pathways.

Results from this study indicate that 63 percent (n=37) of all survey respondents use HP and nearly half (47 percent) use HP in caring for a patient with diabetes. More than 80 percent of the health professionals found HP a useful tool, which has improved the quality of care, keeps them informed and supports diagnostics process. The use of website has led to an improvement in referral quality (69 percent), has assisted in the provision of more healthcare in the community (87 percent) and made their job easier. Thematic analysis from stakeholder interviews (n=12) emphasizes the importance of established collaborations and the need for standardized tools with common priorities and transparency in processes.

This study has provided insight into the details of delivery of integrated healthcare using HP. It provides a preliminary analysis of the lessons learnt for the implementation of HP.

The results of this study will be ideally placed to inform future policy amendments in the area of integrated healthcare as well as serving as a guide on implementing HP in the future.

This study has demonstrated how technology may contribute to integrated care solutions by comparing conventional ward telemetry (WT) to a wearable ECG monitor (S-Patch) to detect atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with stroke.

51 patients admitted for stroke workup were recruited across two major tertiary centres to compare WT monitoring for two days versus S-Patch for four days in the detection of AF. The efficacy to detect AF using both technologies was assessed via data extractions and medical officer review. A matrix was used to measure nursing/patient satisfaction and setup/resource times were assessed.

Patients (84–94%) and nursing staff (75–95%) preferred the S-Patch wearable technology. Non-parametric tests indicated significant time saving for removal of S-Patch versus WT [2.2 min vs 5.1 min (p = 0.00)]. Efficacy of S-Patch to detect AF following medical officer review was greater than WT, with seven patients identified with AF by S-Patch versus one using WT. The S-patch had a false positive rate of 78%.

The S-Patch is sensitive in the detection of AF; however, it showed a high false-positive rate with automated reporting. This study has provided insight into the details of delivery of integrated healthcare using wearable technology.

The technology and partnership were the first-in-kind in Australia. The S-Patch had a higher detection rate of AF compared to WT which allows patients to be anti-coagulated appropriately for the prevention of further stroke. The results of this study will be ideally placed to inform future policy in integrated healthcare using new technologies.